# Kishan Shrikanth

Kishan Shrikanth (born 6 January 1996), professionally known as Kishan SS or Master Kishan, is a film actor and director from Bangalore, Karnataka. As of January 2006, having acted in 24 films and in many popular Indian soap opera (more than 300 episodes), he directed a feature film, C/o Footpath (Care of Footpath), about an orphaned boy who wants to go to school. The film is adapted from a short story written by himself, and the cast includes prominent Indian actors Jackie Shroff, Saurabh Shukla, B. Jayashree, Sudeep and Tara. Kishan himself plays the lead. The film has been dubbed into five major Indian languages and it has also been released in English. It was first shot in Kannada and the original version was released on 26 November 2006.
In November 2006, he was listed as the "youngest director of a professionally made feature length film" by the Guinness Book of World Records (GBWR). He replaces Sydney Ling, who was thirteen in 1973 when he directed the Dutch film Lex the Wonderdog.

## Personal life

Kishan Shrikanth was born on 6 January 1996 in Bangalore, India to Shrikanth HR and Shylaja Shrikanth. He has a sister.

### Education

Kishan Shrikanth finished his 10th Standard at Camlin English School. He wrote to the government requesting to grant permission to directly take up a Masters Program (Master of Arts in Multimedia & Animation) directly after 10th grade at age of 15. It took him a year to convince various authorities and a technical evaluation was conducted to confirm his eligibility to take up the course. He was admitted into the Masters Program at the age of 16 and went on to become the youngest master's degree earner. He holds an MA in Multimedia.

## Films
### Care of Footpath

This film involves the story of an orphan slum boy who is adopted by an old lady who finds him on a footpath. She brings him to live with her in the slum. With his friends, he makes a living picking up rags. An encounter with some school students who call him an uneducated brute changes the life of this slum boy. This makes him take up a challenge to get educated. How this boy finds a way to live his dream: going to school to get an education, amidst all odds and evens is the line of the story. Inspired by true life stories of great people like Thomas Alva Edison, Michael Faraday, and India's former president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, it is a successful film about the life of a young street boy. The film was originally released in Kannada on 26 November 2006. It successfully ran for more than 100 days in Karnataka.
Shroff commented on him saying that "He is such a genius that I had to work in his film. He is constantly thinking about his next shot, constantly innovating to make it better. He is sure about what he wants from his actors".

## Filmography
### As film director

Film :
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Producer | Notes |
| 2006 | C/o Footpath | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | Also lead actorAlso playback singerAlso final editor |
| 2015 | Care of Footpath 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Also actorAlso original score producer |
| 2015 | Kill Them Young | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Hindi version of Care of Footpath 2 |

### As an actor

Acting roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Grama Devathe | Kishan | |
| 2001 | Hello Narada | | |
| 2002 | Law and Order | Kishan | |
| 2002 | Vamshakobba | | |
| 2002 | Chandu | Bablu | |
| 2002 | Laali Haadu | Kishan | |
| 2002 | Hello | Kishan | also singer |
| 2002 | Neenu Ilde Naanu Illa Kane | | |
| 2003 | Excuse Me | Kishan | |
| 2003 | Swathi Muthu | Krishnamurthy | |
| 2004 | Saradara | | |
| 2005 | Maharaja | | |
| 2005 | Jogi | | |
| 2005 | Thunta | | |
| 2005 | Shambu | | |
| 2005 | Encounter Dayanayak | Dayanayak (young) | |
| 2006 | C/o Footpath | Slummu | Also director, singer |
| 2006 | Thutturi | Abhin | |
| 2006 | Miss California | Boy in the song "Mailari Linga" | Also playback singer |
| 2006 | Aishwarya | Chintu | |
| 2007 | Ee Preethi Yeke Bhoomi Melide | | |
| 2007 | Chili Pili Hakkigalu | | |
| 2008 | Moggina Manasu | Chanchala's brother | |
| 2008 | Gnana Jyothi Sri Siddaganga | | |
| 2013 | Teenage | Arya | Also editor |
| 2015 | Care of Footpath 2 | Krishna | |
| 2015 | Kill Them Young | Krishna | Hindi film |

#### As singer

* Jootata (2005)

## Awards and recognitions
### 2003

* Hello Gandhinagara Awards – Best Child Actor for Swathi Muthu

### 2006

* Golden Lotus National Film Award for Best Children's Film (Care of Footpath) – 54th National Film Awards
* Best Film Jury Award (Care of Footpath) – Karnataka State Award
* Best Child Actor (Care of Footpath) – Karnataka State Award
* Opening Film – Kids for Kids International Film Festival, Cyprus

### 2007

* Telephono Azzuro (Children's Right) – Giffoni International Film Festival, Italy
* Chamber of Deputies Award (the second best film for Care of Footpath) at the Giffoni International Film Festival, Italy
* Children's Rights Award – The Film and Television Association of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
* Closing Film – Busan International Film Festival, South Korea
* Official Selection – Chinh India Film Festival, New Delhi, India
* Official Selection – Mumbai Children's Film Festival

### 2008

* National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement – Government of India
* International Children's Jury Prize – Cairo International Film Festival for Children, Egypt
* International Jury Prize (Adult Jury) – Cairo International Film Festival for Children, Egypt
* Special Honorary Award – Alexandria International Film Festival (Journalist Syndicate, Cairo)
* Best Film Children's Jury Award (Care of Footpath) – 5th International Youth Film Festival (FICI), Spain
* Best Actor Award (Care of Footpath) – 5th International Youth Film Festival (FICI), Spain
* Special Honorary Award – 2nd Emotion Pictures International Festival on Disability-Athens, Greece
* Best Child Actor Silver Elephant Award – 15th Golden Elephant International Children's Film Festival, India
* Special Honorary Award – South India Cinematographers Association-Chennai, India
* Closing Film – Flicks International Film Festival for Children, Saskatoon, Canada
* Official Selection - 22nd International Festival of Films for Children & Young Adults, (competitive section), Tehran, Iran
* Official Selection – Armenia International Film Festival for the Children, Armenia

### 2009

* Official Selection & American Premier- SAIFF (South Asian International Film Festival), New York

### 2012

* Karnataka Government permits to take Post graduation directly after 10th standard.
* 4th TiE-Aspire Young Achiever Award

### 2014

Kishan enters The Forbes India 30 Under 30 List, the youngest entrepreneur to be recognised by Forbes.