H. R. Shastry

Shastry made his film debut in Varadacharya's Bhakta Amabareesha which was made in Tamil. In 1941, he appeared in his first Kannada film Subhadra produced by Gubbi Veeranna where he played the role of Dharmaraya. Shastry played the role of deity Shiva in Bedara Kannappa (1954), a film that won the Certificate of Merit for the Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 2nd National Film Awards. He played the major role of a father-in-law who demands dowry, in 1957 social drama Rayara Sose, which was a commercial success. The Rajkumar-starrer Immadi Pulikeshi was his 100th film.

Halebeedu Ramachandra Shastry (2 November 1905 – 12 December 1976), was an Indian actor and dubbing artist known for his work in Kannada cinema. In his career spanning more than 40 years, Shastry played a variety of supporting roles. He is noted for his performances in Bedara Kannappa (1954), Rayara Sose (1957), Bhoodana (1962), Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974) and Upasane (1974). Shastry's last movie was Pavana Ganga.

Shastry was born on 2 November 1905 in Halebeedu village near Melukote, in the present-day Mandya district of Karnataka. His father was an astrologer. At five, Shastry was sent to study under the tutelage of Narasimha Somayaji, where he developed interest towards the Kannada-language and culture and art. He was drawn towards theatre and acting during his secondary schooling at Sarada Vilas High School, Mysore. At 15, he started working at a railway workshop, while pursuing his acting interest alongside.