| Dinesh | |
| Birth Date: | 1937 |
| Birth Name: | Balasubramanium |
| Birth Place: | Mysore, Kingdom of Mysore |
| Death Date: | 28 April |
| Death Place: | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Spouse: | Vimala |
| Children: | 5 |
Balasubramaniam (1937–1990),[1] know by his screen name Dinesh, was an Indian actor known for his work in Kannada cinema.[2] Notably, he acted[3] in Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu (1974), Golmaal Radhakrishna (1990), S. P. Sangliyana Part 2 (1990) and Seetharamu (1979).
Balasubramaniam was born and brought in Mysore, where he completed his matriculation. He was one of seven children of Singaravelu, a ticket collector with the Indian Railways, and Dhanalakshmi. Balasubramaniam was married to Vimala, a singer. His wife was called to perform at Gubbi Veeranna's theatre company, when Dinesh followed her. Once there, he was given opportunities to act in plays, thanks to his booming voice. However, eager to act in films, Balasubramaniam travelled to Madras (now Chennai) for an audition or a Kannada-language film. He was rejected owing to his lack of fluency in the language. Balasubramaniam subsequently returned to Karnataka where he continued performing on stage.[1]
Balasubramaniam's first film appearance came in Naandi (1964), during the making of which he was given the screen name, Dinesh, by producer Vadiraj. The 1960s saw Dinesh appearing in negative-shaded roles such as in Choori Chikkanna (1969). In Seetharamu (1979), he appeared in a comedic character, a role he would continue to portray majorly for the rest of his career. In Ruthugaana (1977), his 100th film as an actor, Dinesh played the lead role. Dinesh appeared in a total of 360 films. His final screen appearance came in Udbhava (1990). Dinesh was also an active stage actor during this time; he was touring with a troupe performing Lakshadheeshwara, a play written by him. Dinesh died from cardiac arrest on 28 April 1990, aged 53.[1]