Kannada legend Vishnuvardhan—also famously known as ‘Sahasa Simha’—passed away at 59 on December 30, 2009, after a heart attack at Mysore’s King’s Court Hotel. His funeral? Full state honours at Abhiman Studio in Bengaluru, a sendoff fit for a king.
Fast forward to this weekend, and fans woke up to the kind of news that makes your blood boil: someone bulldozed part of his memorial at Abhiman Studio. No warning, no heads up—just gone overnight. By Friday, the place was crawling with angry fans, demanding answers.
Vishnuvardhan memorial demolished
If you know anything about South Indian cinema, you know Vishnuvardhan isn’t just a name—he’s an icon, especially in Kannada films. So messing with his memorial? Yeah, not a small deal.
Here’s where it gets messy. The land at Abhiman Studio used to belong to another Kannada film stalwart, Balakrishna. Now, the current owner apparently knocked down the memorial structure with court permission and a police escort.
Director Ravi Srivathsa caught the whole thing on video, sounding off: “This is my god’s place, and it’s been destroyed. The man who gave so much to so many—treated like this.” Balakrishna’s daughter, Geeta Bali, said she found out from the media and was floored. She even claimed that the same people involved in her brother Ganesh’s murder last year are tangled up in this too—and threw in that politicians are mixed up in it.
ವಿಷ್ಣು ಅಪ್ಪಾಜಿಯ ಸಮಾಧಿಯನ್ನು ದೊಮ್ಸ ಮಾಡಿರೋ ಗಿಡಿಗೇಡಿಗಳು 🥹💔 #vishnuvardhan #DBoss #DarshanThoogudeepa#TheDevil pic.twitter.com/MRzcB65n6h
— ಕೆಂಚ | Devil 👿💥 (@darshandboss56) August 8, 2025
The big sticking point? That 8-foot statue of Vishnuvardhan. Fans want it protected, but the new owners don’t seem to care. People have been begging for years to preserve the site, and now this demolition just feels like a slap in the face.
Meanwhile, there’s supposed to be a new memorial under construction in Mysuru, which started back in 2020 and will display Vishnuvardhan’s personal stuff.
Rishab Shetty condemns the demolition
The outrage didn’t stop with fans. Rishab Shetty blasted the demolition on X (Twitter), calling it an insult to Vishnuvardhan’s legacy and a gut punch to his fans. He’s not wrong—how many times does something like this have to happen before someone steps in?
ಡಾ. ವಿಷ್ಣುವರ್ಧನ್ Sir ಅವರ ಸ್ಮಾರಕದ ವಿಚಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದಿರುವುದು ಖಂಡನೀಯ. ಅವರನ್ನು ಹೃದಯಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿ ಆರಾಧಿಸುವ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗೂ ಇದು ಅತೀವ ನೋವುಂಟು ಮಾಡಿದೆ. ನಾಡಿನ ಮೇರು ನಟರೊಬ್ಬರ ವಿಚಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂತಹ ಘಟನೆಗಳು ಪದೇ ಪದೇ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಅವರ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಮತ್ತು ಕಲಾಸೇವೆಗೆ ಅಗೌರವ ತಂದಂತಾಗಿದೆ.#VishnuSir…
— Rishab Shetty (@shetty_rishab) August 9, 2025
Kichcha Sudeep also gets vocal
Kichcha Sudeep didn’t hold back, either. In a lengthy post, he compared the demolition to destroying a temple, and said he and others even offered money to maintain the memorial while the court case dragged on. The government? Either ignored them or shrugged it off, saying the Mysuru memorial makes the original one “invalid.”
Sudeep said he’d go to court if that’s what it takes to save even a scrap of the original site, speaking not as a star but as a diehard fan.
ಸಾಹಸ ಸಿಂಹ ವಿಷ್ಣುವರ್ಧನ್ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಅದು ಎಂದೂ ಮುಗಿಯದ ಒಂದು ಅಭಿಮಾನ, ಗೌರವ. ಮೊನ್ನೆ ರಾತ್ರಿ, ಅವರ ಸ್ಮಾರಕವನ್ನ ಒಡೆದು ಹಾಕಿರುವುದು, ನಾವು ವರ್ಷಾನೂಗಟ್ಟಲೆ ಇಂದ ನಂಬಿ, ಮೊರೆ ಹೋದಂತಹ ಒಂದು ದೇವರ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನುಒಡೆದು ಹಾಕಿದಾಗ ಎಷ್ಟು ನೋವು ಆಗುತ್ತದೋ, ಅಷ್ಟೇ ನೋವು ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಕಟ ನನಗಾಗಿದೆ. ಇದು ಹೈ ಕೋರ್ಟ್ ಆದೇಶ, ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯದ ಆದೇಶ…
— Kichcha Sudeepa (@KicchaSudeep) August 9, 2025
Dhruva Sarja weighs in
Dhruva Sarja weighed in too: Vishnuvardhan doesn’t need a memorial to be immortal, but tearing it down like this is just wrong. “Why insult someone who’s built a home in the hearts of millions?” he asked, pledging his support to the fans and saying he’s waiting for their next move.
As for Vishnuvardhan’s family—his wife Bharathi and daughters Keerthi and Chandana—they haven’t spoken up yet.
