Cabinet to decide on posthumous Karnataka Ratna award for Vishnuvardhan

BENGALURU: The state government is likely to make a significant announcement in the cabinet meeting on Thursday regarding the 11th Karnataka Ratna award.

There are expectations that late actor Dr Vishnuvardhan will be posthumously awarded the Karnataka Ratna. This would be a long-awaited recognition for the legendary actor, fulfilling the demands of his fans for over a decade.

Senior actresses Jayamala, Shruti and Malavika Avinash recently met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and requested that Dr Vishnuvardhan be awarded the Karnataka Ratna. Dr Vishnuvardhan’s wife has also made a similar request. The CM has reportedly assured them that the matter will be discussed in the cabinet meeting.

The cabinet meeting today is expected to discuss and decide on the award. It would be a significant recognition of his contributions to Kannada cinema and culture. Notably, the previous BJP government had awarded the Karnataka Ratna to the late Puneeth Rajkumar posthumously, setting a precedent for similar recognition.

#WATCH | Bengaluru | Actor Anirudh, son-in-law of the late renowned Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan, submits request to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to confer the posthumous Karnataka Ratna Award to the late veteran actor

He says, “The CM responded very positively as he did… pic.twitter.com/9g6Bczg8UO

— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2025

Additionally, Dr Vishnuvardhan’s family has requested 10 guntas of land in the Abhiman Studio for building a memorial. This issue is also expected to be discussed in the cabinet meeting, with expectations that permission will be granted for the memorial construction.