Janmashtami is one of the most significant festivals celebrated by Hindus every year to mark the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. This year, this festival is being celebrated on Saturday, August 16. On the occasion of Janmashtami 2025, it is worth remembering the first actor who brought the character of Lord Krishna alive on screen.

First actor who play Lord Krishna on screen

The actor who played the role of Lord Krishna on the big screens was Gemini Ganesan. He portrayed the role of Lord Panduranga, also known as Vithoba or Vitthala and is generally considered a form of the god Vishnu, or his avatar Krishna, in the Tamil film ‘Chakra Dhari’ which was released in 1948. 

About the movie ‘Chakra Dhari’

The Tamil-language film was produced by SS Vasan and features V Nagayya,  Pushpavalli, Suryaprabha, Nagarcoil Mahadevan, K. N. Kamalam and others in the lead roles. However, actor Gemini Ganesh, who was a budding actor back then, played the role of Lord Pandurangan. 

The film was directed by KS Gopalakrishnan, and written by Gemini Story Department, and the music of this film was composed by D Parthasarathy. 

Gemini Ganesan’s filmography

For the unversed, the actor who portrayed Lord Krishna on screen in this Tamil film ‘Chakra Dhari’ is best known for his roles in films like ‘Naan Avanillai’, ‘Kaaviya Thalaivi’, ‘Vallavanukku Vallavan’, ‘Idaya Malar’, and others. Born on November 16, 1919, as Ramaswamy Ganesan, he was referred to as “Gemini” Ganesan. Throughout his acting career, he gave several box office hits between 1950 and 1978. 

According to IMDb, he was the proud father of one son and seven daughters. It is worth noting that one of his daughters is the Bollywood legend Rekha. Gemini Ganesan was known as the “King of Romance” and acted with top-rated heroines of his time, including Sowkar Janaki, Saroja Devi, Vyjantimala, in several films.