Kalidasa Kannada Meshtru

Kalidasa Kannada Meshtru (transl. Kalidasa Kannada teacher) is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film directed by Kaviraj and starring Jaggesh and Meghana Gaonkar.^[1][2][3][4]

Kalidasa, a government school teacher, is a hard worker who is ridiculed for his poor English skills. On the personal front, his upper-class wife is unhappy with his social status. When the school faces the threat of being shut down, Kalidasa takes it on himself to fight the education system.

• Jaggesh as Kalidasa
• Meghana Gaonkar as Suma, Kalidasa's wife
• T. S. Nagabharana
• Tabla Nani
• Ambika
• Raghu Ramankoppa

Cameo appearances in promotional song^[5][6][7]

Kaviraj initially wanted to make a thriller with Jaggesh.^[8] Kaviraj was inspired to make this film after reading a newspaper article about a student writing his death note in an exam.^[9] Jaggesh's character is similar to the ones in his 1990s films.^[10]

Jaggesh's and Meghana Gaonkar's characters are representations of Kali and Dasa, respectively.^[11]

The film was scheduled to release on 15 November,^[6] but it released on 22 November.^[5]

A. Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express opined that "Kalidasa Kannada Mestru ends with a thought -- educate children, but do not punish them. It is a well-timed film and will come in handy for parents preparing their children for exams. This is a topic that needs attention from the entire family".^[12] Sunayana Suresh of The Times of India wrote that "The film has its intent in place and does have a fair share of comedy and drama that ensure the audience is entertained."^[13] Shyam Prasad S. of Bangalore Mirror stated that "Kalidasa Kannada Meshtru is at the higher end of entertainment."^[14]

The film premiered on television on 4 April 2020.^[15]