Shankar Ashwath (also known as Ravi) is an Indian actor and Uber cab driver born in 1958 in Mysore (Mysuru), Karnataka. His father was the iconic Kannada comedian and character actor K.S. Ashwath (Karaganahalli Subbaraya Ashwathanarayana, 1925-2010), one of the most celebrated performers in the history of South Indian cinema with over 370 films to his name. His mother is Sharadamma; he has a brother, Subbukrishna Ashwath, and two sisters, Vijaya Murthy and Nagarathna Ashwath. He completed his schooling at Sarada Vilas High School, Mysore, and attended JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysuru (1978-1980). His wife, Sudha Shankar Ashwath, runs Annapoorna Caterers, a catering service in Mysore. Their son, Skanda R. Ashwath, is a national-level swimmer and swimming coach at the University of Mysuru. Following in his father's footsteps, he entered the Kannada film industry and worked for approximately 25 years, appearing in Nirbandha (1996), Hoovu Hannu, Nandhi (2002), Malla (2004), Odeya (2019), Raaj the Showman (2009), and the critically acclaimed Rangi Taranga (2015). On television, he appeared in the serial Anandasagara and became a household name through his role as Narayanachar in the Colors Kannada serial Ramachari. Despite his lineage and years of work, he found acting opportunities diminishing with age, and made the decision - citing his father's principle that no honest work is beneath a self-respecting man - to drive for Uber in Bengaluru. This decision was widely reported and earned him both admiration and public debate about the state of Sandalwood's support for its working actors. In February 2021, he entered Bigg Boss Kannada Season 8 as one of its most senior contestants. He was eliminated in Week 5 (Day 34), finishing sixteenth.

Being the son of the legendary Kannada film comedian K.S. Ashwath (Chammayya Meshtru), who appeared in over 370 films across a 50-year career; his own 25-year acting career in Kannada cinema including roles in Nirbandha (1996), Nandhi (2002), Malla (2004), Raaj the Showman (2009), Rangi Taranga (2015), and the TV serial Ramachari; his widely known decision to take up work as an Uber cab driver in Bengaluru after film roles became scarce - an act he cited as inspired by his father's teaching to lead a self-sufficient life; finishing sixteenth in Bigg Boss Kannada Season 8 (2021).

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