Dr. Shivappa is a Former Economic Advisor of NITI Aayog Govt. of India by Profession and a film producer by passion. He is a popular economist in India and published many books and articles as Economist. He is a theatre artist and played lead roles in many Kannada dramas and documentary films. After taking voluntary retirement he entered Kannada film industry for producing good Kannada films. Cocktail film is his madden attempt.