Bhakta Kannappa

ఈ సినిమా వివరాలు తెలుగులో చదవండి →

Bhakta Kannappa (“Devotee Kannappa”) is a 1976 Telugu devotional film directed by Bapu and produced by U. Suryanarayana Raju under the Gopikrishna Movies banner, with Krishnam Raju in the title role. Inspired by Rajkumar’s 1954 Kannada film Bedara Kannappa, it tells the story of the Shaiva devotee Kannappa, with Vanisri, M. Balaiah and Rao Gopal Rao. Released on 26 May 1976, it ran for 100 days in major centres and won a National Film Award.

What the story is about

Arjuna is reborn as Thinnadu, an atheist raised by a tribal chief. The chief’s daughter Leela loves him, and Thinna wins her hand by defeating his rival Mallanna in a duel. Refusing to bow to the village goddess, he leaves the village with Leela. The film follows Thinna’s transformation from unbeliever into a devoted follower of Lord Siva, the revered Kannappa of legend.

Cast and crew

• Krishnam Raju as Arjuna and as Thinnadu / Kannappa
• Vanisri as Leela
• M. Balaiah as Lord Shiva
• Rao Gopal Rao as Kailasanatha Shastri and Sarathi as Kashinatha Shastri
• Sreedhar as Mallanna
• Prabhakar Reddy as the tribal chief
• Mukkamala as Jara Rashtrika and Allu Ramalingaiah
• Jaya Malini as Ranjana

Director: Bapu. Dialogue: Mullapudi Venkata Ramana. Producer: U. Suryanarayana Raju (Gopikrishna Movies). Music: Satyam, with lyrics by Arudra, C. Narayana Reddy and Veturi Sundararama Murthy.

Making the film

According to a TeluguCinema.com retrospective, the project was started by V. Madhusudhana Rao, but after creative differences Bapu and Mullapudi Venkata Ramana took over, and Bapu’s changes to the script meant some songs already recorded were dropped. The film was shot mostly outdoors, at Pattiseema, Gutala and the forests near Buttayagudem, between November 1975 and May 1976. Bapu’s characteristic artwork shaped its look, Mullapudi’s dialogue was noted for its realism, and the song “Enniyallo Enniyallo”, which appears to take place on a full-moon night, was actually shot in daylight.

Music, reception and awards

Satyam’s songs became very popular, especially “Enniyallo” and “Aakasham Dinchala”. The film was a commercial success and was praised for its music, performances and technical quality; the retrospective notes that it established the Gopikrishna banner, which went on to make Amaradeepam (1977) and Mana Oori Pandavulu (1978). S. P. Ramanathan won the National Film Award for Best Audiography.

Where to watch Bhakta Kannappa

We do not have a confirmed streaming listing for the 1976 Bhakta Kannappa on file. If we verify one with a platform, it will appear on this page.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Bhakta Kannappa and the retrospective it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.