''Sanaadi Appanna'' () is a 1977 Indian

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

-language

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

directed by Vijay based on the novel ''Kuniyitu Hejje Naliyithu Gejje'' by

Krishnamoorthy Puranik Krishnamoorthy Puranik (5 September 1911 – 12 November 1985) was an Indian writer and poet who wrote in Kannada. He was the principal of a government high school in Gokak and was awarded the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award for his work ''Manni ...

which was loosely based on the life of

Bagalkot Bagalkote, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India, which is also the headquarters of Bagalkot district. It is situated on branch of River Ghataprabha, The population of the urban agglomeration was 111,933"District Census Handbook – Guntu ...

e shehnai player Appanna (1876-1945). The film starred Rajkumar in title role with

Jaya Prada Jaya Prada Nahata (born Lalitha Rani Rao; 3 April 1962) is an Indian actress and politician known for her works majorly in Telugu cinema and Hindi cinema as well as in Tamil films in late '70s, '80s and early '90s. Jayaprada is the recipient ...

in the lead role along with Ashok,

Balakrishna Bala Krishna (). Present day Krishna worship is an amalgam of various elements. According to historical testimonies Krishna-Vasudeva worship already flourished in and around Mathura several centuries before Christ. A second important element is ...

, R. Sampath,

Thoogudeepa Srinivas Mysore Srinivas (17 April 1943 – 16 October 1995), known by his stage name Thoogudeepa Srinivas was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films and is remembered for his portrayal of negative-shaded characters. He is the father of actor, D ...

, Papamma and Baby Madhavi in supporting roles.

Puneeth Rajkumar Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), affectionately known as Appu (by his fans, after his first lead role in the movie Appu (2002 film), ''Appu''), was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter a ...

made a brief appearance in one of the songs of this film. The film is considered a landmark in Kannada cinema. It is notable for the fact that

Bismillah Khan Ustad Bismillah Khan (born Qamaruddin Khan, 21 March 1916 – 21 August 2006), often referred to by the title ''Ustad'', was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a reeded woodwind instrument. His virtuosity made him a le ...

played the actual

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a type of oboe from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end. It was one of the nine instruments found in the royal court. The shehnai is sim ...

for Rajkumar's character in this movie. The film was remade in Telugu as ''Sannayi Appanna'' (1980) starring

Sobhan Babu Uppu Sobhan Babu (born Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao; 14 January 1937 – 20 March 2008) was an Indian actor known for his work in Telugu cinema.Bangaru Panjaram in Venditera Paatalu, Krishnasastri Sahityam, third volume, Vishalandhra Publishing H ...

. It saw a theatrical run of 50 weeks.

Cast

Dr. Rajkumar Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and versatile actors in the his ...

as Appanna *

as Basanthi * Ashok as Hanumanthu, Appanna's son * Suma as Hanumanthu/Rao's wife *

as Ayyanna * Sampath, Appanna's uncle *

as Shivaraya * Papamma as Akkamma * Baby Madhavi * Shivaprakash * K. Venkataraju * Bhatti Mahadevappa * Joker Shyam as Thammayya *

Honnavalli Krishna Honnavalli Krishna is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. His films include '' Ratha Sapthami'' (1986), '' Aasegobba Meesegobba'' (1990), '' Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu'' (1974), '' Janumada Jodi'' (1996). Career As of October 2017, Honna ...

as Apashruthi Ayyanna's son *

as young Hanmanthu

Production

Sanaadi translates to shehnai in the

Kannada language Kannada () is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, an ...

. The films deals with the life of a rural shehnai artiste Appannna (played by Rajkumar). In early 1977,

flew from

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

with his ten-member troupe to

Prasad Studios Prasad Studios and Prasad Film Labs are motion picture post-production studios headquartered in Chennai, India, founded by Prasad Group in 1956. The production house has produced over 150 films in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi ...

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

(now Chennai) and spent nine days working on the film.

Soundtrack

The background score for the film and soundtrack were composed by G. K. Venkatesh. The soundtrack album consists of seven tracks, which includes a

Shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a type of oboe from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end. It was one of the nine instruments found in the royal court. The shehnai is sim ...

solo played by

Release, reception and legacy

The film made its theatrical release in August 1977. It completed a 100-day run in many centers across

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. In the last week of November 1977, during the centenary day celebration at the Urvashi Theatre in Bangalore, Rajkumar paid tribute to Bismillah Khan saying, "I just acted in the role but Ustad Bismillah Khan is the real soul of the film. He gave life to the character I played in the film." It has been reported that to master the shehnai-wielding technique, Dr. Rajkumar cancelled all his shooting schedules for a month. The elan with which he handles the instrument in the film is commendable. At no point does he ever resort to exaggerated gestures — quite a contrast to Sivaji Ganeshan, who plays the nadaswaram player in ''

Thillana Mohanambal ''Thillana Mohanambal'' () is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language romantic musical dance film written, directed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and T. S. Balaiah, with A. V. M. Rajan, Nagesh and Manorama ...

''. By the end of it, Khansaheb and Rajkumar had become close friends. When the film completed its 50-week run, Khansaheb came for the celebrations here. "You have handled the shehnai to such perfection that it seemed as if you were really playing it!" the maestro complimented Rajkumar.

Awards

Karnataka State Film Award for Best Child Actor (Female) Karnataka State Film Award for Best Child Actor (Female) is a film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honours Kannada language films. Award winners The following is a partial li ...

(1977) - Baby Madhavi

References

External links

* {{Vijay 1977 films 1970s Kannada-language films 1970s Indian films Films scored by G. K. Venkatesh Kannada films remade in other languages Films about classical music and musicians Films with screenplays by Chi. Udayashankar 1970s musical drama films Indian musical films Indian musical drama films Films directed by Vijay (director) 1977 musical films