''Sanaadi Appanna'' is a 1977 Indian

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

-language

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the 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 serve merely as breaks ...

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

Bagalkote Bagalakote, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India, which is also the headquarters of Bagalakote district. It is situated on branch of River Ghataprabha about 481 km (299 mi) northwest of state capital Bengaluru, 410 km ( ...

shehnai player Appanna (1876-1945). It starred Rajkumar in title role with

Jaya Prada Jaya Prada Nahata (born Lalitha Rani; 3 April 1962) is an Indian actress and politician. She is hailed as one of the most iconic and influential actresses in both Telugu and Hindi film industries in late '70s, '80s and early '90s. Jayaprada i ...

in the lead role along with Ashok,

Balakrishna Bala Krishna ( sa, बाल कृष्ण, lit=child Krishna/divine child Krishna, translit=Bālakṛṣṇa). Present day Krishna worship is an amalgam of various elements. According to historical testimonies Krishna-Vasudeva worship alread ...

, 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 Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajk ...

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 Bismillah Khan (born Amaruddin 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. While the shehnai had long held imp ...

played the actual

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating 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.Sobhan Babu Sobhan Babu (born Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao; 14 January 1937 – 20 March 2008) was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema.Bangaru Panjaram in Venditera Paatalu, Krishnasastri Sahityam, third volume, Vishalandhra Publishing House ...

. It saw a theatrical run of 50 weeks.

Cast

* Rajkumar as Appanna *

as Basanthi * Ashok as Hanmanthu or Rao, Appanna's son *

Suma Suma may refer to: Places * Suma, Azerbaijan, a village * Suma, East Azerbaijan, a village in Iran * Sowmaeh, Ardabil, also known as Şūmā, a village in Iran * Suma-ku, Kobe, one of nine wards of Kobe City in Japan ** Suma Station, a rai ...

as Hanumanthu/Rao's wife *

as Apashruthi Ayyanna *

Sampath Sampath is a given name and surname, meaning ''prosperity'' or ''wealth'' in Hindu/Sanskrit. Given name * K. V. Sampath Kumar (1956/1957–2021), Indian newspaper editor * P. Sampath Kumar, Indian politician * R. Sampath Raj (born 1969), In ...

, Appanna's uncle *

as Shivaraya * Papamma * Madhavi (credited as Baby Madhavi) * Shivaprakash * K. Venkataraju * Bhatti Mahadevappa * Joker Shyam as Thammayya *

Honnavalli Krishna Honnavalli Krishna is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. Some of the notable films of Honnavalli Krishna as an actor include '' Ratha Sapthami'' (1986), ''Aasegobba Meesegobba'' (1990), ''Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu'' (1974), ''Janumada Jo ...

as Apashruthi Ayyanna's son *

as young Hanmanthu

Production

Sanaadi translates to shehnai in the

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

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

flew from

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and 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 t ...

with his ten-member troupe to

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

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

(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 Gurusala Krishnadas Venkatesh (21 September 1927 – 17 November 1993) was an Indian film score composer who primarily worked in Kannada cinema during the 1960s, 1970s and until the late-1980s. He also composed music for Telugu, Malayalam and Ta ...

. The soundtrack album consists of seven tracks, which includes a

Shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating 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.Bismillah Khan Bismillah Khan (born Amaruddin 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. While the shehnai had long held imp ...

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 (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. 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 musical drama 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 in supporting ...

''. 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 state 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 par ...

(1977) - Baby Madhavi

References

External links

* {{Vijay 1977 films 1970s Kannada-language 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 films 1970s musical drama films Indian musical films Indian musical drama films Films directed by Vijay (director)