Kannappa (film)

Development

The film, based on the legend of Kannappa—a devotee of god Shiva—took nearly a decade to materialize. In December 2013, actor, screenwriter and director Tanikella Bharani told the media that he was working on the pre-production of a 14th-century period drama film titled Bhaktha Kannappa, with Sunil cast in the title role.^[10] In June 2015, actor-producer Vishnu Manchu announced that his production company, 24 Frames Factory, would partner with an American company to produce a film titled Kannappa Katha, with Bharani attached as director.^[11] According to reports, Bharani sold his screenplay of Bhaktha Kannappa to Manchu after years of trying to find a producer. Manchu then brought in additional writers to revise and adapt the script as needed.^[12] According to Manchu, the decision to move forward with the film was made in January 2023.^[13]

Kannappa was officially launched with a pooja ceremony on 18 August 2023 at Srikalahasteeswara temple in Srikalahasti. Mukesh Kumar Singh, known for directing Mahabharat (2013) on Star Plus, was brought on board as the director. The film was produced by Vishnu's father, Mohan Babu, under the companies 24 Frames Factory and AVA Entertainments.^[14][15][16] At the time of the launch, the story was reported to be developed by Paruchuri Gopala Krishna, Thota Prasad, Sainath Thotapalli, and Sai Madhav Burra.^[17] In September, Manchu stated that Parachuri, Thota, Thotapalli, V. Vijayendra Prasad, G. Nageswara Reddy, and G. Eshwar Reddy were "instrumental in developing a script".^[18] In the film's first-look poster, Manchu is listed as the writer, while the "story development" credits were attributed to Paruchuri Gopala Krishna, Eshwar Reddy, G. Nageswara Reddy, and Thota Prasad. The story is set in the second century CE.^[19] To make the dialogues more accessible to contemporary audiences, Manchu chose to avoid using chaste Telugu dialect.^[20]

Casting

Vishnu Manchu plays the title role of Kannappa, a devotee of god Shiva.^[21] In July 2019, reports suggested that Kajal Aggarwal has been cast in the female lead.^[22] However, at the film's official launch in August 2023, Nupur Sanon was confirmed for the role instead.^[23] She later exited the project in September 2023 due to scheduling conflicts.^[24] Preity Mukhundhan was subsequently announced as her replacement, marking her second Telugu film after Om Bheem Bush.^[25] The cast also includes Mohan Babu as Mahadeva Shastri, R. Sarathkumar as Nathanathudu, and Madhoo as Pannaga.^[26]

In September 2023, Mohanlal and Prabhas were confirmed to appear in undisclosed cameo roles.^[27] Nayanthara was reportedly in talks to play Parvathi.^[28] But the role eventually went to Aggarwal. Mohanlal and Prabhas were later revealed to be portraying Kirata and Rudra, respectively.^[29] According to Manchu, both actors—longtime friends of his family—agreed to join the film out of "love and respect" for his father, Babu, and declined any remuneration for their appearances. Akshay Kumar was cast as Lord Shiva, marking his second portrayal of the god after OMG 2 (2023).^[20] Manchu had envisioned Kumar in the role while writing the script, but Kumar initially declined the offer twice. It was only through the liaising of Sudha Kongara, who was directing Kumar in Sarfira at the time, that he agreed to take on the part. He also charged "a lot less than his usual fees".^[30]

Filming

Vishnu Manchu went for location scouting in New Zealand in April 2019.^[31] Initially, the crew scouted in Ireland, Scotland, Minnesota, Australia, Switzerland, and Canada in a search for the 2nd century worldbuilding, with unpolluted sky and scenic forests. Principal photography began on 25 September 2023 in New Zealand.^[32] Filming was temporarily halted in late October after Vishnu sustained an injury while performing a fight sequence, where the blades of a drone made contact with his arm.^[33] In New Zealand, the film was shot in various locations across Auckland, Rotorua, Glenorchy, Wānaka, Pukaki, and Christchurch. Reportedly, about 80 percent of the film will be shot in New Zealand. Brahmanandam completed a 15-day shoot in New Zealand.^[34]

The first schedule of filming completed on 23 December 2023, in New Zealand.^[35][36] On 28 February 2024, the production team announced that the second schedule has commenced in New Zealand.^[37] Prabhu Deva joined as the dance choreographer.^[38] The team then headed to Hyderabad after wrapping up this schedule. Kumar joined the shoot in April,^[30] while Prabhas arrived in May.^[39] Both their scenes were shot in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabd.^[30] With its last schedule in Ramoji Film City, the entire shoot was wrapped up.^[40] According to Manchu, most of the VFX footage was used for "godly effects", animal sequences, and in the climax.^[20] In a pre-release interview, Manchu remarked that India lacks skilled VFX producers and supervisors, admitting that he felt "embarrassed" by the state of VFX workflow witnessed during production.^[13]

Marketing

At Cannes 2024, following their participation in the premiere of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, the makers unveiled their film's teaser, which received an appreciative round of applause.^[45]

Home media

The film began streaming on Amazon Prime Video from 4 September 2025.^[46]

Critical response

The film has received mixed to negative reviews from critics and audience, by criticizing the screenplay, incoherent narration, direction, poor execution, VFX, technical issues, misuse of actors, unwanted romantic scenes and pacing. However, the songs and plot received praise, and the film's cast performance received mixed response.

Bollywood Hungama rated the film with three-out-of-five stars and wrote "On the whole, Kannappa triumphs largely due to its mythological appeal and a goosebumps-inducing final 20 minutes.[...] While the film’s lengthy runtime and the relatively low pre-release buzz in the Hindi belt are minor drawbacks, the film holds the potential to surprise, provided it garners strong word of mouth."^[47] Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh, Kannappa is a sincere attempt at retelling revered lore with visual grandeur. [...] While the film hits the dramatic notes effectively, some of the emotional layers, particularly around Thinnadu’s inner conflict and relationships, could have been explored with more depth."^[48] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News 18 gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "While the core story of Kannappa occupies only about one-third of the film’s runtime, the war and the romance take up the rest. There is a lot in Kannappa that echoes SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali. [...] With such decent performances, the film could’ve relied more on visuals and trimmed down the long monologues that feel like straight lifts from past iterations of the story."^[49] Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The devotional tale has a stirring climax but is hampered by a slow first half, weak visual effects, and uneven storytelling. It shall appeal to Shiva devotees but the lacklustre pacing and the shallow subplots will not let the content fly beyond its limited target audience."^[50]

Sanjay Ponnappa of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Kannappa falters when it comes to direction, screenplay, and execution. [...] Kannappa has its fair share of drawbacks, but from a devotional perspective, it manages to tap into the right emotions by the end."^[51] Swaroop Kodur of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Kannappa remains incoherent for most parts, and the disjointed storytelling leaves a lasting dent in it. If the unimaginative world-building, compounded by some high-level hammy acting, becomes its chief shortcoming then the lack of narrative urgency damages things further."^[52] Aditya Devulapally of Cinema Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Kannappa is less about Shiva and more about the makers trying very hard to mount a legacy project. [...] What could have been a compelling modern retelling of faith and transformation becomes a bloated star showcase dressed in mythological cosplay."^[53] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "Kannappa had a moving legend to build upon — a tale of unwavering faith and sacrifice. But what it needed was not more star power or visual gloss, but storytelling rooted in emotional clarity and cultural texture. In striving for grandeur, it forgets to tell the story that matters."^[54]

Box office

After eleven days of its release, the film has grossed ₹55 crore worldwide.^[3]