Sangolli Rayanna (film)

Initially, Arjun Sarja was selected for the lead role which is being portrayed by Darshan.[7] and Priyamani was named previously for the female lead role, but later she refused the offer to do such historical character. Finally, Nikita Thukral was offered the lead role.[8] For shooting purpose, a white horse was bought which cost nearly ₹1.7 million (US$21,000). Jaya Prada portrayed the role of Kittur Chennamma.[9] The same role was filled by B. Saroja Devi in the 1962 film Kitturu Chennamma.

The team was filmed in Jaipur (Rajasthan) with more than a thousand artists, including horses and elephants. The production team shot for 40 days in a desert village called Thula to capture the battle scene. Fake human body parts were designed by Rajasthan artists for the war scenes to make the war sequences look real.

Producer Anand Appugol explained the shooting experience to the press. "It cost more than ₹5 million (US$63,000) per day of shooting and cost around ₹20 million (US$250,000) only for war scenes. Jaya Prada, who appears as Kittur Chennamma spent 30 days with the team". She said, "I have acted in nearly 700 films. But I haven’t seen a rich film like this ever shot in the south". Producer Appugol said about his favorite star, "Darshan Thoogudeep was totally involved in the character of Sangolli Rayanna while filming the scenes".

The film will be a big boost to the Kannada film industry and Darshan Thoogudeep's career as it is made with a very high budget and a good team. Film posters were nominated for the Internet Poster Design Award.[10]

In the war field, 30 elephants, hundreds of horses, thousands of soldiers, 320 fighters from Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai have taken part in some risky shots. Seven cameras, including the latest photogenic 500, fitting small cameras to the horses and heli-cam were pressed into action. Shooting in Murugod cave was another rich experience. The cave to the road level was used for five days shoot for the film. Twenty-five days were spent shooting on location in Mysore.

Veteran actor Srinivasa Murthy fell down from a speeding horse at Jaipur at the shooting spot, and he was saved by Darshan.[11]

A critic from The Times of India scored the film at 4 out of 5 stars and says "A highlight of the movie is powerful dialogues by T Keshavadithya. Cinematography by Rameshbabu and editing by Dipu S Kumar add to the gloss of the film".[12] B S Srivani from Deccan Herald wrote "Ultimately, Sangolli Rayanna is one man’s passion realised with equal determination by others. That passion, in this case, is easily transferred to the viewer and set the cash box ringing. Kudos Keshavaditya and team".[13] Srikanth Srinivasa from Rediff.com scored the film at 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Though director Naganna could have done away with at least 25 -30 minutes of footage, it still manages to keep you engaged which is quite an achievement. There are a few flaws in documenting the period. Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna is a must-see film for all. Rarely do historical films get made and this is a rare opportunity for people of this generation to watch such a movie".[14] Shruti I L from DNA wrote "She plays the role of his mother and in true sense it is she and the well written dialogues that bring out the patriotism in you. And what better time than this Kannada Rajyotsava week to revel in its spirit, we wonder, more so if you are like Darshan!".[15] A critic from Bangalore Mirror wrote  "The film will definitely satisfy fans of Darshan. But it will certainly not pull in crowds that have deserted Kannada films in the recent years. It deserves to be watched by all people who are still watching Kannada films".[16]