Dr. Rajkumar's debut film Bedara Kannappa which was released in 1954 had become a significant milestone in the Kannada film industry.
It was a devotional film which attained success both critically and commercially and it was the first film in the history of the Kannada Cinema which was screened for 365 days in theatres.
Infact there were no distributors who were ready to distribute this film, at that time the then CM, S. Nijalingappa interfered and got it released through Karnataka Films.
Bedara Kannappa is the first Kannada film to win National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada.
This was the debut film not only for Rajkumar, but it was also a debut for Narasimhraju, one of the most popular comedy actors of the Kannada Cinema and G. V. Iyer a scriptwriter.
The other importance of this film is Dr. Rajkumar himself with his father had seen the film at the first show in Mysore.
The big success of the film inspired to dub it in Tamil as Vedan Kannappa, it also became box-office hit. Later it was also remade in Telugu as Kalahasti Mahatyam, Rajkumar himself acted in the lead role with other Telugu actors and it became the only non-Kannada language film of Dr. Rajkumar in his vast filmy career.
Both Bedara Kannappa and Kalahasti Mahatyam were directed by H. L. N. Simha.
The amazing success of Bedara Kannappa had become an inspiration for the Kannada filmmakers to make more and more films. This film changed the face of the Kannada Cinema, for the first time Kannada film industry had received wide recognition at the national level by winning National Film Award.
Above all the film Bedara Kannappa had given a gem like an actor Dr. Rajkumar to the Kannada film industry, the presence of Rajkumar in the Kannada Cinema made it richer and famous.
By all these reasons Bedara Kannappa is a noteworthy and a milestone in the history of Kannada cinema.