| Kannur Deluxe | |
| Director: | A. B. Raj |
| Screenplay: | S. L. Puram Sadanandan |
| Story: | V. Devan |
| Producer: | T. E. Vasudevan |
| Starring: | Prem Nazir Sheela Adoor Bhasi Ammini |
| Cinematography: | T. N. Krishnankutty Nair |
| Editing: | T. R. Sreenivasalu |
| Music: | V. Dakshinamoorthy |
| Studio: | Jaya Maruthi |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Malayalam |
Kannur Deluxe is a 1969 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film, directed by A. B. Raj and produced by T. E. Vasudevan who wrote the story under the pseudonym V. Devan.[1] It is the first road movie in Malayalam which pivots on a theft that occurs in a bus and stars Prem Nazir, Sheela, Adoor Bhasi. The film was released on 16 May 1969.
The film is perhaps the first road movie in Malayalam. A real life incident that occurred at Cherthala in Alappuzha district of Kerala inspired the modus operandi used to arrest the thief in the film. Major portions of the film were shot inside Kannur Deluxe, a KSRTC bus service between Trivandrum and Kannur that was started in 1967 and is still on.[2] The indoor portions were shot at Vahini, Arunachalam, and Newton Studios. I. V. Sasi worked as assistant director in the film.
The music was composed by V. Dakshinamoorthy and the lyrics were written by Sreekumaran Thampi.[3]
| Song | Singers | |
|---|---|---|
| "Ee Muhabathenthoru" | K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki, P. B. Sreenivas | |
| "Ethra Chirichaalum" | K. J. Yesudas | |
| "Kannundaayathu Ninne" | P. Leela, P. B. Sreenivas | |
| "Marakkaan Kazhiyumo" | Kamukara | |
| "Thaippooyakkaavadiyaattam" | K. J. Yesudas | |
| "Thulliyodum Pullimaane" | P. Jayachandran | |
| "Varumallo Ravil" | S. Janaki |
The film helped the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to win a trademark case against the Karnataka Road Transport Corporation by submitting its scenes with the KSRTC logo as prime evidence.[4] The scenes were used to prove that the Transport Corporation existed in Kerala even before the Karnataka RTC.[5]