5 months ago
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In 2025, it was wide that it was not going to beryllium casual to gully moviegoers into cinema halls successful ample numbers. Stories that bash not consciousness dated, a tighter rein connected the scripts, and films that marque the audiences consciousness that the time, effort and wealth spent to beryllium astatine the cinema hallway are worthy it are non-negotiables for Telugu cinema to regain momentum.
2026 began with manager Sandeep Reddy Vanga revealing the archetypal look poster of Spirit, starring Prabhas and Triptii Dimri. The makers, however, are yet to denote a merchandise date. Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu’s highly-anticipated Varanasi, is slated for a 2027 release.
Festive beginnings
The large enactment for 2026 volition footwear disconnected from the Sankranti festival season.
How galore films are excessively galore for the season? The mid-January harvest play is synonymous with bully tidings and a willingness to walk connected entertainment. This year, 5 films are vying for attraction — The Raja Saab, Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Anaganaga Oka Raju and Nari Nari Naduma Murari.
Director Maruthi helms The Raja Saab, a fearfulness phantasy entertainer starring Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal , Riddhi Kumar and Zarina Wahab. The Telugu movie with its oculus connected the nationwide marketplace has Prabhas navigating a haunted location from which exit is easier said than done.
Writer-director Anil Ravipudi would anticipation that his occurrence streak during Sankranti continues this year, successful his archetypal collaboration with Chiranjeevi. Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu will besides diagnostic the director’s fortunate charm histrion Venkatesh Daggubati successful a cameo; the movie stars Nayanthara arsenic the pistillate lead.
With Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi directed by Kishore Tirumala, Ravi Teja would anticipation for a turnaround from his unsmooth patch. The entertainer stars Ashika Ranganath and Dimple Hayathi arsenic the pistillate leads.
The notation of Nari Nari Naduma Murari might marque movie buffs callback the 1990 film. Like the older film, the caller 1 besides features a antheral protagonist (Sharwanand) caught betwixt 2 women. Hopefully, the similarities extremity there. The movie directed by Ram Abbaraju stars Samyuktha Menon and Sakshi Vaidya. Ram’s 2023 movie Samajavaragamana was a astonishment deed and the caller film, besides billed arsenic a comedy, banks connected the festive season.
Naveen Polishetty stars successful a massier quality than accustomed successful Anaganaga Oka Raju, alongside Meenakshi Chaudhary. This movie comes from manager Kalyan Shankar of MAD, MAD Square and Tillu Square fame.
The Sankranti play volition besides diagnostic the Telugu dubbed versions of the Tamil films Parashakti, and Jana Nayagan as Jana Nayakudu.
Hit oregon miss
Beyond the play and star-led releases, the existent trial lies successful the quality of much films managing to pique curiosity. Teasers and trailers that spark involvement and selling campaigns person go imperative to gully successful the crowds successful the opening weekend, aft which the film’s contented does the talking. The trends successful the past 2 years showed that tiny and mean fund films either go ace hits oregon spell unnoticed.
Tharun Bhascker and Eesha Rebba’s Om Shanti Shanti Shanti will get precocious January, giving a autochthonal rotation to the Malayalam movie Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey. Director Gunasekhar’s Euphoria, which marks his departure from play and mythological dramas, is expected successful February. Nikhil Siddhartha’s Swayambhu directed by Bharat Krishnamachari is besides scheduled for a February release.
Stills from The Paradise, Dacoit and Peddi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
After 3 years, Adivi Sesh volition tribunal theatres with 2 films this twelvemonth — Dacoit directed by Shaneil Deo, co-starring Mrunal Thakur, and G2: Goodachari 2, directed by Vinay Kumar Sirigineedi. Dacoit arrives successful March, followed by manager Buchi Babu Sana’s Peddi led by Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor, and manager Srikanth Odela’s ambitious The Paradise featuring Nani successful a never-before-seen character.
Director Hanu Raghavapudi and Prabhas’s Fauzi, Vijay Deverakonda and manager Ravi Kiran Kola’s Rowdy Janardhana, Naga Chaitanya and manager Karthik Dandu’s Vrushakarma, Sharwanand and Abhishek Reddy’s Biker, the much-delayed Chiranjeevi-starrer Vishwambhara directed by Vassishta, and Gowtam Tinnanuri’s teen philharmonic Magic are immoderate of the different films expected this year.
While a fewer person announced their merchandise dates, others are yet to officially fastener successful the date. Pawan Kalyan and Harish Shankar’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh, Atlee and Allu Arjun’s caller film, Nagarjuna Akkineni’s 100th film, NTR and Prashant Neel’s Dragon, the sequel of Mirai, Venkatesh and Trivikram Srinivas’s Adarsha Kutumbam House no.47 - AK 47, Drishyam 3, Nandini Reddy and Samantha’s Maa Inti Bangaram, Ravikanth Perepu and Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s Badass, and Swaroop RSJ and Siddhu’s caller movie are among the others nether production.
Aditya Hasan, who produced the blockbuster Little Hearts, is present moving connected Epic, starring Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya. He is stepping into a portion antithetic from that of Little Hearts and his earlier web bid 90s: A Middle Class Biopic.
At the crook of the pandemic, it appeared arsenic though Telugu cinema had cracked a magic look with much hits than different industries. However, the bubble burst successful 2025. With escalating accumulation costs and ambitious projects getting longer to beryllium made, determination is simply a request to revert to the basics — stories that tin onslaught a chord with the audiences.
