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Movie Name: Kuberaa
Directed by: Sekhar Kammula
Starring: Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Rashmika Mandanna, Jim Sarbh, Dalip Tahil, Sunaina, Divya Dekate, Koushik Mahata, Saurav Khurana, Col Ravi Sharma
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama
Running Time: 182 Minutes
Release Date: 20 June, 2025
Language: Telugu, Tamil, Hindi
Rating:
Production Companies: Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP, Amigos Creations
Budget: ₹120 crore
Revolves around the pursuit of wealth and its consequences: a beggar undergoes a dramatic transformation, exploring themes of greed, ambition, and moral dilemmas faced by the characters leading to a quest for redemption.
Kuberaa: Movie Overview
Kuberaa is an upcoming Indian social thriller film directed by Sekhar Kammula. It is produced by Suniel Narang and Puskur Rammohan Rao under Amigos Creations and is simultaneously shot in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. The film stars Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Rashmika Mandanna, Jim Sarbh and Dalip Tahil.
The film was officially announced in June 2021 under the tentative title D51, as it is Dhanush’s 51st film as the leading actor. However, after the arrival of Nagarjuna, it was changed to DNS, referring to Dhanush, Nagarjuna and Sekhar. Principal photography commenced in February 2024, whilst the official title was announced the following month. It was shot in Hyderabad, and Mumbai. The film has music composed by Devi Sri Prasad, cinematography by Niketh Bommireddy, editing by Karthika Srinivas and production design by Thota Tharani.
Kuberaa is scheduled to release theatrically worldwide on 20 June 2025.
The soundtrack is composed by Devi Sri Prasad and will be released on Aditya Music.
The film’s post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Amazon Prime Video.
Movie Trailer:
#FirstLook
#Teaser
#OfficialTrailer
Movie Review:
Sekhar Kammula’s brave film is imperfect, yet compelling
An outstanding Dhanush and sincere Nagarjuna Akkineni and Rashmika Mandanna power this partly riveting, partly choppy social thriller
The film begins by acknowledging its writer-director’s 25-year career, and the title card — Sekhar Kammula’s Kuberaa —says it all. Kuberaa is driven by its director and his ambitious tale that does not pander to the starry aura of Dhanush, Nagarjuna Akkineni, and Rashmika Mandanna. Sekhar makes them play characters — men and women inhabiting a complex world driven by money, power and greed. The narrative is not perfect. Yet, it is a brave one in the realm of mainstream Telugu cinema, giving viewers plenty to chew on.
In broad terms, Kuberaa is the story of a capitalist exploiting those who are below the poverty line. How these two worlds collide makes all the difference. A multi-billionaire (Jim Sarbh as Neeraj Mitra) believes ‘fame is power’. He lives in a Mumbai high-rise that has an infinity pool. At the other end of the spectrum are those who beg for alms, whom this film describes as the ‘invisible’, brushed aside at traffic signals and at places of worship as an inconvenience.
The first hour unravels the different worlds. A pacy opening sequence establishes the power games of the business tycoon, who does not flinch at dispensing with lives for his ambition. Jim Sarbh does not miss a beat as the cold, calculating antagonist. His ability to speak Telugu, with all the intonations, is a bonus.
Sekhar introduces his key players in a non-formulaic manner. When Dhanush, as Deva the beggar, comes into view, the audience cheer. The actor has played realistic characters that represent the oppressed sections of society in the past with admirable consistency. Here, he takes it a notch higher. The writing gives him, and his associates, enough material to work with as the narrative takes a close look at the life of beggars. Even if groomed and dressed up in the best of suits, can they grasp what is happening around them? Can they be exploited for the bare minimum needs of food and shelter? A telling sequence shows the lack of dignity in their death.
These polar opposite worlds cross paths with the help of CBI officer Deepak Tej (Nagarjuna), now behind bars for just doing his job. Nagarjuna plays a man in turmoil, one who wants to do the right thing but is manipulated to go against his conscience. Nagarjuna conveys the anguish of his character with restrained intensity. His body language and eyes convey the plight of a lion, now caged.
It takes a while for the narrative to find its rhythm, as it shifts between the characters. Niketh Bommi’s cinematography and Thota Tharani’s production design establish the uber-luxurious world of Neeraj Mitra, with imposing structures that dwarf those who work for him. At other times, Niketh and Tharani work in the background, staying invisible and letting the attention remain solely on the story and its characters. Substantial portions of the film unfold in real locations, from Mumbai’s landmarks to the garbage dumps, and all of this adds credence to the narrative.
The narrative comes to a boil once the cards are revealed and a cat-and-mouse game for survival begins. A character’s love for animals also adds depth to the proceedings.
If three characters — representing the uber rich, the middle class, and the lower strata — caught in a tangle is not enough, a fourth character brings an edge to the drama. The quiet yet effective introduction shot of Rashmika Mandanna as Sameera is worth a mention. As the film progresses, she is a revelation, blending innocence, helplessness and gentle humour.
Through the film, Sekhar questions if one man’s greed and ambition should throw everyone else into a spiral. Do the oppressed not stand a chance to survive with dignity? The questions recur and there are times the writing gets preachy.
Nagarjuna, and Dhanush in the film | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The film begins by acknowledging its writer-director’s 25-year career, and the title card — Sekhar Kammula’s Kuberaa —says it all. Kuberaa is driven by its director and his ambitious tale that does not pander to the starry aura of Dhanush, Nagarjuna Akkineni, and Rashmika Mandanna. Sekhar makes them play characters — men and women inhabiting a complex world driven by money, power and greed. The narrative is not perfect. Yet, it is a brave one in the realm of mainstream Telugu cinema, giving viewers plenty to chew on.
In broad terms, Kuberaa is the story of a capitalist exploiting those who are below the poverty line. How these two worlds collide makes all the difference. A multi-billionaire (Jim Sarbh as Neeraj Mitra) believes ‘fame is power’. He lives in a Mumbai high-rise that has an infinity pool. At the other end of the spectrum are those who beg for alms, whom this film describes as the ‘invisible’, brushed aside at traffic signals and at places of worship as an inconvenience.
The first hour unravels the different worlds. A pacy opening sequence establishes the power games of the business tycoon, who does not flinch at dispensing with lives for his ambition. Jim Sarbh does not miss a beat as the cold, calculating antagonist. His ability to speak Telugu, with all the intonations, is a bonus.
Sekhar introduces his key players in a non-formulaic manner. When Dhanush, as Deva the beggar, comes into view, the audience cheer. The actor has played realistic characters that represent the oppressed sections of society in the past with admirable consistency. Here, he takes it a notch higher. The writing gives him, and his associates, enough material to work with as the narrative takes a close look at the life of beggars. Even if groomed and dressed up in the best of suits, can they grasp what is happening around them? Can they be exploited for the bare minimum needs of food and shelter? A telling sequence shows the lack of dignity in their death.
These polar opposite worlds cross paths with the help of CBI officer Deepak Tej (Nagarjuna), now behind bars for just doing his job. Nagarjuna plays a man in turmoil, one who wants to do the right thing but is manipulated to go against his conscience. Nagarjuna conveys the anguish of his character with restrained intensity. His body language and eyes convey the plight of a lion, now caged.
It takes a while for the narrative to find its rhythm, as it shifts between the characters. Niketh Bommi’s cinematography and Thota Tharani’s production design establish the uber-luxurious world of Neeraj Mitra, with imposing structures that dwarf those who work for him. At other times, Niketh and Tharani work in the background, staying invisible and letting the attention remain solely on the story and its characters. Substantial portions of the film unfold in real locations, from Mumbai’s landmarks to the garbage dumps, and all of this adds credence to the narrative.
The narrative comes to a boil once the cards are revealed and a cat-and-mouse game for survival begins. A character’s love for animals also adds depth to the proceedings.
If three characters — representing the uber rich, the middle class, and the lower strata — caught in a tangle is not enough, a fourth character brings an edge to the drama. The quiet yet effective introduction shot of Rashmika Mandanna as Sameera is worth a mention. As the film progresses, she is a revelation, blending innocence, helplessness and gentle humour.
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Through the film, Sekhar questions if one man’s greed and ambition should throw everyone else into a spiral. Do the oppressed not stand a chance to survive with dignity? The questions recur and there are times the writing gets preachy.
Some of the best portions are when the film is in a thriller zone with the possibility of the tables turning. There is trust, betrayal, and a quest for redemption.
However, the final portions are a tad unconvincing. It appears as though the director, who has written the film with his long-time associate Chaitanya Pingali, wanted to move away from a predictable path and instead, deliver poetic justice.
The transitions between a few sequences also feel abrupt. For instance, it takes a while to discern that four beggars have been brought in from four different corners of the country.
A subplot involving a pregnant woman (despite being convincingly portrayed) is like a sore thumb; so is a brief flashback involving a young mother. A few years ago, while remaking Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani in Telugu (as Anamika), Sekhar refrained from portraying his protagonist as a pregnant woman, arguing that he did not want to evoke audience sympathy merely by showing a pregnant woman in distress. Here, however, this aspect is played up and the character’s conclusion seems contrived. A one-note sidekick of the antagonist is also annoying.
A few deft touches that work in favour of the narrative are the nuggets of Deva’s childhood and his tenacity to survive. In a scene, Deva bathing in water that streams from a broken pipeline, against the words ‘save water’, shows the cracks in urban infrastructure. Deva’s frequent query about the day of the week and how it ties up to food and religion is a smart observation. Also chuckle-worthy is how a character promises to offer a diamond crown to the temple if his problems are solved.
Kuberaa leaves a few questions unanswered towards the end. These niggles stop the story from being wholly compelling. Music composer Devi Sri Prasad who deftly switches between the different worlds, makes us overlook a few rough edges with his score that is sometimes subdued and at other times, rousing.
Kuberaa falls short of being a gamechanger. But it is a brave film from a director who has often stepped away from the norm, and raised pertinent questions. That is ample reason to cheer.
Kuberaa Movie Songs:
Song Title: Poyivaa Nanba (Tamil)
Lyrics: Viveka
Music Composer: Devi Sri Prasad
Singer(s): Dhanush
Song Title: Pippi Pippi Dum Dum Dum (Telugu)
Lyrics: Chaitanya Pingali
Music Composer: Devi Sri Prasad
Singer(s): Indravathi Chauhan
Song Title: Jaake Aana Yaara (Hindi)
Lyrics: Raqueeb Alam
Music Composer: Devi Sri Prasad
Singer(s): Nakash Aziz
