The Paradise (2026): Release Date, Cast & Where to Watch

Set in 1980s Secunderabad, The Paradise stars Nani as the leader of a struggling tribe fighting discrimination and battling for citizenship.

Release date and status

The Paradise released on 24 September 2026. Release markets: Worldwide (theatrical); premieres on 23 September 2026. Language: Telugu (with dubbed versions).

• 26 March 2026 – Originally scheduled: Initial worldwide date
• 21 August 2026 – Postponed: Second announced date
• 24 September 2026 – Released: Final worldwide date

Release strategy and postponements

The film was first set for 26 March 2026, then moved to 21 August 2026 and finally to 24 September 2026, with paid previews on the evening of 23 September. In early September, reports that pending VFX work, particularly on the climax, could delay it again led the makers to reaffirm the date; The Indian Express reported that several post-production units were working in parallel. It was planned for release in eight languages: Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, English and Spanish. Think Studios took Tamil Nadu, Wayfarer Films took Kerala, and Prathyangira Cinemas acquired overseas rights for a reported ₹18 crore.

OTT release

No streaming date had been announced as of 25 September 2026.

Cast and crew

• Director: Srikanth Odela
• Music: Anirudh Ravichander
• Cast: Nani, Mohan Babu, Kayadu Lohar, Sonali Kulkarni, Raghav Juyal

Production history

Nani, director Srikanth Odela and producer Sudhakar Cherukuri announced their reunion on 30 March 2024, the first anniversary of Dasara (2023), under the working title Nani 33; the title The Paradise was revealed that November. Odela reportedly spent about two years on the screenplay, which he co-wrote with a team of writers, and conceived it as a period action drama set in 1980s Secunderabad, with Nani comparing its intended scale and tone to the Mad Max films. It is produced by Cherukuri (Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Cinemas) and Ishan Saksena (IVY Entertainment).

Nani trained for a muscular look to play Jadal. Kayadu Lohar was reported as the female lead in July 2025, and Raghav Juyal joined the same month for his Telugu debut; Odela said Juyal won the villain's role on the strength of his performance in Kill (2024). Mohan Babu plays Shikanja Maalik and Sonali Kulkarni plays Jadal's mother. After a puja ceremony in October 2024, regular filming began on 21 June 2025 in Hyderabad, mostly on purpose-built sets and at Ramoji Film City, where a prison action sequence took more than two weeks to film. Mohan Babu completed his portions in mid-December 2025 after about 20 days of shooting.

Trailer and music

The film was released without a conventional theatrical trailer. On 12 September 2026, Nani explained that the team wanted to spend those days of post-production on finishing the film. The first promotional teaser, featuring "The Paradise Theme", was released on 15 May 2025. Anirudh Ravichander composed the soundtrack, his third film with Nani after Jersey and Nani's Gang Leader (both 2019), and Saregama holds the audio rights. The first single, "Aaya Sher", was released on 24 February 2026 and, per Wikipedia, crossed 200 million YouTube views. The second, "Yeshanagula", a recreation of the Telugu folk song "Yeshanagula Kattameeda", was unveiled at Anirudh's concert in Dallas.

Certification and runtime

The CBFC granted an 'A' certificate for strong violence, with a final runtime of 173 minutes after some cuts. The runtime is 173 minutes.

Box office

Wikipedia reports an opening-day gross of about ₹76.9 crore worldwide: ₹54.9 crore in India including preview shows, and roughly ₹22 crore overseas. The India net on day one was ₹34.65 crore, the biggest opening of Nani's career. Telugu was the strongest market, followed by Hindi, with Tamil the weakest. Full-run figures were not yet available on 25 September 2026.

Critical reception

Wikipedia summarises early reviews from critics and audiences as mixed to negative, with praise directed at specific aspects of the film. A fuller summary of named reviews will be added once more reviews have been published.