Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas Turns To Horror In Kishkindhapuri, Hitting Theatres Sept 12

Kishkindhapuri release date

Hyderabad, August 11: Sometimes a career pivot is loud. Sometimes, it creeps in with the sound of a door slowly closing. For Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas, it’s the latter. The actor, whose resume has been built on swagger and sheer kinetic energy, is now walking into a story laced with shadows and whispers Kishkindhapuri, a Telugu supernatural horror-thriller set for worldwide release on September 12, 2025.

The film, directed by Koushik Pegallapati and produced by Sahu Garapati for Shine Screens, brings Sreenivas alongside Anupama Parameswaran in a project the makers insist is a “pure genre” outing. No comedy tracks to lighten the mood. No half-time detour into romance. Just tension, a creeping sense of dread, and the occasional shock meant to be felt in the spine.

Bellamkonda In The Dark

It’s hard not to notice how far Sreenivas has wandered from his comfort zone. In the teaser, there’s no heroic strut, no punchline before a fight. Instead, he drifts through a crumbling mansion, face smeared, voice flat as he says, “Aham Mrityu” “I am death.” The delivery is calm in a way that’s unsettling, as if the character has seen too much to bother raising his voice.

At a closed-door press briefing last week, someone from the crew not naming names muttered that this role “took more out of him than the action films ever did.” That may or may not be true, but it adds a nice edge to the anticipation.

Anupama’s Quiet Leverage

Anupama Parameswaran, whose career zigzags across Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil hits, isn’t there for decorative support. People close to the production hint her character is tangled deep in the mystery, possibly driving it. She’s been tight-lipped in interviews, the kind of professional secrecy that only stokes curiosity.

Her casting works on two levels she’s relatable enough for audiences to root for, but sharp enough to keep them guessing.

Music Split In Two

The soundtrack has two hands on the wheel Sam CS and Chaitan Bharadwaj. Their first single, “Undipove,” has been quietly climbing playlists. On the surface it’s a love song, but there’s something in the arrangement a lingering chord here, a beat that falls just late enough that makes you wonder if it’s meant to be a warning.

Sam CS brings his knack for orchestral dread, while Chaitan’s pop instincts add a contemporary hook. If nothing else, the combination could keep audiences emotionally tethered even when the story gets heavy.

Posters You Can’t Unsee

The visuals so far have avoided cheap thrills. No screeching ghosts lunging at the camera. Instead, we’ve seen a shattered vintage radio, a van burning in the rain, and that looming mansion whose windows seem like eyes.

GreatAndhra noted that these aren’t random marketing shots they’re lifted from actual scenes. That’s telling. It means the look and mood of the film are not just post-production polish, but baked into the story itself.

Horror’s Uneasy History Here

Telugu horror is a mixed bag. When it works Arundhati, Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada it really works, blending mythology and suspense in ways that pull crowds. But the misses, often padded with unnecessary humour, outnumber the hits.

Pegallapati seems to know this. The teaser doesn’t wink at the audience or offer a breather. It’s a straight path into unease, and if he sticks to that, Kishkindhapuri could stand out in a month full of safer box-office bets.

The September 12 Gamble

Releasing on September 12 is a statement in itself. It’s a weekend with competition a couple of mid-budget crowd-pleasers, according to Moneycontrol but horror has a habit of surprising everyone. Especially in the September-October corridor, when the post-monsoon chill starts to creep in at night.

Producers are banking on word-of-mouth. Horror thrives in packed theatres, where one person’s gasp sets off a chain reaction down the row. If they get that right on opening weekend, the rest could take care of itself.

One Line, A Thousand Uses

Sometimes a single line is enough to hook people. For Kishkindhapuri, it’s “Aham Mrityu.” It’s already been memed, mashed into fan edits, even turned into a WhatsApp alert tone, M9 News reports. A strange badge of early success for a horror film when your biggest teaser moment becomes part of everyday chatter before the film’s even out.

What’s On The Line

For Sreenivas, it’s the possibility of breaking out of typecasting. For Parameswaran, a chance to hold a film’s central mystery in her hands. For Pegallapati, a shot at planting his flag in a tricky genre.

If the film delivers on scares, on story, on mood it might just earn its place in the short but memorable list of Telugu horrors worth talking about years later. If not well, in horror, even the misses tend to have a loyal cult audience.

September 12 will tell which way Kishkindhapuri goes.


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Ayesha Khan
Entertainment Correspondent  [email protected]  Web

Covers films, television, streaming, and celebrity culture with a focus on storytelling trends.

By Ayesha Khan

Covers films, television, streaming, and celebrity culture with a focus on storytelling trends.

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