The Paradise Movie Review: Even his shadow has wings to fly.
Srikanth Odela’s The Paradise (2026) marks the director’s second collaboration with Nani after the critically acclaimed Dasara. Released worldwide on 24 September 2026, this Telugu-language period action drama is an ambitious, large-scale attempt to blend social commentary with mass-entertainer tropes. Set in the mid-1980s in and around Secunderabad’s Paradise locality, the film centres on the fictional Savari community—a marginalised, denotified tribe fighting for legal recognition, citizenship and basic dignity decades after Indian Independence. With a reported budget in the ₹150–200 crore range, strong technical credentials, music by Anirudh Ravichander and a committed central performance, The Paradise arrives with considerable expectation. Yet most critics have found that its grand intentions are undermined by familiar storytelling, uneven pacing and an over-reliance on graphic violence.
Plot Overview
The story unfolds in 1985–86. The Savari people live under the iron grip of feudal landlord Shikanja Malik (Mohan Babu), who forces them into illicit liquor brewing and treats them as perpetual outsiders and criminals. Sammakka (Sonali Kulkarni), a resilient mother figure, has spent years petitioning authorities for official recognition of her community. Her son Jadal (Nani), scarred by childhood trauma and a long prison sentence engineered by Malik, returns after 14 years filled with rage and distrust—particularly toward his mother, whom he believes is a prostitute.As Jadal learns the truth about his family’s history and witnesses further humiliation of Sammakka, he channels his personal vendetta into a larger struggle. He becomes an unlikely leader for the Savaris, navigating political corridors (including figures inspired by real Telangana politics of the era) while settling scores with Malik and his ambitious son Vikram (Raghav Juyal). A romantic track involving Subbu (Kayadu Lohar) runs parallel but remains secondary. The narrative builds toward a bloody confrontation and a hard-won push for legal identity, education and healthcare for the community. The film runs approximately 2 hours 45–54 minutes and carries an ‘A’ certificate for its intense content.
Performance
Nani is widely regarded as the film’s strongest asset. He undergoes a striking physical transformation—braids, beard, leaner frame and a distinctive gait—that immediately signals a character shaped by hardship. His intensity in action sequences feels earned through commitment and training, and he anchors the emotional core, particularly in the mother-son moments. Many reviewers note that without Nani’s conviction, the film would collapse. Sonali Kulkarni delivers a sincere and grounded turn as Sammakka; her quiet determination provides the story’s emotional backbone, even if the writing does not always give her the full depth she deserves. Mohan Babu brings formidable screen presence and authority as the tyrannical Malik, making the most of a somewhat underwritten antagonist. Raghav Juyal is energetic as Vikram but struggles to project genuine menace. Kayadu Lohar tries to inject freshness into the romantic subplot, though the character feels underdeveloped and poorly integrated. Supporting players such as Sampoornesh Babu and Tanikella Bharani are largely underutilised.
Technical Aspects
Technically, The Paradise is often impressive. Cinematographer CH Sai creates a raw, gritty, atmospheric visual palette that effectively evokes 1980s Secunderabad and the oppressive world of Paradise. Production design, costumes and locations contribute to a textured period feel. Action choreography delivers several high-impact set pieces, especially in the first half and the pre-interval stretch. Anirudh Ravichander’s score and songs (notably the energetic “Aaya Sher”) provide elevation and mass appeal. Editing by Navin Nooli, however, draws criticism for chaotic pacing in the second half, with some sequences feeling rushed or discontinuous. The film’s length and heavy reliance on graphic violence also test viewer endurance.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths include Nani’s transformative and committed performance, the ambitious world-building around a community’s fight for identity, strong production values, atmospheric visuals, and intermittent emotional peaks—particularly the mother-son dynamic and certain mass moments. The first half is generally more engaging, establishing stakes and atmosphere effectively. Anirudh’s music and the scale of the action offer theatrical spectacle.Weaknesses are more pronounced. The screenplay leans heavily on tired revenge-and-oppression tropes familiar from recent Telugu mass dramas, lacking novelty and emotional subtlety. The second half grows uneven, rushed and overcrowded with themes, diluting impact. Excessive, often grotesque violence frequently substitutes for genuine dramatic development, tipping into spectacle over substance. The romantic track feels forced, supporting characters are underwritten, and the climax is widely described as anticlimactic or unsatisfying. The film’s ambition outstrips its writing, resulting in a work that feels fragmented despite its technical polish.
Final Verdict
The Paradise is a film of striking ambition and intermittent power that ultimately falls short of the promise suggested by Odela’s Dasara and Nani’s physical commitment. It creates a vivid, oppressive world and delivers moments of genuine intensity and mass appeal, yet predictable plotting, uneven execution and an overabundance of violence prevent it from achieving the emotional resonance or narrative cohesion it seeks. Nani’s performance and the technical craft make it watchable for fans of high-octane period action dramas, but those seeking a more sophisticated or fresh exploration of social struggle may leave disappointed.
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Nani’s intense, transformative performance and the film’s gritty period atmosphere provide some thrills, but The Paradise is undermined by a predictable revenge plot, excessive violence, and a messy second half. Ambitious in scale yet uneven in execution, it ultimately feels like a missed opportunity.
