Krishnavataram Part 1 The Heart (2026)

Krishnavataram Part 1 The Heart 2026: Krishna through Satyabhama's eyes

Krishnavataram Part 1 The Heart 2026, subtitled Hridayam, is a Hindi mythological drama directed by Hardik Gajjar. Instead of a straight biography, it uses a frame story: a doubting young man goes to the Jagannath Temple in Puri and a priest tells him about Krishna, with love and relationships at the centre.

The telling is described as coming from Satyabhama's perspective, and the film is based on Raam Mori's 2025 novel Satyabhama. That choice matters, because Satyabhama is usually a supporting figure in popular retellings, so a version that places her at the narrative centre offers a different angle on familiar episodes with Radha and Rukmini.

This is the first of a planned three-part series; the later chapters are named Manaha (The Mind) and Atman (The Soul), so the title promises a journey from heart to mind to soul. We have not watched the film and describe only what has been announced.

Cast, crew and scale

Siddharth Gupta plays Krishna, Sushmitha Bhat is Radha, Sanskruti Jayana (in her debut) is Satyabhama, and Nivaashiyni Krishnan is Rukmini. Amanjot Singh appears as Balarama and Akshara Shivakumar as Draupadi, with Jackie Shroff and Sudesh Berry in cameos. The writers are Hardik Gajjar, Prakash Kapadia and Raam Mori.

Producers named are Sajan Raj Kurup, Shobha Sant, Poonam Shroff and Parth Gajjar, with music by Prasad S., whose rights went to Saregama, and cinematography by Ayananka Bose. Wikipedia reports a budget of 60 crore rupees, and the project was first announced in August 2024 under the working title Shri Radha Ramanam.

Release date and where to watch

The film was released worldwide on 7 May 2026 in Hindi, with Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions, per Wikipedia, Bollywood Hungama and cinema listings; one listing shows 6 May, but 7 May is better supported. It was distributed by AA Films, and reports say it was declared tax-free in Uttar Pradesh. We did not find a confirmed OTT platform or date, so none is stated here.

A practical note for newcomers: because the story is framed as a retelling inside a temple, you do not need prior knowledge of every episode of the Krishna narrative, though familiarity with Radha, Rukmini and Satyabhama will make the choices more interesting. Mythological films also vary widely in tone, from devotional to dramatic, and the filmmakers' framing as a story of love and relationships suggests the emotional register matters more here than battle spectacle.