Shanmukha (2025)

Shanmukha 2025: a crime thriller with a devotional edge

Shanmukha 2025 is a Telugu-language crime thriller directed by Shanmugam Sappani, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The set-up, as summarised in public listings, starts with a Hyderabad sub-inspector named Karthi Vallabhan, described as reckless but capable, who loses his service weapon during a drug bust and is handed a single week to repair his standing. Into that clock-ticking situation walks Sara Maheswaran, a journalism and research student who has come to the city with material on unresolved missing-women cases.

What makes it different from a routine cop-and-reporter pairing is the supernatural undertone that sources attach to it. In an IANS interview, actor Avika Gor said she had always wanted to be part of a devotional thriller, which tells us the makers lean on religious imagery as part of the atmosphere.

We have not watched the film; this is a guide from verified listings and press material, with no spoilers.

Release date and where to watch Shanmukha

The film reached theatres on 21 March 2025. Reports on how it was received were mixed in tone, with one outlet describing the buzz as lukewarm and another describing the audience response as decent, so there is no single settled picture of its theatrical run.

For home viewing, Aha secured the post-theatrical streaming rights and premiered the film on 11 April 2025. One Filmibeat image caption mentioned Netflix, but its own article text and other outlets name Aha, so Aha is the platform to check. The running time is listed as 121 minutes, which is brisk by Telugu commercial standards.

The people involved

Aadi Saikumar plays the sub-inspector and Avika Gor plays the student researcher. The supporting cast includes Aditya Om as Kamal, Chirag Jani as Viganda, Manoj Nandam as Srikanth and Krishnudu as Subrahmanyam. Satish Aketi is credited with the story, Ravi Basrur with the music and M. A. Malik with the editing. It is produced by Tulasi Ram Sappani, Shanmugam Sappani and Ramesh Yadav under Sapbro Productions.

Note that one IMDb-linked item gives the lead character a different name from most sources; we follow Wikipedia and the trade listings.

Who it suits

If you like procedurals where a deadline presses on the hero and a mystery grows alongside it, the premise fits. The supernatural and devotional elements make it a better match for viewers open to genre mixing than for those who want a strictly realistic police story. Since we have not watched it, treat this as an informed introduction rather than a recommendation.