Movie: Telusu Kada
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: People Media Factory
Cast: Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Raashi Khanna, Srinidhi Shetty, Viva Harsha, and others
Music: Thaman S
Director of Photography: Gnana Shekar VS
Editor: Navin Nooli
Production Designer: Avinash Kolla
Producers: TG Vishwa Prasad, Krithi Prasad
Written and directed by: Neerraja Kona
Release Date: October 17, 2025
“Telusu Kada” hit theaters today after a strong promotional run. Siddhu Jonnalagadda has openly expressed full confidence in debut director Neeraja Kona’s storytelling and direction, while leading ladies Raashi Khanna and Srinidhi Shetty have claimed that the film offers them some of their best roles yet.
But does the film justify their confidence? Let’s find out.
Story:
Varun (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) and Anjali (Raashi Khanna) are a happily married couple. Having lost his parents at a young age and grown up almost like an orphan, Varun deeply longs to build a family of his own. However, their dream is shattered when Anjali is diagnosed with a medical condition that makes her unable to conceive.
Devastated by her inability to give Varun the child he desires, Anjali sinks into depression until Dr. Raaga (Srinidhi Shetty) enters the picture. The doctor not only offers hope through surrogacy and artificial insemination but also volunteers to be the surrogate mother herself.
Why does Raaga make such an unusual offer? What is her real motive? And will Varun accept this unexpected proposal?
Artistes’ Performances:
Siddhu Jonnalagadda appears to be stuck in the persona of his highly successful character from DJ Tillu. Although he plays two different shades here; a young college student and a married man; he continues to behave like Tillu. His dialogue delivery remains loud and filled with references to “aadadi”, “pellam”, “estrogen”, and “testosterone”, instead of speaking like a mature man. He tries hard to carry the film, but his performance eventually feels monotonous.
Srinidhi Shetty fits well in the first half, where she plays a modern college girl. In the second half, her role shifts to that of a typical pregnant woman.
Raashi Khanna stands out as a wife torn between her longing for motherhood and her husband’s struggles.
Harsha plays the routine role of the hero’s friend. Annapurnamma attempts to bring humor in the latter half, but it does not create much impact.
Technical Excellence:
Thaman delivers a couple of catchy tracks, especially Mallika Gandha and Sogasu Choodatarama. However, his background score feels completely out of sync with the tone of the film. A love story does not require a beat-heavy score that distracts rather than complements the emotions.
The cinematography and production values are impressive, but the writing and editing lack precision.
Highlights:
Basic point
Couple of episodes
Drawback:
Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s characterisation
Unconvincing emotional moments
Most of the Second half
Analysis
On paper, “Telusu Kada” has an interesting plot: a married couple brings a surrogate mother into their home, only to discover she is the husband’s ex.
A premise like this could have been told with maturity and emotional depth, similar to how “Ninnu Kori” handled a somewhat comparable situation of a couple inviting an ex into their home. Instead, director Neeraja Kona aims for an upgraded version of “Intlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuralu,” but with the hero behaving like another loud “DJ Tillu.” The approach does not work.
The premise has potential, but the execution is weak.
The film tries to balance emotional drama and sentiment but ends up feeling uneven and exaggerated. Scenes that should have been layered and subtle turn loud and forced.
There is also clear confusion in how the narrative progresses after the main twist is revealed. For example, once the wife learns that the surrogate mother is actually her husband’s ex and decides to separate from him, she still continues with scenes reminiscent of Intlo Illalu Vantintlo Priyuralu, such as Seemantham and moments where she watches her husband being close to his ex.
The biggest misfire is the cringe Seemantham sequence, paired with Annapurnamma’s comedy track about teasing Siddhu Jonnalagadda for having his "battery weak." The characters assume Raashi agreed to surrogacy because her husband is infertile and suggest he take Shilajit and potency boosters. But if he truly had fertility issues, how did surrogacy could happen with Srinidhi Shetty? The logic of what actually the relatives of Raashi understood simply collapses. This kind of crude comedy is unexpected from a woman filmmaker.
The motivations of the three lead characters remain unclear throughout, making their actions feel inconsistent and unconvincing.
Overall, “Telusu Kada” starts with promise but turns into an unengaging and emotionally hollow drama that neither moves nor entertains.The lackluster execution and uneven writing make it an underwhelming experience.
Bottom-line: Confusing
