| Vrusshabha | |
|---|---|
| Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nanda Kishore |
| Written by | Nanda Kishore |
| Dialogues by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | Mohanlal |
| Cinematography | Antony Samson |
| Edited by | K. M. Prakash |
| Music by | Sam C. S. |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes [1] |
| Country | India |
| Languages | Telugu Malayalam |
Vrusshabha is an upcoming Indian fantasy action drama film written and directed by Nanda Kishore. It was jointly produced by Connekkt Media and Balaji Motion Pictures, in association with Abishek S Vyas Studios. The film stars Mohanlal in the title role, alongside Samarjit Lankesh, Nayan Sarika, Ragini Dwivedi, Ajay and Neha Saxena.
Principal photography took place between July 2023 and February 2025 in sporadic schedules, shot in Telugu and Malayalam languages. Vrusshabha is scheduled to be released on 25 December 2025.
On 3 July 2023, producer Ekta Kapoor announced that her production house Balaji Telefilms is partnering with Connekkt Media and AVS Studios for a bilingual film, Vrusshabha, to be shot in Telugu and Malayalam languages, starring Mohanlal in the lead role, with Nanda Kishore set to direct. [2] [3] It is the first production of AVS Studios. In August 2023, Kishore told to a media that he had been writing the screenplay of Vrusshabha since the last five years. [4] The dialogues were written by SRK, Janardhan Maharshi, and Karthik. [5] Kishore described the film as "fantasy action drama". [6] The posters feature the tagline "Reborn love: A love so strong, it defies death." [7] It was reported that the film would be shot in India and the United Kingdom. [8]
Kishore stated that the film drew inspiration from Indian mythological epics, and that he spent 3 – 4 months developing the idea before beginning the writing process. According to Kishore, the film is structured around the concept of a karmic cycle. He illustrates this through the story of King Harishchandra, whose unwavering commitment to his promises results in severe personal hardship despite his innocence. Vrusshabha adopts a similar framework, presenting human experiences as an outcome of an ongoing karmic cycle and destiny. He envisaged Mohanlal in the lead role after completing the first draft of the screenplay. The production company came on board after Mohanlal agreed to the project. [9] In August 2023, the makers announced that Hollywood producer Nick Thurlow has joined as an executive producer. [10]
On casting Mohanlal, Kishore said that the protagonist required the gravitas of an actor of Mohanlal's stature, remarking, "Mohanlal is someone who acts with his eyes". [6] He added that Mohanlal could convincingly handle both action sequences and fatherly emotions. According to Kishore, Mohanlal's character draws from both King Harishchandra and Lord Rama. [9] His character is modelled on Vṛṣabha, a divine warrior figure associated with Lord Shiva. [11] In November 2022, it was reported that the makers are in talks with Vijay Deverakonda to portray the son of Mohanlal's character. [12] By July 2023, Roshan Meka, Shanaya Kapoor, Ramachandra Raju, and P. Ravi Shankar were reported to be part of the cast. [13] Confirming his involvement, Meka, who was cast as the son, described the role as "challenging". [14] The film marks the acting debut of Kapoor, daughter of Sanjay Kapoor, who was reportedly pared opposite Meka. [15] Ragini Dwivedi was also confirmed in July. [16] Zahrah S. Khan was initially cast as a warrior princess after a look test. [17] In January 2024, Raghu Hondadakeri's involvement was confirmed. [18]
In January 2025, Neha Saxena confirmed her role as Yashodha, one of the important characters. She completed four shooting schedules—one in Mysore and three in Mumbai. [19] Both Meka and Kapoor were recast following some casting changes over dates availability. [20] In February 2025, following the film's completion, it was reported that Meka was replaced by Samarjit Lankesh. Reportedly, Lankesh had camped in Mumbai and other locations for four months to complete filming. For his role, he underwent training in horse riding, sword fighting, and gymnastics. [21] In the same month, it was also reported that Kapoor was replaced by Nayan Sarika as the female lead. [22] B. V. Bhaskar portrayed a psychiatrist and filmed his portions over six days in Mumbai. [23] The film also features Ajay, Vinay Varma, Ali, Kishore, and Ayyappa P. Sharma in significant roles. [24] Bollywood actor Jeetendra makes a special appearance in the film. [25]
Principal photography began on 23 July 2023. [26] Battles scenes involving Mohanlal were filmed on a set in Mysore. [27] The first schedule was completed on 22 August. [28] Filming resumed with a second schedule in Mumbai beginning on 13 October. [29] Production was subsequently delayed for a period; in June 2024, Kishore attributed the delay to technical reasons and stated that approximately 50 percent of the filming had been completed. [30]
Mohanlal resumed filming his portions in December 2024. [31] The final schedule took place in Mumbai. On 3 February 2025, Mohanlal announced the completion of the film's shoot in its entirety. [32] [33] Kishor later recalled that pre-production lasted two years, while principal photography was completed over approximately 80 – 85 days. [11] Resul Pookutty and Vijay Kumar handled the sound design. [34] Peter Hein, Stunt Silva, Ganesh Kumar, and Nikhil choreographed the action sequences. [5]
The film's music was composed by Sam C. S.. The soundtrack album was distributed by T-Series, released on 14 December 2025 in Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi languages. [35]
All lyrics are written by Kalyan Chakravarthy.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Appa Song" | Vijay Prakash | 4:32 |
| 2. | "Love Song" | Anurag Kulkarni | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Om Nama Shivayah" | Sukhwinder Singh | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Thandavam" | Deepak Blue | 3:07 |
| 5. | "Theme Song" | Anirudh Shastri | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 18:46 | ||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Appa Song" | Vinayak Sasikumar | Madhu Balakrishnan | 4:33 |
| 2. | "Love Song" | Shanker Ramakrishnan | Kapil Kapilan | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Om Nama Shivayah" | Vinayak Sasikumar | Sukhwinder Singh | 3:49 |
| 4. | "Thandavam" | Kalyan Chakravarthy | Deepak Blue | 3:07 |
| 5. | "Theme Song" | Kalyan Chakravarthy | Anirudh Shastri | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 18:47 | |||
In November 2024, Aashirvad Cinemas, a production company associated with Mohanlal, announced that the film is scheduled to be released on 16 October 2025. [36] In May 2025, Mohanlal officially announced the same release date. [37] [38] The film, reportedly shot in Telugu and Malayalam, has dubbed versions in Hindi and Kannada languages. [34]
The release was subsequently rescheduled to 6 November 2025, [39] and later postponed again to 25 December, coinciding with Christmas. [40] The film was distributed in Telugu-speaking states by Geetha Film Distributors. [41]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)