From Waltair Veerayya to Salaar — 2023’s most-awaited Telugu films

Here is the list of the most-awaited Telugu movies of 2023:

Waltair Veerayya

Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja in Waltair Veerayya.

Written and directed by K. S. Ravindra, the film stars Chiranjeevi in the lead role. And Ravi Teja has also played a key role in it. The movie is said to be a throwback to the vintage Chiranjeevi film. And it’s due in cinemas on January 13.

Veera Simha Reddy

Written and directed by Gopichand Malineni, the film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the lead role. Balakrishna is a star for all seasons. He knows what the core fan base needs and he never fails to deliver them. Veera Simha Reddy is due in cinemas on January 12.

Shaakuntalam

Witness the #EpicLoveStory #Shaakuntalam in theatres from Feb 17th 2023 Worldwide! Also in 3D 🦢@Gunasekhar1 @ActorDevMohan #ManiSharma @neelima_guna @GunaaTeamworks @SVC_official @neeta_lulla @tipsofficial #MythologyforMilennials #ShaakuntalamOnFeb17 pic.twitter.com/dwOEdsKCna

— Samantha (@Samanthaprabhu2) January 2, 2023

Shaakuntalam is the only film toplined by a female lead on the list. Samantha Ruth Prabhu has created a market for her solo films. Shaakuntalam is a mythological drama, which is written and directed by Gunasekhar. And the film is due in cinemas on February 17.

Hari Hara Veera Mallu

Pawan Kalyan in and as Hari Hara Veera Mallu. (Photo: PR Handout)

Pawan Kaylan’s historical drama has created quite a hype among his fans. The film will see Pawan essay the role of legendary outlaw Veera Mallu. Written and directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, popularly known as Krish, the movie is expected to be a milestone in the star’s career.

Dasara

Nani in Dasara.

This is the film that’s expected to end Nani’s dry spell at the box office. Nani has de-glamorized himself for debutant director Srikanth Odela’s Dasara. With unkempt hair and a beard, dressed in dirty clothes, Nani plays a working-class rebel in the movie. It is expected to release in cinemas on March 30.

Salaar

Prabhas in Prashanth Neel directorial Salaar. (Photo: PR Handout)

Salaar is easily one of the most-awaited movies not just in Telugu cinema but across the country. It’s one of the biggest film events of 2023. Salaar marks the first collaboration between director Prashanth Neel, who’s fresh off the monstrous success of KGF: Chapter 2, and Prabhas. This film is touted to be Prabhas’ comeback of sorts for he hasn’t been able to deliver a satisfying hit since Baahubali: The Conclusion. It is due in cinemas on September 28.

Adipurush

This is another big event film of 2023. It would have opened in cinemas in January if the film’s teaser didn’t receive extremely negative reactions from the public. People were shocked when the teaser revealed that it was a live-action animated film as opposed to a live-action movie. The reactions were so shocking that it sent the makers back to the drawing room, and postpone the film’s release indefinitely. Filmmaker Om Raut has written and directed the movie. It has Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles.

Custody

Poster of Naga Chaitanya’s Custody

Written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, this film is expected to redefine the onscreen image of Naga Chaitanya. The star has been mostly limited to playing romantic roles. But, if the first-look posters of Custody are anything to go by, Chaitanya is set to take on the persona of a full-fledged action hero. The movie will arrive in cinemas on May 12.

Agent

Akhil Akkineni displays his transformation for Agent. (Photos: PR Handout)

2023 is an important year for the Akkineni brothers as they aspire to give a drastic makeover to their onscreen images. With Agent, Akhil also wants to reinvent himself as an action hero and get out of the chocolate hero image. He has got ripped to play the role of a high-profile spy in this swanky thriller. Written and directed by Surender Reddy, the movie also stars Mammootty in a key role. The film was supposed to release during the Sankranti holiday. It has been postponed to a later date.