Sankranthiki Vasthunam

Sankranthiki Vasthunam (transl. We are coming for Sankranthi) is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Anil Ravipudi and produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations. It stars Venkatesh, Aishwarya Rajesh, and Meenakshi Chaudhary. The film follows an ex-cop whose happy life is upended when his former girlfriend, who is also a police officer, seeks his help to rescue an abducted NRI CEO from a criminal gang. Throughout the mission, he finds himself caught in the crossfire between his suspicious wife and his former girlfriend.

The film features music composed by Bheems Ceciroleo and cinematography by Sameer Reddy. Principal photography took place in Rajahmundry, Hyderabad, Kasaragod, Dehradun, Mussoorie, and Rishikesh.

Sankranthiki Vasthunam was released on 14 January 2025, coinciding with the Sankranthi festival, where it received generally positive reviews from both critics and audiences. It was a massive box office success, grossing over ₹258–300 crore worldwide and emerged as the first-highest grossing Telugu film of the year.^[a]

Satya Akella, a prominent global businessman, arrives in India at the invitation of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Keshava for what is meant to be a strategic business retreat. During a visit to a secluded farmhouse, he is kidnapped by Biju Pandey’s gang, who plan to use him as leverage to secure the release of Biju’s imprisoned brother, Papa Pandey. However, the unyielding jailer George Antony refuses to free Papa without formal government authorization—something the Chief Minister is unwilling to provide, fearing political fallout.

With the situation spiraling, police officer Meenakshi turns to her former lover, YD Raju, a retired encounter specialist known for his unorthodox methods. Now married to Bhagyam and a father of four, is reluctantly drawn back into action. Suspicious of their history, Bhagyam insists on joining the mission, bringing along her son, her father, and even their household worker, turning a high-stakes rescue into a chaotic family operation.

The team infiltrates the prison and engineers a brawl to have Papa Pandey hospitalized, then cleverly manipulates George Antony and his subordinate Manikya Rao to extract him. But their plan derails when Papa accidentally falls off a cliff during a bizarre altercation with Bhagyam and is ultimately killed in a freak accident. Forced to improvise, Raju disguises Papa’s corpse and puppeteers it to deceive Biju Pandey, while tensions flare between Bhagyam and Meenakshi.

The deception unravels amid a violent gang shootout, and Biju discovers his brother’s death. In the ensuing chaos, Raju eliminates Biju and dismantles his gang, successfully rescuing Akella. Yet instead of returning him immediately, Raju leverages the situation to confront the Chief Minister. He demands justice for his former teacher, who was falsely accused and humiliated by an MLA (Keshava’s own uncle) or else the truth about the kidnapping will be exposed.

The teacher is publicly cleared, Akella returns safely to the United States. Raju resumes his family life, only to discover that Meenakshi has been transferred to his village as their new neighbor, reigniting unresolved tensions and setting the stage for further turmoil.

Anil Ravipudi's third collaboration with Venkatesh after F2: Fun and Frustration (2019) and F3: Fun and Frustration (2022) was announced in July 2024.^[9] The film was produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations who also produced their earlier collaborations. Meenakshi Chaudhary and Aishwarya Rajesh were cast as the female leads.^[10] The title was announced as Sankrantiki Vasthunam in November 2024.^[11]

Principal photography began on 11 July 2024.^[12] Filming took place in Rajahmundry, Tiruchirapalli, Hyderabad, Kasaragod, Koraput, Dehradun, Mussoorie and Rishikesh. The climax of the film was shot in Kadapa.^[13]

The soundtrack album was released on 14 January 2025 after the film's release.^[14]

Sankranthiki Vasthunam was released in theatres on 14 January 2025, coinciding with Sankranthi.^[15]

The overseas rights were acquired by Phars Film Co, while Shloka Entertainments bought the distribution rights for North America.^[16][17] The United Kingdom theatrical rights were sold to Dreamz Entertainment.^[18] The distribution rights in Australia and New Zealand were acquired by Hamsini Entertainment and Tolly Movies International.^[19]

The satellite and digital rights of the film were acquired by Zee Telugu and ZEE5, respectively.^[20][21] ZEE5 acquired the film's digital streaming rights for ₹30 crore.^[2] The film was telecast on Zee Telugu before its OTT release on 1 March 2025.^[22] It began streaming on ZEE5 from 1 March 2025.^[23]

Avad Mohammad of OTTplay gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Sankranthiki Vasthunnam is a perfect festival watch packed with loads of entertainment. Venkatesh leads from the front, delivering a hilarious performance. While the predictable storyline may not appeal to everyone, the family audience is sure to enjoy the film."^[24] T. Maruthi Acharya of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "With its mix of engaging comedy and uneven storytelling, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam is a decent outing for families seeking light-hearted entertainment."^[25] B.H. Harish of Cinema Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "But then again, it depends on you if you want to judge this film from that lens. For everyone else who merely wants to have a few hearty laughs, Sankranthiki Vasthunam offers them in plenty."^[26] Sashidhar Adivi of Times Now gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Sankranthiki Vasthunnam will often make you laugh, especially if you are a fan of out-and-out slapstick comedies. A focused script, tighter editing and impressive cinematography would have elevated the film a few notches. The muddled-up storyline and how the events pan out leave much to be desired."^[27]

After the success of Sankranthiki Vasthunam, Ravipudi planned a sequel named Malli Sankranthiki Vasthunam.^[28]

• Sankranthiki Vasthunam at IMDb