Streaming · Telugu film · 2023
Bhagavanth Kesari
భగవంత్ కేసరి
Bhagavanth Kesari release date: 19 October 2023 (theatres). Directed by Anil Ravipudi; starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, Kajal Aggarwal and Sreeleela.
- Film release
- 19 October 2023 · All 2023 films
- Director
- Anil Ravipudi
- Music
- S. Thaman
- Production
- Shine Screens
- Writing credits
- Anil Ravipudi
- Runtime
- 164 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
Streaming on Prime Video since 24 November 2023.
Film release: 19 October 2023 · all 2023 Telugu films.
Source: the film’s Wikipedia article, checked 25 September 2026. Only what the source states is shown.
Platform information and historical dates do not guarantee current access in every country. Availability, audio languages and subscription terms vary by location; check the platform before subscribing.
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Bhagavanth Kesari is a 2023 Telugu-language action drama written and directed by Anil Ravipudi and produced by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi under Shine Screens. Nandamuri Balakrishna plays the title role, with Arjun Rampal, in his Telugu debut, Kajal Aggarwal and Sreeleela. Released on 19 October 2023 for Dasara, it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu.
Story
Nelakonda Bhagavanth Kesari, a former prisoner, becomes the guardian of Viji, the daughter of his late friend, a police inspector. Honouring her father’s wish, he wants her to join the Indian Army, but Viji, held back by a childhood fear, would rather marry her boyfriend. Their clash over her future becomes entangled with a ruthless crime boss who has killed a deputy chief minister to protect a national project he wants to steal, and Bhagavanth must both protect and toughen the girl in his care.
Cast
- Nandamuri Balakrishna as Bhagavanth Kesari
- Arjun Rampal, in his Telugu debut
- Kajal Aggarwal
- Sreeleela, whose role as a resilient young woman earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actress
Production and music
Filming began with a puja in Hyderabad on 8 December 2022, the title was revealed in June 2023, Arjun Rampal finished his scenes in August, and shooting wrapped in September 2023. C. Ramprasad was the cinematographer and Tammiraju the editor. Thaman S composed the songs and score, his fourth film with Balakrishna and first with Ravipudi; singles included “Ganesh Anthem” and “Uyyaalo Uyyaala”. It was the last film Harish Peddi produced under Shine Screens.
Release and reception
The film opened on 19 October 2023 and began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on 24 November 2023, which bought the rights for ₹18 crore. Reviews were mixed to positive, praising its women-centric theme, Balakrishna’s performance and the action; The Indian Express felt it tried hard not to be a regular Balakrishna film, while Film Companion found it entertaining with its heart in the right place. It was one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of 2023.
Awards and remake
Besides the National Film Award, it won the Telangana Gaddar Award for Third Best Feature Film. It was partly remade in Tamil as Jana Nayagan (2026), directed by H. Vinoth and starring Vijay.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Cast of Bhagavanth Kesari (2023)
- Nandamuri Balakrishna as Nelakonda Bhagavanth Kesari
- Kajal Aggarwal as Dr. Kathyayani "Kaachi"
- Sreeleela as Vijayalakshmi "Vijji"
- R. Sarathkumar as CI Srikanth
- Aadukalam Naren as Sarath Sanghvi
- Raghu Babu as Minister
- P. Ravi Shankar as Narrator
- Arjun Rampal as Rahul Sanghvi
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Anil Ravipudi
- Srikanth Iyengar
- Muralidhar Goud as Party President
- Subbaraju as SP
- Brahmaji as Deputy CM's PA
- Subhalekha Sudhakar as Deputy CM
- Dubbing Janaki
- Jayachitra as Bhagavanth's Mother
- John Vijay as Ratan Shukla
Also in the cast (TMDB): VTV Ganesh as Minister, Vadlamani Srinivas as Cheif Minister, Rathika Rose as English Speaking Party Member, Sravan Raghavendra as Rahul Sanghvi's Fixer, Sanjay Swaroop as District Magistrate, Palak Lalwani as Reporter, Rahul Ravi as Karthik, Bharath Reddy as Vijji's Trainer, Raj Tirandasu as Japatri, Anand Ramaraju as Constable Rafi, Jeevan Kumar as SI Diwakar.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
The article describes mixed to positive reviews praising Nandamuri Balakrishna's performance and the action.
- The Indian Express (Raghu Bandi) felt it tries not to be a regular Balakrishna film while keeping the moments his fans expect.
- The Hindu (Sangeetha Devi Dundoo) noted that it swings between hypermasculine action and an emotional drama about women's empowerment.
- India Today (Janani K) called it an enjoyable entertainer with a mix of everything.
- The News Minute (Jahnavi) found even its formula confusing.
- Film Companion (Ram Venkat Srikar) found it entertaining, with its heart in the right place.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Bhagavanth Kesari (revision 1375842904), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q119625131 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.