Bhale Unnade

Bhale Unnade is a 2024 Telugu romantic comedy-drama directed by J. Sivasai Vardhan and produced under Maruthi Films, starring Raj Tarun and Manisha Kandkur, with Abhirami and Singeetam Srinivasa Rao in supporting roles. Shekar Chandra composed the music. It released in theatres on 13 September 2024, Raj Tarun’s third release in 30 days, to mixed reviews.

What the story is about

Raj Tarun plays Radha, a saree draper, an unusual job for a male lead in Telugu cinema. He is gentle and empathetic rather than macho, and the film follows his romance with Krishna, played by Manisha Kandkur, with humour and emotion. The film’s interest is in “soft manhood”: a hero who leads with emotional intelligence instead of traditional masculinity. Critics found the idea refreshing but felt the second half did not make the most of it.

Cast

• Raj Tarun as Radha
• Manisha Kandkur as Krishna
• Abhirami as Gowri, Radha’s mother
• Goparaju Ramana as Radha’s uncle
• VTV Ganesh as director Bhanu Prasad
• Srikanth Iyengar as Dr. Anand Kumar “Guruji”
• Singeetam Srinivasa Rao as an old man, with Leela Samson as his wife
• Hyper Aadi as Prathap, Radha’s friend
• Sudharshan as Chinna
• Krishna Bhagawan as Nagaraju

What critics said

The Times of India called it “a light-hearted romantic dramedy with a fresh take on relationships and gender dynamics”. OTTplay felt it had “a very good subject” undone by “underwhelming narration”, especially after the interval, and The New Indian Express headlined its review “An unusual hero, and a lost opportunity”. Eenadu and TV9 Telugu credited the performances but faulted the storytelling.

Box office

The film underperformed. When it arrived on streaming in October 2024, OTTplay described it as having ended “as a massive flop”. We have found no collection figure from a named outlet.

Where to watch Bhale Unnade

Bhale Unnade began streaming on ETV Win on 6 October 2024, about three weeks after its theatrical release. Our OTT record is based on the film’s Wikipedia article rather than a platform listing, so check ETV Win for current availability.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Bhale Unnade and the reviews and report it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.