Robinhood

Robinhood is a 2025 Telugu heist action comedy written and directed by Venky Kudumula, with Nithiin as Ram, an orphan who steals from the rich to fund struggling orphanages, and Sreeleela as the heiress he ends up guarding. It opened in theatres on 28 March 2025, runs 156 minutes, and has streamed on ZEE5 since 10 May 2025.

What the story is about

Ram grew up as an orphan who took a school pledge literally and came to see the whole country as his family. Since childhood he has quietly stolen from the wealthy to keep orphanages running, and the police are now hunting the elusive thief they call “Robinhood”. Meanwhile Neera (Sreeleela), the daughter of a wealthy Australian CEO, travels to India to reconnect with her roots, and her father hires a shabby Hyderabad security firm run by “John Snow” (Rajendra Prasad), which Ram has just joined. Her visit to her grandfather’s village brings them up against a drug dealer who wants the villagers’ land; we stop at the set-up here.

Cast and characters

• Nithiin as Ram / Robinhood
• Sreeleela as Neera Vasudev
• Devdatta Nage as Saamy and Shine Tom Chacko as police officer Victor Varghese
• Rajendra Prasad as John Snow / Janardhan Sunnipetah
• Vennela Kishore as Jyothi and Brahmanandam as Satyanarayana
• Lal and Annapurna as Neera’s grandparents, with Brahmaji as Subba Rao
• Australian cricketer David Warner in a cameo, his acting debut, and Ketika Sharma in the song “Adhi Dha Surprisu”

Crew and music

• Writer-director: Venky Kudumula, reuniting with Nithiin after Bheeshma (2020)
• Production: Mythri Movie Makers
• Music and background score: G. V. Prakash Kumar (songs include “One More Time”, “Wherever You Go” and “Adhi Dha Surprisu”)
• Cinematography: Sai Sriram; editing: Koti

The film was announced in March 2023 and titled Robinhood on 26 January 2024. Rashmika Mandanna was originally attached but left over dates, and Sreeleela was cast in her second film with Nithiin after Extra Ordinary Man (2023). It was shot in Hyderabad, Munnar and Melbourne.

Release and reception

Robinhood was first set for Christmas 2024 but was postponed and released on 28 March 2025. Reviews were negative. Sashidhar Adivi of Times Now (2/5) felt the writing lacked the strength of Venky Kudumula’s Chalo and Bheeshma, BH Harsh of The New Indian Express called it “an utterly listless and forgettable film”, Srivathsan Nadadhur of The Hindu called it a misfire, and Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express (2/5) wrote that it “merely goes through its motions”. The Times of India reported a slow opening of about ₹4.8 crore worldwide on the first day.

Where to watch Robinhood

Robinhood streams on ZEE5. It started streaming on 10 May 2025.

More Telugu films like this on Tollywood Desk: Mass Jathara, Junior, The Great Pre-Wedding Show.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Robinhood and the reviews it summarises; box office from The Times of India; our own cast, crew, release and OTT records.