Raakaasa

Raakaasa (రాకాస) is a 2026 Telugu fantasy film written and directed by Manasa Sharma, with Sangeeth Sobhan and Nayan Sarika in the lead roles. Produced by Pink Elephant Pictures and Zee Studios with music by Anudeep Dev, it released on 3 April 2026 and premiered on Netflix on 1 May 2026.

What the story is about

A castle outside a village is said to house a demon, Raakaasa, who by legend demands a human sacrifice roughly every 500 years in return for sparing the village. Three signs announce the due date: a meteor shower, cattle dying without explanation, and a strange stone appearing outside the castle. The villagers have kept up the ritual for generations; last time, a toddler was given. Veeru returns from the United States to this village just as the signs begin.

Cast

• Sangeeth Sobhan as Veerababu “Veeru”
• Nayan Sarika as Subbalakshmi “Subbu”
• Vennela Kishore as Somu and Rohini Reddy Noni as his wife Savithri
• Getup Srinu as Balu, Veeru’s friend
• Brahmaji as Parasuram, the village president
• Tanikella Bharani as Chari, Subbu’s father, and Rohan Roy as her brother Ananda
• Ashish Vidyarthi as Ramesh
• Sukhwinder Singh Grewal as the demon Raakaasa; Thakur Anoop Singh as Maharaja Prataparudra, with Rajasekhar Aningi and Prem Kosireddy as his advisor and assistant
• Vasu Inturi as SI Narasimha Rao; Annapurna as Veeru’s grandmother Mangamma; Katta Anthony as Gangayya Thatha; Raadhya Suresh as Veeru’s ex-girlfriend Sukanya and Chaitanya Varma as her fiancé; Kishore Kumar Polimera; Chandamama Dhanvika Sasha in a cameo

Crew and music

• Writer and director: Manasa Sharma
• Production: Pink Elephant Pictures, Zee Studios
• Music and background score: Anudeep Dev

Release and reception

Raakaasa opened on 3 April 2026; our record lists a running time of 133 minutes. Suresh Kavirayani of The New Indian Express gave it 3 out of 5, crediting the performances, cinematography and visual effects and writing that “Raakaasa’s strong second half is why the film works”. Srivathsan Nadadhur of The Hindu found “many compelling ideas” but a film that “settles for being a safe popcorn entertainer”; T Maruthi Acharya of India Today gave 2.5 out of 5, and BVS Prakash of Deccan Chronicle 1.5 out of 5, calling it an “illogical, regressive socio fantasy film”. No box-office figures are on record from a cited source.

Where to watch Raakaasa

Netflix acquired the streaming rights and the film premiered there on 1 May 2026, a date The Economic Times reported in advance. The OTT box on this page shows the current status and its source.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Raakaasa and the reports and reviews it cites; our own cast, crew, release and OTT records.