Lenin

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Lenin (లెనిన్) is a 2026 Telugu action drama written and directed by Murali Kishor Abburu. Akhil Akkineni plays the title role, with Bhagyashri Borse and Pramod Panju in the other lead roles. It was produced by Nagarjuna and Suryadevara Naga Vamsi under Manam Enterprises LLP and Sithara Entertainments, presented by Annapurna Studios, and has music by Thaman S. The film released in theatres on 10 July 2026 and has been streaming on ZEE5 since 7 August 2026.

What the story is about

The film is set in a village called Sriramapuram, which holds an eighteen-day festival for Draupadi, Bharatam Metta, modelled on the eighteen days of the Mahabharata war, during which no blood may be shed. An unknown boy, Lenin, is taken in by Jayanthi, the most respected woman in the village, and grows up as a brother to her son Vasanth. Years later, Lenin walks out of prison in 2001, branded an outsider and feared by the whole village. When a curious boy asks him about his past, he begins to tell the story of the festival years, his love for Bharathi, his bond with Vasanth and the village feud with a local MLA that led him to prison.

Cast

• Akhil Akkineni as Lenin
• Bhagyashri Borse as Bharathi
• Pramod Panju as Vasanth, Lenin’s foster brother
• Easwari Rao as Jayanthi, Vasanth’s mother
• Ramki as Neelakantam, Bharathi’s father
• Sivaji as Ethirajulu
• Sunil as Parthasaradhi IPS
• Brahmaji as Damodaram
• Ramesh Indira as MLA Raghava Reddy
• Getup Srinu as Murali
• Shatru as Kotha Charuvu Tulasi
• Praveen as Dwaraka, Lenin’s friend
• Posani Krishna Murali and Rajeev Kanakala in supporting roles

Crew and music

• Writer and director: Murali Kishor Abburu
• Producers: Akkineni Nagarjuna and Suryadevara Naga Vamsi
• Cinematography: Leon Britto; editing: Naveen Nooli
• Music: Thaman S, his third film with Akhil after Akhil (2015) and Mr. Majnu (2019). Lyrics are by Ramajogayya Sastry, Bhaskarabatla and Anantha Sriram, and T-Series holds the audio rights. The singles were “Vaarevaa Vaarevaa”, “Yetta Yetta” and “Soul of Lenin”.

Sreeleela was first cast as the female lead but left the project and was replaced by Bhagyashri Borse.

Release, runtime and certificate

Lenin was first slated for 1 May 2026, moved to avoid a clash with Ram Charan’s Peddi, rescheduled for 26 June 2026 and finally released on 10 July 2026 (The Times of India). Annapurna Studios released it in the Nizam region and Shloka Entertainments in the United States. Our record lists a running time of 157 minutes; TMDB lists the certificate as U/A 16+.

Box office and reception

Telugucinema.com reported a worldwide opening-day gross of about ₹10 crore, and Tupaki reported over ₹61 crore in the first three days. Reviews were mixed. The Hindu and The Indian Express both singled out Akhil’s performance, the latter calling it career-best, while India Today felt the ambitious story was let down by its execution and The Hollywood Reporter India called it a shopworn revenge drama with too many twists.

Where to watch Lenin

Lenin is streaming on ZEE5 from 7 August 2026. The date comes from a Binged trade report, and availability is confirmed on ZEE5’s own listing.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Lenin and the reports it cites, linked above; TMDB for the certificate; our own cast, crew, release and OTT records.