Released · Telugu film · 2019
Maharshi
మహర్షి
Maharshi release date: 9 May 2019 (theatres). Directed by Vamsi Paidipally; starring Mahesh Babu, Pooja Hegde and Kaikala Satyanarayana.
- Film release
- 9 May 2019 · All 2019 films
- Director
- Vamsi Paidipally
- Music
- Devi Sri Prasad
- Production
- Sri Venkateswara Creations
- Writing credits
- Vamsi Paidipally
- Runtime
- 178 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
No streaming platform is on file for this film.
Film release: 9 May 2019 · all 2019 Telugu films.
Source: the film’s Wikipedia article, checked 25 September 2026. It does not name a streaming platform or date; this page says so rather than guessing.
Maharshi (meaning “Great sage”) is a 2019 Telugu-language action drama directed and co-written by Vamshi Paidipally and produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations, Vyjayanthi Movies and PVP Cinema. It stars Mahesh Babu with an ensemble including Allari Naresh, Pooja Hegde, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha and Rao Ramesh. Released on 9 May 2019, it was the third highest-grossing Telugu film of the year and won two National Film Awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
Story
Rishi Kumar is named CEO of a thriving American company, and at a celebration he is reunited with an old college friend, Kanna, whom he has not seen for years. The film then goes back seven years to Rishi’s middle-class upbringing in Hyderabad, his strained relationship with his debt-ridden father and his ambitious student days at an elite institute. The director described it as the journey of a character who only becomes a hero at the end.
Cast
- Mahesh Babu in the lead
- Allari Naresh
- Pooja Hegde
- Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha and Rao Ramesh
- Vennela Kishore, Sai Kumar, Kamal Kamaraju and Meenakshi Dixit
Production
Dil Raju announced his fourth film with Paidipally, after Munna, Brindavanam and Yevadu, in early 2018, and the title Maharshi was confirmed on 9 August 2018. Shooting began in June 2018 in Hyderabad, Goa and Dehradun, continued in the United States until November, and then moved to a village set at Ramoji Film City, built according to the source for ₹80 million, and to Pollachi. Filming wrapped on 18 April 2019. Devi Sri Prasad composed the music, with lyrics by Sri Mani.
Release
Postponed from 25 April because of post-production delays, the film was released on 9 May 2019 in India, a day earlier on a large number of screens in the United States, and on 400 screens in Bengaluru, a record for a Telugu film at the time. It later ran 50 days in 211 cinemas. Dubbed versions followed in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.
Box office and awards
According to Allari Naresh‘s profile it grossed over ₹175 crore worldwide. Besides its two National Film Awards, the second for Best Choreography, it won the Telangana Gaddar Film Award for Best Feature Film, five SIIMA Awards and two Zee Cine Awards Telugu.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Cast of Maharshi (2019)
- Mahesh Babu as K. Rishi Kumar
- Pooja Hegde as Pooja
- Kaikala Satyanarayana
- Jayasudha as Rishi's Mother
- Kota Srinivasa Rao
- Allari Naresh as Ravi Shankar
- Jagapati Babu as Vivek Mittal
- Prakash Raj as Rishi's Father
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Ravi Prakash as Police officer
- Rao Ramesh as Professor
- Tanikella Bharani as Ravi's father
- Vennela Kishore as Kanna
- Prudhvi Raj
- Srinivasa Reddy as Ramakrishna, Rishi's personal assistant
- Rajiv Kanakala
- Sai Kumar as Pallavi's father
- Getup Srinu
- Nassar as Chief minister
- Annapoorna
- Posani Krishna Murali as Vivek's supporter
- Brahmaji as Pooja's manager
- Mukesh Rishi as Ajay's father
- Anish Kuruvilla as College Dean
- Vidyullekha Raman as Pooja's Friend
- Kamal Kamaraju as Ajay
- Sivannarayana Naripeddi
- Ranadhir Gattla as Rahul
- Shanoor Sana
- Anand
- Surya Srinivas
- Rupa Lakshmi
Also in the cast (TMDB): Meenakshi Dixit as Nidhi, Ananya as Pallavi, Ravi's love interest, Rajeev Kanakala as Farmer, Sameer Hasan as Interview panel member, Jhansi as TV host.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
The article describes mixed reviews: critics praised the performances, action and emotional content, and criticised a predictable, lengthy narrative.
- The Hindu (Sangeetha Devi Dundoo) saw a huge gap between the compelling social drama it could have been and what it is.
- The Times of India (Neeshita Nyayapati) recommended it for Mahesh Babu and Allari Naresh and for a story whose heart is in the right place.
- Hindustan Times (Karthik Kumar) called it problematic but moving, rescued by its farming sub-plot.
- Sify criticised a predictable, unoriginal story and an unconvincing emotional core.
- India Today found a meaty story buried among sub-plots.
Box office: the article reports a worldwide opening-day gross of ₹590 million.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Maharshi (2019 film) (revision 1369553086), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q56278247 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.