Streaming · Telugu film · 2018
Mahanati
మహానటి
Mahanati release date: 9 May 2018 (theatres). Directed by Nag Ashwin; starring Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan and Vijay Deverakonda.
- Film release
- 9 May 2018 · All 2018 films
- Director
- Nag Ashwin
- Music
- Mickey J. Meyer
- Production
- Vyjayanthi Movies, Swapna Cinema
- Writing credits
- Nag Ashwin, Padmavathi Malladi
- Runtime
- 177 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
Streaming now on Prime Video; no start date is on file (the platform does not publish one).
Film release: 9 May 2018 · all 2018 Telugu films.
Source: Official Prime Video catalogue checked manually; first-premiere date not established, checked 3 October 2026. Only what the source states is shown.
Watch on Prime Video — official listing
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Mahanati is a 2018 Telugu-language biographical drama about the life of the actress Savitri. Written and directed by Nag Ashwin and produced by Priyanka Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema, it stars Keerthy Suresh as Savitri and Dulquer Salmaan as her husband, Gemini Ganesan. The title means “the great actress”. Keerthy’s performance was widely praised and won her the National Film Award for Best Actress.
Story
The film uses two timelines. In 1980, Savitri is found unconscious in Bangalore and falls into a long coma, and the news draws heavy press attention. A newspaper journalist, Madhuravani, who struggles with a stutter, and a photojournalist, Vijay Anthony, are sent to cover the story. When Madhuravani finds a letter in which Savitri mentions a wish to take her son to meet someone called “Shankarayya”, she keeps digging even after her editor loses interest.
Her research takes the story back to the 1940s, when a young Savitri, raised by her widowed mother and her aunt’s family in Vijayawada, trains as a dancer and is steered towards the film industry in Madras. The film traces her rise to stardom, her relationship and marriage with Gemini Ganesan, and the pressures that later overtook her life, while Madhuravani slowly finds her own voice through the story she is uncovering.
Cast
- Keerthy Suresh as Savitri
- Dulquer Salmaan as Gemini Ganesan, in his first Telugu film
- Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the journalist
- Vijay Deverakonda as the photographer
Rajendra Prasad, Bhanupriya, Divyavani, Mohan Babu, Naga Chaitanya and Prakash Raj appear in supporting roles.
Making the film
Nag Ashwin started work on the Savitri biopic after his first film as director, Yevade Subramanyam (2015). Principal photography ran from May 2017 to March 2018, with shooting in Hyderabad, Palakollu, Bangalore, Chennai, Mysore and Delhi. Dani Sanchez-Lopez was the cinematographer, and Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao edited the film.
Music
Mickey J. Meyer composed both the songs and the background score.
Release
The Telugu original opened in cinemas on 9 May 2018. Dubbed versions followed on 11 May 2018: Nadigaiyar Thilagam in Tamil and Mahanadi in Malayalam. The film was also screened at the International Film Festival of India, the Shanghai International Film Festival and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
Reception
Keerthy Suresh’s portrayal of Savitri drew positive reviews, while opinion on Nag Ashwin’s screenplay and direction was more divided.
Awards
The film earned a string of major honours:
- Three National Film Awards at the 66th ceremony: Best Feature Film in Telugu, Best Actress for Keerthy Suresh and Best Costume Design
- Four Filmfare Awards South, including Best Film and Best Actress in the Telugu category
- The Telangana Gaddar Film Award for Best Feature Film
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Official streaming availability
Open the official Prime Video listing. Checked on 3 October 2026. The checked Telugu listing offers Prime membership viewing and rental options. The Telugu version is distinct from the separately listed Tamil and Malayalam versions; check the language before choosing a version. Viewing access depends on your country and account; check current terms before subscribing or renting.
The checked listing confirms current viewing options but does not independently establish the first OTT premiere date. No premiere date is inferred from the theatrical date or from today’s catalogue check.
Trailer from the official YouTube channel of Vyjayanthi Network, published 14 Apr 2018.
Cast of Mahanati (2018)
- Keerthy Suresh as Savitri
- Dulquer Salmaan as Gemini Ganesan
- Vijay Deverakonda as Vijay Anthony
- Mohan Babu as S.V. Ranga Rao
- Prakash Raj as Aluri Chakrapani
- Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi
- Naga Chaitanya as Akkineni Nageswara Rao
- Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Madhura Vani
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Tanikella Bharani
- Naresh as Cameraman Keshava
- Srinivas Avasarala as L. V. Prasad
- Rajendra Prasad
- Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam as Singeetham Srinivasa Rao
- Malavika Nair as Alamelu
- Bhanupriya as Durgamamba
- Tulasi as Madhuravani’s Mother
- Sandeep Vanga as Vedantam Raghavaiah
Also in the cast (TMDB): Shalini Pandey as Susheela, Krish Jagarlamudi as K. V. Reddy, Mahesh Achanta as Satyam, Sai Madhav Burra as Pingali Nagendra Rao, Manobala as P. Pullaiah.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
Reviews cited in the article are largely positive, singling out Keerthy Suresh and Dulquer Salmaan; a few critics found the drama thin or the second half long.
- The Times of India (Neeshita Nyayapati) wrote that the film “breathes her life” across almost three hours rather than simply celebrating Savitri.
- Sify found Keerthy's portrayal of Savitri pitch perfect and called it Salmaan's best performance.
- India Today (Janani K) called it one of the best biopics of all time.
- The Indian Express (Manoj Kumar R) praised the performances and the costume design.
- The Hindu (Sangeetha Devi Dundoo) said the leads capture the mannerisms of the legends they play without becoming caricatures.
- The News Minute (Krishna Sripada) called Savitri's story a “once-in-a-lifetime epic” in Nag Ashwin's hands.
- Firstpost (Hemanth Kumar) felt it lacked drama and read like an encyclopaedia entry on its subject.
- Film Companion (Baradwaj Rangan) said that despite its failings it lovingly recreates a forgotten era.
Box office: the article reports that the film was made on a budget of ₹25 crore and grossed ₹83 crore by the end of its run.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Mahanati (revision 1376437706), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q39048745 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.