Mayookha

Mayookha is a 2026 Telugu crime thriller written and directed by debutant Shree Tej SK, starring Kannada actor Payal Chengappa with Dev Shashank D and Muralidhar Goud. Produced by Sasidhar Nalla under Prashvitha Entertainment with music by Shibi Mathew Alex, it opened in theatres on 9 October 2026.

What the story is about

The director has described Mayookha as a thriller, not a horror film. In his words, the story is driven by three questions: why an unknown man enters the heroine’s flat, what he does there, and what his connection to her is. He says the title means “a ray of hope” and that its meaning becomes clear while watching the film.

Cast

• Payal Chengappa in the lead role
• Dev Shashank D
• Muralidhar Goud

How it was made

Shree Tej SK previously produced films under his Cinema Bandi Productions banner as Srikanth Kandregula before changing his name and moving into direction. In an interview with The New Indian Express, he said Mayookha began as a short film he left unfinished when he moved to the US, where he studied directing at the New York Film Academy; he later narrated the story to producer Sasidhar Nalla, who chose to make it as a feature. He named Korean and Hollywood films as influences on its storytelling and colour grading, and said the team put particular care into visuals and sound. He also said the makers first approached another actress for the lead before casting Payal Chengappa.

Release

Mayookha released in theatres on 9 October 2026. The director put its running time at about two hours and ten minutes. No review scores or box-office figures from a cited source are on our records yet.

Where to watch Mayookha

No streaming partner has been reported for Mayookha yet. The OTT box on this page shows the current status and updates when a platform lists the film.

More Telugu films like this on Tollywood Desk: Missing Meghana, Newton’s 3rd Law, Ugly Story.

Sources: the director’s interview in The New Indian Express (8 October 2026); the Wikipedia list of Telugu films of 2026; our own cast, crew and release records.