Streaming · Telugu film · 2017
Fidaa
ఫిదా
Fidaa release date: 21 July 2017 (theatres). Directed by Sekhar Kammula; starring Varun Tej and Sai Pallavi.
- Film release
- 21 July 2017 · All 2017 films
- Director
- Sekhar Kammula
- Production
- Sri Venkateswara Creations
- Writing credits
- Sekhar Kammula
- Runtime
- 134 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
Streaming now on Aha; no start date is on file (the platform does not publish one).
Film release: 21 July 2017 · all 2017 Telugu films.
Source: Aha (platform listing), checked 26 September 2026. Only what the source states is shown.
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Fidaa (transl. Spellbound) is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy drama written and directed by Sekhar Kammula and produced by Dil Raju under Sri Venkateswara Creations. It stars Varun Tej and Sai Pallavi, in her Telugu debut. Released on 21 July 2017, it was widely acclaimed. According to the source, it earned over ₹91 crore on a budget of ₹13 crore.
Story
Varun, a medical student in Austin, Texas, comes to India for his elder brother’s wedding to a woman from Banswada in Telangana. There he meets the bride’s younger sister, Bhanumathi, or Bhanu, a spirited and confident village girl who is devoted to her father and has no wish to leave him after marriage. The two slowly fall for each other, but cultural differences and personal choices pull them apart, and the story follows how their love is tested.
Production
Principal photography began in 2016. The film was shot in Banswada in Telangana and in the United States, in Texas, North Brunswick in New Jersey, and Colorado. Vijay C. Kumar was the cinematographer and Marthand K. Venkatesh the editor.
Music
Shakthikanth Karthick composed the soundtrack, released on Aditya Music. The song “Hey Pillagaada” was inspired by “Parugulu Theeyaali” from the 1951 film Malliswari.
Release and box office
The film was released worldwide on 21 July 2017. According to the source, it grossed ₹91 crore, with a distributor share of ₹48 crore, making it the seventh highest-grossing Telugu film of the year. It was dubbed into Malayalam and Hindi, and into Tamil as Banumathi. Its television premiere on Star Maa on 24 September 2017 drew a TRP rating of 21.3.
Reception and legacy
The Hindu called it a heart-warming romantic musical with compelling characters, and Firstpost praised the lead pair’s chemistry and the landscapes, though some critics found the plot thin and the climax rushed. The Indian Express noted that it tells its story from a woman’s point of view. The film won four Filmfare Awards from nine nominations and two SIIMA Awards. It also won the Telangana State Gaddar Award for Second Best Feature Film. Film Companion named it one of the 25 greatest Telugu films of the decade and included Sai Pallavi’s performance among the 100 greatest of the decade.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Trailer from the official YouTube channel of Dil Raju, published 17 Jul 2017.
Cast of Fidaa (2017)
- Varun Tej as Varun
- Sai Pallavi as Bhanumati
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Satyam Rajesh as Ali
- Harshvardhan Rane as Bhanumati's Suitor
- Sri Gouri Priya
- Sharanya Pradeep as Renuka
Also in the cast (TMDB): Sai Chand as Bhanumati & Renuka's Father, Raja Chembolu as Raju, Aryan Talla as Bujji, Geeta Bhaskar as Bhanumati's Aunt, Gayatri Gupta as Sumathi, Manisha Eerabathin as Shailu, Katarina Richter as Suzie.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
Reviews cited in the article praised Sekhar Kammula's romance for its characters, lead pair and setting, with some criticism of a flimsy plot and rushed climax.
- The Hindu (Sangeetha Devi) called it “a heart-warming romantic musical, powered by compelling characters”.
- The Times of India found the plot flimsy and the climax reminiscent of Anand.
- Firstpost (Hemanth Kumar CR) praised the relatable characters, sparkling chemistry and landscape, but found the climax rushed.
- The News Minute (Karthik Keramulu) said Sai Pallavi steals the show and Varun Tej plays the shy boy perfectly.
- The Indian Express (Priyanka Sundar) valued its female perspective but felt weak supporting roles held it back.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Fidaa (revision 1372108056), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q26963071 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.