Released · Telugu film · 2016
Dhruva
ధృవ
Dhruva release date: 9 December 2016 (theatres). Directed by Surender Reddy; starring Ram Charan, Rakul Preet Singh and Arvind Swamy.
- Film release
- 9 December 2016 · All 2016 films
- Director
- Surender Reddy
- Music
- Hip Hop Tamizhan
- Production
- Geetha Arts
- Writing credits
- Surender Reddy
- Runtime
- 165 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
No streaming platform is on file for this film.
Film release: 9 December 2016 · all 2016 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.
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Dhruva is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action thriller directed by Surender Reddy and produced by Allu Aravind under Geetha Arts. A remake of the Tamil film Thani Oruvan (2015), it stars Ram Charan in the title role. Aravind Swamy reprises his villain role from the original, and Rakul Preet Singh and Navdeep also appear. After several postponements, it was released on 9 December 2016 to positive reviews.
Story
Dhruva, a trainee IPS officer, and his friends secretly work to catch criminals, starting with a kidnapping gang. His real target is Siddharth Abhimanyu, a wealthy and respected scientist who uses secret and illegal medical practices to make money, and Dhruva sets out to arrest him.
Development and casting
D. V. V. Danayya bought the remake rights in September 2015, and Ram Charan was chosen for the lead. Surender Reddy spent three months on the script. After Bruce Lee: The Fighter did poorly, Danayya stepped away, and Allu Aravind took over at Geetha Arts. Charan trained rigorously for the role. Ajith Kumar and R. Madhavan turned down the villain’s part before Aravind Swamy agreed to reprise it. Shruti Haasan was first cast as the heroine but left over scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Rakul Preet Singh.
Filming
The film was launched at Geetha Arts on 18 February 2016. Shooting took place in Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir, and Charan did risky stunts without a body double. The song “Pareshanura” was filmed at the Krabi Islands in Thailand, and “Neethoney Dance” on a large set at Annapurna Studios. Filming wrapped on 11 November 2016. P. S. Vinod shot the film and Navin Nooli edited it.
Music
Hiphop Tamizha, who scored the original, made their Telugu debut with the songs and background score. The five-track album was released straight to stores by Aditya Music.
Release
The film was pushed back from its planned Dussehra release, partly to avoid clashing with Premam. The makers then cited demonetisation for a later delay before settling on 9 December 2016. Its pre-release event was held at the Yousufguda Police Lines in Hyderabad on 4 December.
Reception and box office
Critics were positive. The Times of India called it an edge-of-the-seat remake done right, and The Indian Express singled out Ram Charan, Aravind Swamy and the script. Others praised the adaptation and the pace. According to the source, the film earned ₹85.4 crore worldwide in its first week.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Trailer from the official YouTube channel of Geetha Arts , published 25 Nov 2016.
Cast of Dhruva (2016)
- Ram Charan as Dhruva
- Rakul Preet Singh as Ishika
- Arvind Swamy as Siddarth Abhimanyu / Venkanna
- Navdeep as Gautam
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Himaja
- Nassar
- Posani Krishna Murali as Chengall Rayadu
- Sayaji Shinde
- Surya
- Abhinaya as Akshara
- Ali Reza as Dhruva's friend
- Vidyullekha Raman
- Ranadhir Gattla
- Chatrapathi Sekhar as Chain snatcher
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
Reviews cited in the article were positive about the remake of the Tamil film Thani Oruvan, crediting Ram Charan, Arvind Swamy and the script.
- The Times of India called it an edge-of-the-seat entertainer and “A remake done right”.
- Firstpost described an edgy action thriller and a very well adapted remake.
- The Indian Express named its hero, its villain and its script as its three strengths.
- The Hindu likened it to a fast-paced, unputdownable thriller.
- Hindustan Times praised both Ram Charan's physical performance and Arvind Swamy's cunning villain.
- Deccan Chronicle noted that the makers had a proven hit script to work with.
Box office: the article reports ₹85.4 crore worldwide in the first week.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Dhruva (2016 film) (revision 1376426841), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q25302684 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.