Ante Sundaraniki

Ante Sundaraniki (transl. “The thing about Sundar is”) is a 2022 Telugu romantic comedy written and directed by Vivek Athreya and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. Nani and Nazriya Nazim, in her Telugu debut, play an interfaith couple who try to win over their families with a string of lies, which only makes everything more complicated. Released in theatres on 10 June 2022, it opened to positive reviews.

What the story is about

Sundar, full name Kasthuri Poorna Venkata Sesha Sai Pavana Rama Sundara Prasad, grew up in an orthodox Brahmin family and has dreamt of going to America ever since a con man promised him, as a boy, a part in a Chiranjeevi film to be shot there. Now an advertising employee, he talks a colleague into giving up her work trip to the US so that he can go instead. His real plan is to marry his childhood sweetheart, Leela Thomas, a Christian photographer. Expecting fierce opposition from both conservative families, the two use the trip to cook up stories that, they hope, will leave their parents no choice but to agree. Those stories come home with them, and the comedy grows out of keeping them going. We will stop there.

Cast

• Nani as Sundar
• Nazriya Nazim Fahadh as Leela Thomas
• Naresh as Kasthuri Suryanarayana Sastry, Sundar’s father
• Rohini as Rama, Sundar’s mother
• Nadhiya as Jyothi, Leela’s mother
• Azhagam Perumal as Thomas, Leela’s father
• Rahul Ramakrishna as Dr. Guru, Sundar’s childhood friend
• Harsha Vardhan as Chandra Mohan, Sundar’s manager
• Aruna Bhikshu as Rajeswari, Sundar’s grandmother
• Tanvi Ram as Pushpa, Leela’s sister
• Venkatesh Maha as Joseph
• Anupama Parameswaran as Soumya, in an extended cameo

Music: Vivek Sagar (rights with Saregama). Runtime: 176 minutes.

Making of the film

Athreya wrote the script in late 2017, before his debut Mental Madhilo. After a project with Vijay Deverakonda stalled, he narrated this story to Nani, who signed on in May 2020 (The Times of India). It was Nani who suggested Nazriya; she learned Telugu with a tutor and dubbed her own lines, and Athreya told The Hindu that the film is both a romance and a social commentary. The title was announced on 21 November 2020. Shooting ran from 16 April 2021 to 23 January 2022, mostly in Hyderabad with schedules in the United States. The film was also dubbed into Tamil as Adade Sundara and Malayalam as Aha Sundara.

Reviews

Most critics liked it, while several found it too long. Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express gave it 4/5, saying Nani “comes up with masterful lies as easy as he breathes”. Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India (3.5/5) found it at its best when the cast are “mouthing off one-liners that are not just relatable but hilarious”. Janani K of India Today (3/5) praised the “top-notch performances”. On the other side, Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute (3/5) said “the convoluted plot and lengthy runtime test your patience”, and Murali Krishna CH of Cinema Express (2.5/5) thought it worth a shot for some genuinely funny lines.

Box office

News18 Telugu reported a worldwide opening-day gross of ₹7.5 crore, including ₹4 crore from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and $438,000 from the United States, and ₹26.25 crore over the first weekend. 10TV put the first-week gross at over ₹32.6 crore, with a distributors’ share of ₹18.39 crore. According to The Times of India, it ended with over ₹45 crore worldwide and crossed $1 million overseas, Nani’s seventh film to do so. Samayam Telugu reported that the theatrical rights had been sold for ₹30 crore before release.

Where to watch Ante Sundaraniki

The film began streaming on Netflix on 8 July 2022 in Telugu, with Tamil and Malayalam dubbed versions. That date comes from the film’s Wikipedia article rather than a platform listing, so check Netflix before you press play.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Ante Sundaraniki and the reviews and reports it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.