Released · Telugu film · 2018
Awe
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Awe release date: 16 February 2018 (theatres). Directed by Prasanth Varma; starring Kajal Aggarwal, Nithya Menen and Regina Cassandra.
- Film release
- 16 February 2018 · All 2018 films
- Director
- Prasanth Varma
- Music
- Mark K. Robin
- Production
- Wall Poster Cinema
- Producer
- Nani
- Writing credits
- Prasanth Varma
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
No streaming platform is on file for this film.
Film release: 16 February 2018 · all 2018 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.
Awe is a 2018 Telugu-language psychological film of mixed genres written and directed by Prasanth Varma in his feature debut, and produced by Nani and Prashanti Tipirneni as the first production of Wall Poster Cinema. Its ensemble cast includes Kajal Aggarwal, Nithya Menen, Regina Cassandra, Eesha Rebba, Srinivas Avasarala, Priyadarshi Pullikonda and Murali Sharma. Released on 16 February 2018 to strong reviews, it was a commercial success and won two National Film Awards.
Story
Six seemingly separate stories unfold at the same time in one restaurant. A janitor dreams of building a time machine to meet the parents he never knew; a desperate job-seeker lands a chef’s job and finds he can talk to a goldfish and a bonsai tree in the kitchen; and other customers arrive with troubles of their own. Their lives turn out to be connected in unexpected ways, all tied to a young woman named Kali. The film deals with difficult subjects, including child abuse, sexual abuse, same-sex love and drug abuse, and its central twist is best left undiscovered.
Cast
- Kajal Aggarwal as Kali
- Nithya Menen, Regina Cassandra and Eesha Rebba
- Srinivas Avasarala, Priyadarshi Pullikonda and Murali Sharma, with Rohini and Devadarshini
- Nani as the voice of a goldfish, and Ravi Teja as the voice of a bonsai
Production
Nani liked Prasanth Varma’s story so much that he decided to produce it himself, unveiling the title poster on 25 November 2017. His co-producer, Prashanti Tipirneni, had been a costume designer on the Baahubali films. Karthik Ghattamaneni was the cinematographer, and newcomer Mark K Robin composed the score and the film’s single song, “Theme of Awe”. Nithya Menen said she took the role because it was rare and challenging.
Themes
The film explores mental illness, abuse, gender and sexuality. Its portrayal of a same-sex relationship drew attention at a time when such stories faced strict censorship in Telugu cinema.
Release and awards
After a US premiere on 15 February 2018, the film was released worldwide the next day. Critics were enthusiastic: The Times of India called it fresh and out of the box, The Indian Express praised its entertainment value and progressive characters, and Hindustan Times called it technically brilliant. At the 66th National Film Awards it won Best Special Effects and Best Make-up.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Trailer from the official YouTube channel of Wall Poster Cinema, published 31 Jan 2018.
Cast of Awe (2018)
- Kajal Aggarwal as Kali
- Nithya Menen as Krishnaveni
- Regina Cassandra as Meera
- Priyadarshi Pulikonda as Nala
- Srinivas Avasarala as Shiva
- Murali Sharma as Yogi
- Eesha Rebba as Radha
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Rohini as Radha’s Mother
- Nani as Humanitarian Fish "Nani"
- Ravi Teja as Bonsai Tree "Chanti"
- Pragathi
Also in the cast (TMDB): Kaitelyn "Kate D'mello as Moksha, C. V. L. Narasimha Rao as Radha's Father, Devadarshini as Parvathy, Pragathi Mahavadi as Chitra, Jayasri Rachakonda as Devi, Upen Reddy as Lobo / Sugar.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
Most reviews cited in the article praised the anthology as fresh and ambitious, though some found it hard to follow or reliant on its climax.
- The Times of India recommended it to anyone looking for something fresh and out of the box.
- The Indian Express praised its entertainment, emotion, progressive characters and thrills.
- Hindustan Times called it “technically brilliant”.
- India Today found astonishing moments alongside sequences out of sync with the story.
- Deccan Chronicle warned that the narration is slow and that the last 15 minutes hold the key to the film.
- Film Companion South (Baradwaj Rangan) saw it as a sign of an exciting time in Telugu cinema.
- Firstpost felt the truth lies between awesome and awful.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Awe (film) (revision 1373347116), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q48673880 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.