Released · Telugu film · 2012
Julai
జులాయి
Julai release date: 9 August 2012 (theatres). Directed by Trivikram Srinivas; starring Allu Arjun, Ileana D'Cruz and Rajendra Prasad.
- Film release
- 9 August 2012 · All 2012 films
- Director
- Trivikram Srinivas
- Music
- Devi Sri Prasad
- Production
- Haarika & Hassine Creations
- Writing credits
- Trivikram Srinivas
- Runtime
- 152 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
No streaming platform is on file for this film.
Film release: 9 August 2012 · all 2012 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.
Julai (also spelt Julayi; meaning “Vagabond”) is a 2012 Telugu-language action comedy thriller written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by S. Radha Krishna under Haarika & Hassine Creations. It stars Allu Arjun and Sonu Sood, with Ileana D’Cruz, Rajendra Prasad, Rao Ramesh, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Brahmaji, Tanikella Bharani and Sheetal Menon. Released on 8 August 2012 to positive reviews, it was one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of the year and won the Nandi Award for Best Popular Feature Film.
Story
In Visakhapatnam, Ravi is a clever but lazy young man who prefers quick money to hard work. A chance encounter with Bittu, a mastermind robber planning a huge bank heist with a corrupt MLA, leads Ravi to foil the plan, and Bittu swears revenge. Placed under police protection in Hyderabad, where he falls for Madhu, Ravi soon finds that Bittu will stop at nothing to get back at him, and he has to change his easy-going ways to fight back.
Cast
- Allu Arjun in the lead
- Sonu Sood as the antagonist
- Ileana D’Cruz as the female lead
- Rajendra Prasad as a police officer
- Kota Srinivasa Rao, Brahmanandam, Tanikella Bharani, Rao Ramesh and Brahmaji in supporting roles
Development
After Khaleja, Trivikram approached Allu Arjun in March 2011. The project was repeatedly delayed, including while Allu Arjun had shoulder surgery in Australia, and both the director and the star cut their fees to lower costs. The film was launched on 2 November 2011, with Devi Sri Prasad signed to compose the music, and the title Julayi was announced in March 2012. Trivikram had wanted Sudeep as the villain, but because of Sudeep’s schedule cast Sonu Sood instead.
Filming
Shooting began in Hyderabad on 14 November 2011 and took in Ramoji Film City, the Chennai port, where action scenes were filmed under stunt director Peter Hein, and Visakhapatnam. The bank robbery scenes with Allu Arjun and Sonu Sood were filmed in February 2012. Chota K. Naidu and Shyam K. Naidu handled the cinematography and Prawin Pudi the editing.
Release and box office
Julai opened on over 1,600 screens, the biggest release of Allu Arjun’s career at the time, and was dubbed into Malayalam and Hindi. Reviewers praised its energy, wit and performances. According to the source it grossed roughly ₹70 crore, with a distributor’s share of over ₹40 crore, and it grossed over $1 million overseas. It was later remade in Tamil as Saagasam.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Cast of Julai (2012)
- Allu Arjun as Ravindra Narayan
- Ileana D'Cruz as Madhu
- Rajendra Prasad as DIG Sitaram IPS
- Sonu Sood as Bittu
- Brahmaji as "Travel" Murthy
- Tanikella Bharani as Narayana Murthy
- Kota Srinivasa Rao as MLA Varadarajulu
- Dharmavarapu Subramanyam as Madhu's Father
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Ravi Prakash as Dhanushkoti
- Rao Ramesh as ADGP Raja Manikyam IPS
- Raghu Babu
- Vennela Kishore
- Dhanraj
- Brahmanandam as "Pickpocket" Bhramam
- Ali
- Saptagiri as Giri
- Posani Krishna Murali as Club Owner
- Pragathi
- Vamsi Krishna as Bittu's Henchman
- M. S. Narayana as Sub-Inspector Valmiki
- Hema as Sujata
- Sivannarayana Naripeddi as Tea Seller
- Shafi as Lala
- Gautam Raju
- Ananth Babu
- Tulasi as Kameshwari
- Pradeep Machiraju as Ravi's Friend
- Udaya Bhanu
Also in the cast (TMDB): Pragathi Mahavadi as Lalita, Sheetal Menon as Devayani, Sreemukhi as Raji, Amit Kumar Tiwari as Bittu's Henchman, Kalpika Ganesh as Neha.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
The article describes positive reviews that enjoyed the dialogue, energy and Allu Arjun's performance, while some critics found the plot illogical.
- NDTV (Riya Chakravarty) recommended it for its witty dialogue and energetic performances.
- The Hindu (Sangeetha Devi Dundoo) called it a masala entertainer where “brain matches brawn”.
- The Times of India (Karthik Pasupulate) said Allu Arjun's fans would enjoy it more than others.
- Rediff (Pavithra Srinivasan) criticised a glaring lack of logic and plot holes, while praising Allu Arjun for carrying the film.
- CNN-IBN called it lacklustre and “more amusing than intelligent”.
Box office: the article reports ₹32 crore nett at the AP box office in the first week.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Julayi (revision 1376287647), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q6305601 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.