Streaming · Telugu film · 2023
Kushi
ఖుషి
Kushi release date: 1 September 2023 (theatres). Directed by Shiva Nirvana; starring Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Jayaram.
- Film release
- 1 September 2023 · All 2023 films
- Director
- Shiva Nirvana
- Music
- Hesham Abdul Wahab
- Production
- Mythri Movie Makers
- Writing credits
- Shiva Nirvana
- Runtime
- 165 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
Streaming on Netflix since 1 October 2023.
Film release: 1 September 2023 · all 2023 Telugu films.
Source: the film’s Wikipedia article, checked 25 September 2026. Only what the source states is shown.
Platform information and historical dates do not guarantee current access in every country. Availability, audio languages and subscription terms vary by location; check the platform before subscribing.
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Kushi (transl. Happiness) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language family romantic comedy written and directed by Shiva Nirvana and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. It stars Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha. It was released on 1 September 2023 and opened to mixed reviews.
Story
Viplav, a BSNL employee tired of the city he grew up in, takes a transfer to Kashmir. There he meets Aaradhya and falls for her, and after a series of misunderstandings the two admit their feelings. They then discover that their fathers are bitter rivals. Viplav’s father is an atheist, while Aaradhya’s father is a spiritual figure in Kakinada who reads meaning into horoscopes. The couple marry against their families’ wishes and then have to find out whether their love can survive married life. One review described the film as the story of a couple who get what they want and then realise they may not be ready for it.
Cast
Vijay Deverakonda plays Viplav, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu is the female lead. Critics noted the chemistry between the two leads.
Production
A film pairing Shiva Nirvana with Deverakonda was first announced in December 2019. It was formally launched in April 2022 with Mythri Movie Makers producing, under the working title VD10, marking Deverakonda’s tenth lead role. The title Kushi followed in May. Filming began in April 2022 in the Kashmir valley, at locations including Anantnag, Pampore railway station, the Mamaleshwar Temple in Pahalgam and Dal Lake. The shoot also went to Kakinada and Kerala, and the title song was filmed in Turkey in May 2023. Shooting wrapped in July 2023. Murali G. was the cinematographer and Prawin Pudi the editor.
Music
Hesham Abdul Wahab made his Telugu debut with the songs and background score. The singles “Na Roja Nuvve”, “Aradhya” and the title song were released between May and July 2023. The full album was launched on 15 August at a concert in Hyderabad.
Release
After delays pushed back earlier dates in December 2022 and February 2023, Kushi was released on 1 September 2023 in Telugu, with dubbed versions in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. Netflix began streaming it from 1 October 2023.
Reception and box office
Reviews were mixed. The Hans India and The Times of India were positive about the leads and the premise. Other critics found the writing one-sided and the marital conflict shallow, while The Hindu noted the good music and the many nods to Mani Ratnam’s films. According to the source, the film grossed ₹71.95 crore worldwide in its first week. Its commercial result is described inconsistently: in one place as an average grosser, and elsewhere as a loss-making release.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Trailer from the official YouTube channel of Netflix India, published 25 Sep 2023.
Cast of Kushi (2023)
- Vijay Deverakonda as Viplav
- Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Aradhya
- Jayaram as Thomas
- Sachin Khedekar
- Murali Sharma
- Vennela Kishore
- Yaragudipati Venkata Mahalakshmi
- Rohini
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
Also in the cast (TMDB): Chandu Kanuri as Sumedh.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
The article describes mixed reviews: the lead pair drew praise, while critics found the writing one-sided and the film forgettable.
- The Hans India praised the chemistry and realism of Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha as a couple.
- The Times of India (Neeshita Nyayapati) described a couple who get what they want, only to find they may not be equipped for it.
- The Indian Express (Raghu Bandi) found the writing largely from the male point of view and the fights staged.
- India Today (Janani K) called it a confusing, middling rom-com.
- Firstpost (Priyanka Sundar) called it “a missed chance”.
- Cinema Express (Sudhir Srinivasan) felt its ideological clash offers little to reflect on.
Box office: the article reports a first-week worldwide gross of ₹71.95 crore, but calls the film a box-office bomb with a loss of over ₹12 crore.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article Kushi (2023 film) (revision 1373609554), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q112182731 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.