Kushi (transl. Happiness) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Shiva Nirvana. Produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar under the production banner Mythri Movie Makers, the film features Vijay Devarakonda and Samantha with Sachin Khedekar, Jayaram, Saranya Ponvannan and Murali Sharma in supporting roles.
The film was announced in April 2022, and was tentatively titled as VD11, as it is Devarakonda’s eleventh lead role, while the official title Kushi was announced in May. Principal photography commenced in April 2022 in Kashmir and wrapped in July 2023. The music is composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab, while the cinematography and editing are handled by Murali G. and Prawin Pudi, respectively.
Kushi released theatrically on 1 September 2023 and opened to mixed reviews from critics. The film performed averagely in the box-office.
| Kushi | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Shiva Nirvana |
| Written by | Shiva Nirvana |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Murali G. |
| Edited by | Prawin Pudi |
| Music by | Hesham Abdul Wahab |
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Production
company |
Mythri Movie Makers
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Release date
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Running time
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165 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹70 crore |
| Box office | est. ₹71 crores |
Cast
- Vijay Deverakonda as Lenin Viplav, Aradhya’s husband
- Samantha as Aradhya “Aara” Rao / Aara Begum, Viplav’s wife (Voice dubbed by Chinmayi)
- Sachin Khedekar as Lenin Satyam, Viplav’s father
- Saranya Ponvannan as Rajalakshmi, Viplav’s mother
- Murali Sharma as Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao, Aradhya’s father
- Lakshmi as Aradhya’s grandmother
- Jayaram as Thomas, Zoya’s Husband
- Rohini as Zoya, Viplav’s manager and Thomas’s Wife
- Shatrau as Shanmukh, Aradhya’s brother-in-law
- Vennela Kishore as Pitobash, Viplav’s co-worker
- Rahul Ramakrishna as RK, Viplav’s friend
- Srikanth Iyengar as Chatur, Aradhya’s boss
- Sharanya Pradeep as Deepu, Aradhya’s friend
- Brahmanandam in a cameo appearance as a Swamiji
- Ali in a cameo appearance as Himalayan Baba.
Release
Kushi was theatrically released on 1 September 2023. It was released in Telugu along with dubbed versions in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi languages. The film was initially scheduled to release in December 2022 but was pushed to February 2023 following production delays. The film was then again pushed to 1 September 2023.
Worldwide theatrical rights were sold for ₹52.5 crore (US$6.3 million).
