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ViralWhy · Films

Ranabaali

రణబాలి

Period action drama · released 16 Oct 2026 · Mythri Movie Makers

Official poster of Ranabaali
5.9/10ViralWhy Score
38%Critic Meter
73%Seeti Meter (people)
35%YouTube creators

Critics and YouTube reviewers call it slow and overlong. Most commenters disagree and call it a hit. Reviewers praise Vijay Deverakonda's performance, his chemistry with Rashmika Mandanna and the period sets, but most say the second half drags and the story is predictable; some also say the gore goes too far. Under their videos, comments disagreeing with the reviewer outnumber those agreeing 109 to 10, and many accuse reviewers of being paid. It also has the most fan-war noise of the four films: 49 comments.

What people liked

  • Vijay's performance
  • Vijay and Rashmika together
  • Period sets
  • Famine history

What they did not

  • Slow second half
  • Too much gore
  • Predictable story
  • Weak background score
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Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna · Directed by Rahul Sankrityan

Box office

FigureWhat it is
₹77.65 Crworldwide gross
₹56.35 CrIndia net
₹120–150 Crreported budget (press report, Koimoi)

day 13, to 28 Oct · tracker estimates, gross is not the producer's share · Sacnilk

Critic reviews

CriticVerdictIn brief
Koimoi
Athulya Nambiar
2.5/5Good lead chemistry and a promising first half, but the later stretch sags and the climax feels hurried.
Deccan Chronicle
BVS Prakash
2.0/5Sees an old-fashioned colonial-era story, poorly executed, that drags after the interval and never builds a real emotional connection.
The Hollywood Reporter India
Kairam Vaashi
mixedCredits the famine and colonial-exploitation scenes and visual craft, but a by-the-numbers structure and overreaching scope leave it unmemorable.
The Hollywood Reporter India
Sruthi Ganapathy Raman
mixedA compelling setup and good performances surface at times, but relentless gore and action swamp the emotion and the ending feels formulaic.
Gulte
Satya
2.5/5Engaging first half and good lead chemistry, but a repetitive, stretched second half and flat climax blunt it.
Telugu360
krishna
2.5/5Praises the little-known history and Vijay's sincere turn; slow, stretched narration and weak score are major drawbacks.
Flickonclick
Mohan Nasre
2.5/5Earnest period drama with a strong cave fight and fine lead pairing, let down by predictable writing and an overlong second half.
Telugu Cinema (telugucinema.com)
Jalapathy Gudelli
2.5/5A sincere look at a little-known Rayalaseema famine, hampered by slow pacing and excess length, though the last half hour improves.
GreatAndhra
venkat
2.25/5Credits the effort, visuals and untold history, but finds it slow, overlong, repetitive and tiresome overall.
M9 News
Kalyan
2.0/5Good intent and handsome visuals, but lifeless narration and a draggy near three-hour runtime make it tedious.
Sakshi
అంజి శెట్టె
mixedA strong historical premise, some powerful scenes and a standout Vijay, weakened by sluggish narration and a long second half.
123telugu
2.75/5Sincere famine story with a decent first half, let down by a predictable, overlong second half and weak score.

In the news

Stars

How it works: the Critic Meter is the share of named critics who liked the film (mixed counts half, from 3 reviews); the Seeti Meter is the share of Telugu viewers' comments under YouTube reviews that liked it, after removing fan-war and copy-paste comments; the ViralWhy Score weighs people 60%, critics 25% and creators 15%.