Saindhav

Saindhav is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu with production by Niharika Entertainment. It stars Venkatesh, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Arya, Shraddha Srinath, Ruhani Sharma, Andrea Jeremiah and Baby Sara.

It released on 13 January 2024 to mixed-to-negative reviews from the critics and audience, alike. The story, performances, cinematography, and action sequences were praised. However, the direction, writing, pace, and songs were criticized. The film was a box-office bomb.

Premise
Set up in the fictional port city Chandraprastha, Saindhav Koneru alias "SaiKo" has a dark past, leading a quaint family life with his daughter Gayathri and caretaker Manogna. However, SaiKo's life takes a drastic turn when Gayathri is diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy and requires an injection of Zolgensma, which costs ₹17 crores. Saindhav goes back to the world of crime to extract money for Gayathri's operation and soon begins an intense battle against his past rivals, which includes a ruthless gangster Vikas Malik. Will he succeed in saving his daughter? Who will die at the end of it?

Cast

 * Venkatesh as Saindhav Koneru "SaiKO"
 * Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Vikas Malik
 * Arya as Manas
 * Shraddha Srinath as Manogya
 * Ruhani Sharma as Dr. Renu
 * Andrea Jeremiah as Jasmine
 * Jisshu Sengupta as Michael
 * Mukesh Rishi as Vishwamithra "Mithra"
 * Jayaprakash as Murthy
 * Getup Srinu as Ramesh

Production
On 23 January 2023, Venkatesh and Sailesh Kolanu announced that they would be collaborating for a new film tentatively titled #Venky75. The makers then on 25 January announced the film titled Saindhav by unveiling the title poster and also a glimpse of it. The film's many Portions were shot across Sri Lanka .The team then on Ugadi confirmed the release date which is 22 December 2023. The film then immediately began production with the first schedule taking place in Hyderabad which was soon wrapped up. Then in April, the team shifted to Visakhapatnam for the second schedule of the film.

Theatrical
The film was released on 13 January 2024, coinciding with the Sankranti festival along with dubbed versions in Hindi and Tamil languages.

Home media
The digital streaming and satellite rights of the film were sold to Amazon Prime Video and ETV respectively. The film was made available for streaming on Prime Video from 3 February 2024.

Reception
Neeshitha Nyayapati of Hindustan Times verdicted: "Sailesh Kolanu attempts to make a desi John Wick with Venkatesh as Saiko, but it’s Nawazuddin’s psychotic shenanigans that engage you". Raghu Bandi of The Indian Express rated 2.75/5 stars, stating that, "This is a sort of John Wick-meets-Drushyam with a touch of medical thriller in a mythical city that may be inspired by Gotham City. It seems to be the Rana Naidu impact that Venkatesh has chosen a family-centric action thriller as his 75th project".

Avad Mohammed of OTTplay rated 2.5/5 stars and verdicted: "Venkatesh is superb and Saindhav is his one-man show as his new action-packed avatar is one of the reasons to give the film a shot". 123Telugu gave it 2.75/5 stars and stated that: "Saindhav has a good concept. Venkatesh’s dashing performance and the last half an hour are the biggest assets of Saindhav".

Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and concluded "Saindhav is an intriguing attempt at blending emotional depth with action. It has engaging moments, and serves as a testament to the evolving nature of Telugu cinema, where traditional storytelling is being melded with contemporary cinematic sensibilities". Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu verdicted "Saindhav, directed by Sailesh Kolanu and headlined by Venkatesh Daggubati, is earnest in its world building and emotional family drama ".