Movie: Gurram Paapi Reddy
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: Bura&Saddi, MJM Motion Pictures
Cast: Naresh Agastya, Faria Abdullah, Brahma Brahmanandam, Yogi Babu, Rajkumar Kasireddy, Vamshidhar Kosgi, Jeevan Kumar, John Vijay, Motta Rajendran, others
Dialouges: Niranjan Ramireddy
Music: Krishna Saurabh Surampalli
DOP: Arjun Raja
Editor: Karthika Srinivas
Producer: Venu Saddi, Amar Bura, Jayakanth (Bobby)
Screenplay and Directed by: Murali Manohar
Release Date: Dec 19, 2025
Comedy films have been enjoying renewed success at the box office, and this film has generated interest for the same reason. Adding to the buzz is Jathi Ratnalu fame Faria Abdullah, who has actively promoted the project.
The key question is whether the film delivers consistent laughs and sustains its comic appeal.
Story:
Gurram Paapi Reddy (Naresh Agastya) and Soudamani (Faria Abdullah) enlist the help of three eccentric men named Military, Chilipi, and Goyyi to exhume a buried body from Srisailam and relocate it to a graveyard in Hyderabad. The risky task comes with a tempting promise of Rs 10 crore.
As the mission unfolds, Gurram reveals that the act is part of a long planned revenge against two brothers from a royal lineage who had wronged him and Soudamani in the past. The wealthy brothers possess enormous riches, and Gurram’s larger plan is to extract a substantial sum from them.
Does the plan unfold as intended? Is Gurram being truthful, or does he have a hidden agenda of his own?
Artistes’ Performances:
Naresh Agastya once again proves his versatility, delivering a controlled performance as the scheming yet restrained Gurram Paapi Reddy. He allows the narrative and supporting characters to take center stage when required, which works in the film’s favor.
Faria Abdullah avoids the typical heroine template. With no forced romantic track, she is given a well-defined character arc and handles it confidently.
Brahmanandam appears in an extended role as a judge, a departure from his brief yet impactful presence in Jathi Ratnalu.
Yogi Babu, Rajkumar Kasireddy, Vamshidhar Kosgi, and Jeevan Kumar contribute sporadic comic moments.
Technical Excellence:
The film’s modest budget is evident in its production values. The cinematography and music remain functional. Editing could have been sharper, as the narrative tends to stretch in places.
Highlights:
The basic plot
Interval twist
Couple of jokes
Drawback:
Dragged narration
Limited entertainment
Lack of tighter editing
Analysis
Gurram Paapi Reddy opens on a promising note as a comedy and succeeds in generating genuine laughs in its early portions. The initial episodes involving grave digging in Srisailam and the subsequent reburial in Hyderabad are cleverly staged and work effectively without revealing too much of the plot. These sequences set the film up as a quirky dark comedy with strong comic potential.
However, after establishing this engaging premise, the narrative begins to drift. Several stretches before the interval feel aimless, with repetitive comic bits involving Rajkumar Kasireddy and Vamshidhar Kosgi gradually losing their impact. The humour overstays its welcome, resulting in noticeable fatigue.
Just when the film appears to have lost its grip, the makers pull off a smart interval reveal. The manner in which the lead character is unveiled adds freshness and intrigue. This twist single handedly rescues the first half, as the prolonged sequences leading up to it test the viewer’s patience.
The second half fares slightly better in parts. Comedy episodes involving Metta Rajender, revealed as a man who has fathered multiple sons, provide a few laughs. The confusion surrounding the DNA test involving Jeevan Kumar’s character and Yogi Babu’s Recheekati track also offers intermittent amusement. Yet, similar to the first half, the post interval portions suffer from excessive runtime and uneven pacing.
At its core, Gurram Paapi Reddy aims to be a dark humour thriller. Unfortunately, the film appears unsure whether to fully embrace its thriller elements or lean decisively into comedy. This tonal confusion leads to a mismatch between sequences. While the final twist and the hint of a sequel are reasonably effective, the film would have benefited from treating its premise more firmly as a comedy with sharper, well spaced humour.
On the whole, despite having a few well conceived comic episodes and some interesting narrative turns, Gurram Paapi Reddy struggles to rise above its limitations. Prolonged narration, repetitive sequences, and frequent lags dilute the impact of an otherwise interesting idea.
Bottom-line: Stretched