Saripodhaa Sanivaaram

CinematographyMurali G.Edited byKarthika SrinivasMusic byJakes BejoyDistributed bySri Venkateswara Creations175 minutes^[1]CountryIndiaLanguageTeluguBudget₹90 crore^[2][3]Box office₹82 crore^[4]

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram (transl. Is Saturday not enough?) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language vigilante action thriller film written and directed by Vivek Athreya. It is produced by D. V. V. Danayya under DVV Entertainment. The film stars Nani, S. J. Suryah and Priyanka Mohan in the lead roles, alongside Abhirami, Aditi Balan, P. Sai Kumar, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Murali Sharma, and Ajay Ghosh. The film tells a story about a man named Surya who fights against injustices on Saturday and ends up clashing with Daya a corrupt police officer.

Made on a production budget of ₹90 crore (US$11 million), it is the most expensive film made in Nani's career. It was officially announced in October 2023 under the tentative title #Nani31, and the official title was announced a few days later. Principal photography commenced the following month. It was predominantly shot in several legs in Hyderabad. The music is composed by Jakes Bejoy, while cinematography and editing are handled by Murali G. and Karthika Srinivas.

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram was theatrically released worldwide on 29 August 2024 to positive reviews from critics.

Surya, who fights against injustice on Saturdays, locks horns with corrupt Inspector R. Dayanand, who brutally attacks innocent people for petty reasons.

In late May 2023, Vivek Athreya and Nani were reported to reunite after Ante Sundaraniki (2022). It marks Nani's 31st film in a leading role.^[6] On 21 October, the project was officially announced by DVV Entertainment, tentatively titled Nani31.^[7] The title, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, was revealed on 23 October.^[8] A muhurtam pooja ceremony was held on 24 October 2023 in Hyderabad with the film's cast and crew.^[9][10]

In October 2023, Priyanka Mohan and S. J. Suryah joined the cast,^[11] with the former collaborating with Nani for the second time after Nani's Gang Leader (2019). G. V. Prakash Kumar and Anirudh Ravichander were considered for the film's music composer but later Jakes Bejoy, Murali G and Karthika Srinivas were announced as music composer, cinematographer and editor, respectively.^[12]

Principal photography commenced in November 2023 in Hyderabad and the first schedule was wrapped up later that same month.^[13][14] The second schedule commenced in late December 2023.^[15][16]

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram
Soundtrack album by Jakes Bejoy
Released	28 August 2024 (2024-08-28)
Recorded	2023–2024
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	39:49
Language	Telugu
Label	Sony Music
Official audio
Audio Jukebox on YouTube

The music and background score was composed by Jakes Bejoy, in his maiden collaboration with Nani and Athreya.^[12] The audio rights was acquired by Sony Music India.^[17] The first single "Garam Garam" was released on 15 June 2024.^[18] The second single "Ullasam" was released on 13 July 2024.^[19] The third single "Sa Ri Ma Pa" was released on 24 August 2024.^[20] The full album was released on 28 August 2024.

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram was released on 29 August 2024 in Telugu along with its dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada all titled Surya's Saturday.^[21]

The film's digital streaming rights were acquired by Netflix. Zee Telugu acquired broadcasting rights of the film.

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote that writing is the "backbone" of the film and praised the performances of Nani and S. J. Suryah, Bejoy's score, Murali's cinematography and Karthik Srinivas' editing . Dundoo further stated, "Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is what we get when fine writing infuses life into an old vigilante drama".^[22] Echoing the same, India Today's Janani K appreciated Vivek Athreya's writing.^[23] Pinkvilla gave a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and stated "The movie takes on the challenge of redefining the standards of violent cinema by incorporating elements that are more appealing to the masses", while particularly praising the performances of Nani and S. J. Suryah.^[24] The Hans India wrote "With strong performances, a unique storyline, and a remarkable score, it’s a must-watch for fans of action dramas".^[25]

Calling the Karthika Srinivas' editing and Murali's cinematography "exceptional", Pratyusha Sista of Telangana Today praised the "strong" performances of the cast and the story.^[26] The News Minute stated, "Saripodhaa Sanivaaram has perfect casting. Nani shines in the role of Surya, convincingly portraying the character who is both calm and yet so aggressive", with further praise for Vivek Athreya's screenplay, Murali's work in executing the fight scenes and criticism to Bejoy's music citing it as "overpowering and loud".^[27]

Rating the film with 2.5 stars out of 5, Sashidhar Adivi of Times Now cited the performances of Nani and S. J. Suryah as "understated" and "edgy" respectively, while appreciating Vivek Athreya's work.^[28] A critic of Sakshi Post gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "the momentum dips due to a flat narrative and a screenplay that becomes too routine, making the film feel overly long and occasionally tedious. Saripodha Sanivaaram feels lengthy due to stretched out scenes."^[29]

BVS Prakash of Deccan Chronicle rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "it turns out to be disappointing fare due to wafer-thin plot and dreary narration and eventually, the much-hyped action film goes for a toss, although it has its share of good moments."^[30] Manoj Kumar R of Desimartini gave the film 2 stars and wrote "The concept, while intriguing, is weighed down by a thin plot that feels stretched far beyond its capacity. Vivek Athreya attempts to create a quintessential Telugu action drama but seems to falter in a genre that doesn’t play to his strengths."^[31]

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram earned over ₹6 crore nett in India and ₹19.75 crore worldwide on its opening day.^[32]

• Saripodhaa Sanivaaram at IMDb