By Chandrayan (2026) is a Telugu adventure comedy starring Shiva Kumar Dheekonda, Swapna Priyadarshini, Ravi Siva Teja, Vamsidhar Goud and Lokesh Balaga in the lead roles. Directed by Srinath Chandrashekhar, the film revolves around a group of village youngsters who dream of building a rocket and travelling to the Moon.
The movie was released in theatres on November 13, 2026. It is set in Mandamarri, a town in Telangana’s Mancherial district, and attempts to combine village-based comedy, friendship, romance and an unusual scientific adventure.
The film is produced by Praveen Molaka under the Simba Screen Stories banner and presented by Venu Udugula. Harsha Prawin composed the music, while Srinivasa B handled cinematography.
The film’s biggest attraction is its unusual concept. What happens when a group of youngsters with very little scientific knowledge decide to build their own rocket and travel to the Moon? The idea sounds entertaining and has plenty of potential for comedy. But does the film successfully deliver the fun promised by its premise? Let’s take a look.
Story & Concept
The story takes place in Mandamarri, where four close friends named Shiva, Ravi, Raju and Chinna spend most of their time roaming around without any particular goals.
They are not particularly interested in studies or regular work. Their activities and behaviour often irritate the villagers, who eventually give their group the name “Shani Sangham.”
Each friend has a different personality. One is obsessed with checking auspicious timings before doing anything, while another depends on Google for almost every decision. Their innocent behaviour and unusual ideas create several funny situations.
Among them, Shiva (Shiva Kumar Dheekonda) falls in love with Bindu (Swapna Priyadarshini), a young woman from the same village. However, Bindu questions Shiva about what he has actually achieved in life.
Determined to prove himself and impress the woman he loves, Shiva comes up with an extraordinary idea: building a rocket and travelling to the Moon.
His friends join him in this ambitious mission, even though none of them has proper knowledge of science or rocket technology.
Can these inexperienced village youngsters really build a rocket? Will their unusual experiment succeed? And will Shiva manage to achieve something that changes the way people look at him?
The basic concept is undoubtedly interesting. A group of ordinary village youngsters attempting something as extraordinary as a Moon mission offers plenty of opportunities for humour and entertainment.
However, the problem is not with the idea but with how it is developed. The story has enough material for a short and entertaining film, but stretching it into a full-length feature becomes a major challenge.
Performance
Shiva Kumar Dheekonda plays the central character, Shiva. He makes a sincere attempt to portray a carefree village youngster with big dreams.
His body language and Telangana dialect suit the character, and he manages to fit into the rural setting. However, his performance lacks consistency in certain scenes, particularly when the film demands stronger emotional expressions and dialogue delivery.
Swapna Priyadarshini plays Bindu, the female lead. She looks pleasant on screen and performs reasonably well within the limitations of her character. However, her role does not receive enough depth, and she has limited opportunities to make a strong impression.
Ravi Siva Teja, Vamsidhar Goud and Lokesh Balaga play Shiva’s friends. Their combination is one of the film’s important elements. Each character has a different personality, and their innocent behaviour creates some entertaining situations.
Vamsidhar Goud gets a few opportunities to showcase his comic timing, while Ravi Siva Teja and Lokesh Balaga contribute adequately.
Balagam Satyanarayana and the remaining supporting cast also perform according to their roles.
The performances are reasonably suited to the village-based storyline, but stronger character writing and more natural comedy could have improved the overall impact.
Screenplay & Direction
Director Srinath Chandrashekhar chooses a genuinely different subject. The idea of four village youngsters attempting to build a rocket and reach the Moon is something that immediately creates curiosity.
The director also establishes a Telangana village atmosphere and introduces the characters through their everyday activities and unusual behaviour.
The first half focuses mainly on the friends, their relationships with the villagers and the situations surrounding Shiva’s love story. Some of their innocent attempts to build the rocket provide occasional entertainment.
However, the screenplay struggles to move the story forward. The same type of comedy and character situations continue for too long, making several scenes feel repetitive.
The biggest problem becomes visible in the second half. The rocket experiment should have been the central source of suspense, excitement and comedy. Instead, the narrative becomes slow and lacks a strong conflict.
A more engaging screenplay, stronger character motivations and better-developed comedy sequences could have transformed this unusual concept into a memorable entertainer.
The director deserves appreciation for attempting a different subject, but the execution does not match the potential of the idea.
Comedy & Entertainment
Comedy is supposed to be the main attraction of Chandrayan.
The four friends have different habits and personalities, which create opportunities for situational humour. The character who depends on Google for everything and the friend who checks auspicious timings before every activity provide some amusing situations.
The film also uses Telangana dialect and village-based humour to create entertainment.
A few scenes involving the friends and their rocket-building attempts work reasonably well. Their lack of scientific knowledge creates opportunities for innocent comedy.
However, the humour is inconsistent. Several jokes fail to generate the expected laughs, and some situations are repeated unnecessarily.
The film needed more fresh comedy and better timing to keep audiences entertained throughout its runtime.
Friendship & Emotional Elements
Friendship is an important part of Chandrayan.
The relationship between Shiva and his friends forms the foundation of the story. Although they are considered irresponsible youngsters by the villagers, they share a strong bond and support each other when Shiva decides to achieve something extraordinary.
Their journey towards building the rocket is meant to show how friendship and determination can encourage ordinary people to dream big.
The romantic track between Shiva and Bindu also provides an emotional reason for his ambitious decision.
However, the emotional portions are not explored deeply enough. The film introduces several interesting character situations but does not develop them into powerful emotional moments.
More attention to the friendship and personal struggles of the characters would have made the story more engaging.
Village Background & Social Elements
One of the positive aspects of Chandrayan is its rural Telangana setting.
The story takes place in Mandamarri, and the village environment gives the film a distinct identity. The local dialect, everyday activities and relationships between villagers help establish the atmosphere.
The film also attempts to present a different kind of village-based story. Instead of depending entirely on familiar fights and routine commercial elements, it focuses on a group of youngsters with an unusual ambition.
The idea of encouraging people to dream beyond their circumstances is a positive message.
However, the film does not explore this theme with enough depth. The rocket-building journey could have been used to highlight determination, teamwork and the importance of learning, but the screenplay focuses more on repetitive situations.
Music & Technical Aspects
Harsha Prawin handles the music and background score. The music supports the village atmosphere and the general mood of the film.
The background score is functional, but it does not consistently elevate the comedy or emotional sequences.
Srinivasa B’s cinematography is one of the better aspects. The visuals capture the Mandamarri surroundings and rural atmosphere naturally. The village locations provide an authentic background for the story.
Editing is one of the weaker technical areas. Several scenes feel unnecessarily extended, particularly in the second half. Tighter editing could have improved the pace considerably.
The production values are decent for a film of this scale. The technical team supports the director’s vision, although the film needed stronger execution in several departments.
First Half & Second Half
The first half introduces Shiva and his group of friends, their unusual habits and the way the villagers react to their behaviour.
The comedy is based mainly on their innocence and everyday activities. Shiva’s love story with Bindu provides the reason behind his decision to prove himself.
The rocket-building idea creates curiosity, and a few situations generate laughs. However, the first half also contains repetitive scenes, and the story takes too long to reach its main point.
The second half focuses more on the rocket experiment and the friends’ attempts to achieve their ambitious goal.
This is where the film should have become more exciting. Unfortunately, the screenplay slows down considerably. The comedy becomes repetitive, and the rocket mission does not generate enough suspense or excitement.
Although the film has a meaningful idea behind its story, the second half fails to deliver the impact required for a satisfying climax.
What Works
- A unique and interesting rocket-building concept.
- A different attempt at village-based entertainment.
- Natural Telangana village atmosphere.
- Shiva Kumar Dheekonda’s effort in the lead role.
- The friendship between the four youngsters.
- A few innocent comedy situations.
- Some entertaining moments involving the friends.
- Cinematography captures the rural locations naturally.
- A positive underlying message about dreaming big.
What Doesn’t Work
- Weak and underdeveloped screenplay.
- A simple story stretched into a lengthy film.
- Repetitive comedy and situations.
- Slow narration, particularly in the second half.
- Limited emotional depth.
- The romantic track lacks strong development.
- Several scenes fail to generate laughs.
- The rocket experiment does not create enough excitement.
- Editing could have been much tighter.
- The climax does not deliver the expected satisfaction.
Final Verdict
Chandrayan is a film that deserves appreciation for choosing an unusual concept, but unfortunately, the execution does not do justice to the idea.
The thought of four ordinary village youngsters building a rocket and attempting to travel to the Moon is genuinely interesting. The rural Telangana background, the friendship between the characters and their innocent approach to an extraordinary dream provide a good foundation for an entertaining film.
Shiva Kumar Dheekonda makes a sincere effort in the lead role, while Ravi Siva Teja, Vamsidhar Goud and Lokesh Balaga contribute to the friendship-based comedy. Swapna Priyadarshini performs adequately, and the cinematography captures the village atmosphere well.
However, the biggest drawback is the screenplay. The film takes too long to develop its central idea, and several comedy situations feel repetitive. The first half offers a few entertaining moments, but the second half becomes slow and fails to create the excitement expected from a rocket-building adventure.
The film could have been much better with sharper writing, stronger comedy and a more engaging presentation of the Moon mission.
Overall, Chandrayan is a well-intentioned attempt with a different concept, but weak storytelling and stretched narration prevent it from becoming a successful entertainer.
Audiences who appreciate experimental village-based stories may find the idea interesting, but those expecting a consistently entertaining adventure comedy may be disappointed.
Overall Rating: 2/5
Category-wise Rating:
- Story & Concept: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
- Screenplay & Direction: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
- Acting & Performances: ⭐⭐½☆☆
- Comedy & Entertainment: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
- Friendship & Emotional Elements: ⭐⭐½☆☆
- Romance: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
- Music & Background Score: ⭐⭐½☆☆
- Cinematography & Visuals: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
- Overall Entertainment: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
Final Verdict: Chandrayan has a fresh and interesting village-to-Moon concept, but repetitive comedy, weak screenplay and a slow second half stop this adventure comedy from taking off successfully.
