Upcoming Telugu Directors to Watch: Who Is Actually Making What

The list of upcoming Telugu directors worth tracking has changed a lot since the last big Tollywood release wave, and several roundups circulating online still credit the wrong names to the wrong films. Some of those errors are minor. Others hand a blockbuster to a filmmaker who had nothing to do with it. This guide fixes the credits, names the films each director actually has in production, and gives you the dates that are officially locked.

Movieshala is an independent film news site. We are not affiliated with any production house named here, and release dates in Telugu cinema move often, so confirm plans against the makers’ official announcements before you book anything.

Upcoming Telugu Directors at a Glance

• Biggest hit so far this year: Buchi Babu Sana’s Peddi, released 4 June 2026.
• Most corrected credit: Karthik Gattamneni directed Mirai, not Prasanth Varma.
• Next confirmed release: Ajay Bhupathi’s Srinivasa Mangapuram on 30 July 2026.
• Franchise to follow: Sailesh Kolanu’s HIT series, now four films deep.
• Still undated: Jai Hanuman has a launch event but no release date.

Telugu cinema has spent the last decade building a bench of directors who can carry a ₹300 crore film. That bench is now doing the heavy lifting. Below, each of these upcoming Telugu directors gets what they have actually made, plus what is genuinely next.

Upcoming Telugu Directors to Watch Right Now

Buchi Babu Sana — the biggest breakout of the year

Buchi Babu Sana made his debut with Uppena in 2021, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. He then took five years to deliver his second film. That film was Peddi, starring Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor.

Peddi reached theatres on 4 June 2026 after a premiere the previous evening. It is a sports action drama set in 1980s rural Andhra Pradesh, with a score by AR Rahman.

Because the film carried a reported ₹350 crore budget, its performance mattered well beyond one banner. Our breakdown of the ₹350 crore Peddi budget covers where that money went.

Prasanth Varma — building a universe, slowly

Prasanth Varma wrote and directed Hanu-Man, which released on 12 January 2024 and grossed in the ₹300 crore range worldwide. He also made Zombie Reddy and the 2018 anthology Awe! before that. Since then he has focused on the sequel, Jai Hanuman.

The team launched that sequel at Hampi on 22 February 2026, with Rishab Shetty cast as Lord Hanuman. Reports put the shoot start around April 2026 under Mythri Movie Makers. However, the makers have not announced a release date yet, so treat every date floating around as speculation.

Karthik Gattamneni — the credit most lists get wrong

If you read that Prasanth Varma directed Mirai, that is wrong. Karthik Gattamneni wrote and directed Mirai, and he shot it himself. Teja Sajja starring in both films is what causes the confusion.

Mirai released on 12 September 2025 and earned roughly ₹141 to ₹150 crore worldwide against a ₹60 crore budget. Gattamneni came up through cinematography, so his strength is scale on a controlled budget. Reports place a sequel, Mirai: Jaithraya, in development.

Sailesh Kolanu — the crime universe architect

Sailesh Kolanu created the HIT franchise, and it is now one of the most reliable brands in Telugu cinema. HIT: The First Case came in 2020 with Vishwak Sen. HIT: The Second Case followed in 2022 with Adivi Sesh.

HIT: The Third Case released on 1 May 2025 with Nani, not Adivi Sesh, and collected about ₹120 crore. Its closing scene introduced Karthi as ACP Veerappan, which set up HIT: The Fourth Case. As of late 2025 Kolanu was still writing that script, so a firm date remains some way off.

Srikanth Odela — from Dasara to The Paradise

Srikanth Odela assisted Sukumar before directing Dasara in 2023. That film crossed ₹100 crore and became Nani’s biggest earner at the time. The two reunited for The Paradise, an action drama about a marginalised community fighting for recognition.

The makers first announced The Paradise for 26 March 2026. They then moved it to 21 August 2026 after a crowded March window. Odela has also announced a film with Chiranjeevi, though that project remains at an early stage.

Rahul Sankrityan — the period gamble

Rahul Sankrityan directed Taxiwaala and Shyam Singha Roy, and both leaned on supernatural or reincarnation ideas. His next film pushes much further. Ranabaali stars Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna, and it unfolds in 19th century India.

The makers announced a worldwide release on 11 September 2026, with music by Ajay-Atul under Mythri Movie Makers. Since the story draws on events between 1854 and 1878, it is a genuine period piece rather than a fantasy. That makes it one of the riskier bets of the year.

Ajay Bhupathi — next out of the gate

Ajay Bhupathi debuted with RX 100 in 2018 and followed it with Maha Samudram and Mangalavaaram. His new film is Srinivasa Mangapuram, and it arrives worldwide on 30 July 2026.

The story unfolds in the temple town of Tirupati, and it introduces two debutants, Jaya Krishna Ghattamaneni and Rasha Thadani. Mohan Babu plays the antagonist, while GV Prakash Kumar scores the music. Earlier chatter about a psychological horror project never materialised, so ignore it.

Mallidi Vassishta — fantasy on a bigger canvas

Vassishta made Bimbisara in 2022 with Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, and the time-travel fantasy earned about ₹65 crore on a ₹40 crore budget. Bimbisara 2 has drawn talk for years but keeps waiting on cast availability.

His actual next release is Vishwambhara with Chiranjeevi, a fantasy film long delayed by heavy visual effects work. Recent reports point to 16 October 2026, timed to Dussehra, although the makers had not confirmed that date at the time of writing.

Karthik Varma Dandu — the atmosphere specialist

Karthik Varma Dandu wrote and directed Virupaksha in 2023, and Sukumar shared screenplay credit. The horror thriller took around ₹90 crore, and it made Dandu’s visual style a talking point. He has spoken about a sequel, yet nothing has formally moved forward.

What he does have in production is Vrushakarma, with Naga Chaitanya and Meenakshi Chaudhary. Trade listings place it in 2026. Until the makers announce a date, treat that window loosely.

Ravikanth Perepu — the indie counterweight

Ravikanth Perepu won a state Nandi Award for the screenplay of Kshanam, his 2016 debut. He then made Krishna and His Leela for Netflix in 2020 and Bubblegum in 2023. His work stays small, character-led and deliberately unglamorous.

He remains the clearest example of a Telugu director who built a following without a mass hero. No new theatrical project carries an official confirmation, so anything you read about his next film is currently unverified.

Sharan Koppisetty — quiet return via streaming

Sharan Koppisetty directed Kirrak Party in 2018 and Thimmarusu in 2021, and the second showed real control over a procedural. He then went quiet for several years. His return came through Cheekati Lo, a crime thriller with Sobhita Dhulipala that arrived on streaming in January 2026.

Arun Bhimavarapu — a debut worth revisiting

Arun Bhimavarapu wrote and directed Love Me, released in May 2024 under Dil Raju Productions. The romantic horror thriller starred Ashish Reddy and Vaishnavi Chaitanya.

What makes it notable is the crew behind a first-time director. PC Sreeram handled cinematography while MM Keeravani wrote the music, which is unusually strong backing for a debut. He has not announced his next film.

Confirmed 2026 Release Dates

Only a handful of these projects carry dates the makers have actually put out. The rest sit in production or in scripting.

To put those dates in context, Srinivasa Mangapuram is the closest release on this list. It lands roughly eight weeks after Peddi finished its main theatrical run.

What Sets These Upcoming Telugu Directors Apart

Look across the twelve names above and a pattern shows up quickly. None of them built a career on remakes. Almost all of them wrote their own debut.

• Writer-directors by default: Sana, Varma, Gattamneni, Kolanu, Dandu and Bhimavarapu all wrote the films they directed.
• Genre first, star second: the HIT films and Virupaksha sold a concept before they sold a face.
• Assistant-director pipelines: Odela and Sana both came through Sukumar’s unit.
• Technicians turning directors: Gattamneni shot Mirai himself, which is how the visual effects stayed inside budget.
• Long gaps between films: five years passed between Uppena and Peddi.

That last point matters more than it looks. Telugu cinema now lets these upcoming Telugu directors take years over a single script, because one hit carries enough value to justify the wait.

Three Claims About Upcoming Telugu Directors You Should Ignore

Several widely shared lists repeat the same mistakes. Here are the three worth correcting before you pass a list along.

Claim one: Prasanth Varma directed Mirai. He did not. Karthik Gattamneni wrote, directed and shot it. Varma’s own credits run through Zombie Reddy, Hanu-Man and the upcoming Jai Hanuman.

Claim two: Arun Bhimavarapu directed Spark L.I.F.E. Vikranth Reddy wrote and directed that 2023 film, and he also played the lead. Bhimavarapu’s debut is Love Me.

Claim three: HIT 3 stars Adivi Sesh. Sesh led HIT 2. Nani played SP Arjun Sarkaar in HIT 3, while Karthi takes over for the fourth film.

How to Read Box Office Numbers Without Getting Fooled

The reputations of upcoming Telugu directors get built on collection figures, so it helps to know how soft those figures are. Peddi works as a useful case study.

The producers announced ₹366 crore worldwide gross within nine days of release. Independent trade tracking later reported a worldwide closing figure closer to ₹333 crore. Neither number is necessarily dishonest. They simply measure different things at different points.

Producer-announced totals are gross, they include preview shows, and they land while the film is still running. Trade closing figures arrive after the run ends. When two numbers disagree, check whether one is gross and the other net, then check the date.

Our guide to gross versus nett collections explains the difference in detail, while the Times of India box office section works as a reasonable cross-check.

What Fans Get Wrong When Tracking Upcoming Telugu Directors

Following a director is different from following a star, so the tracking habits that work for one often fail for the other.

• A launch event is not a release date. Jai Hanuman launched in February 2026 and still carries no announced release.
• “In production” can mean two more years. Heavy visual effects films routinely slip, as Vishwambhara shows.
• Aggregator listing pages guess. Several sites publish placeholder dates the makers never announced.
• Sequels discussed in interviews are not greenlit. Virupaksha 2 has drawn talk since 2023 without a formal launch.
• Streaming releases count. Koppisetty’s Cheekati Lo would be invisible if you only watched theatrical listings.

The most reliable signal is a poster from the production banner carrying a date. Everything softer than that is worth holding loosely.

Where the Next Wave of Upcoming Telugu Directors Comes From

Two pipelines feed this group. The first is the assistant-director route through established filmmakers, which produced Odela and Sana. The second is the technician route, which produced Gattamneni.

A third is opening up through streaming and short-form work, although it has yet to deliver a theatrical blockbuster. Women filmmakers remain badly underrepresented, and our piece on women directors in Tollywood looks at why that gap persists. Meanwhile, the actors these directors keep backing form their own story, covered in our look at the new generation of Telugu actors.

Before You Go

If you want to follow one name from this list, follow Buchi Babu Sana, because Peddi proved a writer-director can carry a top-tier star vehicle. If you want the nearest release, it is Ajay Bhupathi’s Srinivasa Mangapuram on 30 July 2026.

And if you want the biggest unknown, it is Jai Hanuman, which carries enormous expectation and no date at all. Above all, check the credit before you share a list. Two of the most repeated claims about upcoming Telugu directors online attach famous films to the wrong filmmakers, and that kind of error spreads fast.

FAQs About Upcoming Telugu Directors

Who directed Mirai?

Karthik Gattamneni wrote and directed Mirai, and he also served as its cinematographer. The film released on 12 September 2025 and starred Teja Sajja. Prasanth Varma directed Hanu-Man, which is a separate film with the same lead actor.

Which upcoming Telugu director had the biggest hit of 2026?

Buchi Babu Sana, whose sports action drama Peddi released on 4 June 2026 with Ram Charan. Reported worldwide gross figures ranged from around ₹333 crore to ₹366 crore depending on the source and the cut-off date. Trade coverage widely described it as the year’s biggest South Indian release.

When is Jai Hanuman releasing?

The makers have not announced a release date. They launched the film at Hampi on 22 February 2026 with Rishab Shetty as Lord Hanuman, and reports put the shoot start around April 2026. Any specific date you see online is speculation rather than an announcement.

Is HIT 4 confirmed?

Yes, the makers have confirmed the fourth film with Karthi as ACP Veerappan, and Sailesh Kolanu returns to direct. However, as of late 2025 Kolanu was still writing the script. No shooting schedule or release date carries an official announcement yet.

Who are the best upcoming Telugu directors for crime thrillers?

Sailesh Kolanu leads on volume and consistency because of the HIT franchise. Sharan Koppisetty’s Thimmarusu and Cheekati Lo also sit firmly in that space. Ravikanth Perepu’s Kshanam remains a reference point for the genre in Telugu.

Are there any women among the upcoming Telugu directors to watch?

Very few women direct theatrical features in Telugu cinema, and no woman is helming a current big-budget release. Opportunities have widened somewhat through streaming and independent projects. We cover the filmmakers making progress in our dedicated piece on women directors in Tollywood.

Which director should I watch if I like Sukumar’s films?

Start with Srikanth Odela and Buchi Babu Sana, since both worked under Sukumar before directing. Odela assisted on Rangasthalam and Nannaku Prematho. Karthik Varma Dandu also shares a writing connection, because Sukumar co-wrote Virupaksha.

Do these directors work only in Telugu?

Most work primarily in Telugu, yet their films release across languages. Peddi, Mirai and The Paradise all went out in multiple Indian languages. Kolanu also directed the Hindi remake of HIT: The First Case in 2022.