The Paradise Overseas Review: Nani’s Film Gets Mixed Early Reactions From Premiere Shows

Nani’s The Paradise has begun its theatrical journey with overseas premiere screenings ahead of its worldwide release, giving a section of international audiences an early opportunity to watch the much-awaited Telugu film.

Directed by Srikanth Odela, the film held premiere shows in overseas markets on September 23, ahead of its scheduled worldwide theatrical release on September 24, 2026. In the US, screenings on September 23 local time corresponded to the early hours of September 24 in India.

As the first shows concluded, viewers began sharing their reactions on X (formerly Twitter). The initial posts include criticism of the film’s narrative, editing and emotional depth, while some viewers also pointed to specific sequences they found effective.

Because these reactions come from a limited number of early screenings, they represent initial audience impressions rather than a definitive assessment of the film.

The Paradise First Reactions: What Overseas Viewers Are Saying

Early social-media reactions to The Paradise have been mixed, with some viewers praising individual portions while expressing reservations about the overall execution.

One reaction from Venky Reviews described the first half as “below par,” while highlighting an interesting opening and a standout interval sequence. The post criticised what it described as an uneven flow and abrupt editing.

A subsequent reaction from the same account called the film a “patience testing” mass entertainer, suggesting that the second half struggled with its writing and narration and lacked an emotional connection.

Another early reaction from Christopher Kanagaraj used the phrase “The BOREdise” while describing the film as a violent action drama that, in the reviewer’s view, lacked emotional impact.

Kanagaraj also criticised Nani’s mass-oriented presentation, along with the film’s editing, staging, background score and the portrayal of certain character relationships. At the same time, the reaction specifically identified the opening 20 minutes, interval sequence and KCR scenes as positives.

These are individual social-media reactions and should not be treated as representative of the entire audience or as a final consensus.

Nani Leads Srikanth Odela’s Action Drama

The Paradise features Nani in the lead role, with the actor taking on a more mass-oriented character that has generated substantial curiosity among his fans.

The film marks another collaboration between Nani and filmmaker Srikanth Odela, following their earlier association.

The cast also includes Mohan Babu, Kayadu Lohar, Sonali Kulkarni and Raghav Juyal in important roles.

The combination of Nani and an ensemble featuring performers from different backgrounds has been one of the factors contributing to anticipation around the film.

The Paradise Story and Production

Written and directed by Srikanth Odela, The Paradise is backed by Sudhakar Cherukuri under the SLV Cinemas banner, with Ishan Saksena credited as co-producer.

The film has been mounted with a large technical crew across cinematography, editing, production design, visual effects, sound and action choreography.

With the film now reaching audiences, attention is likely to remain focused on how the larger theatrical audience responds to Odela’s action-driven vision and Nani’s performance.

Anirudh Ravichander Leads the Music Department

The technical team includes several prominent names from the South Indian film industry.

Anirudh Ravichander has composed the music, while CH Sai has handled cinematography and Navin Nooli is credited with editing.

Avinash Kolla serves as production designer, while Vinay Sagar Jonnala is credited as chief co-director and for additional screenplay.

Naresh Yalla is the VFX supervisor.

The writing team includes Thota Srinivas, Madhava Murthy Bojanapu, Arjuna Paturi, Vamshi Krishna Pinnika, Manupati Karunakar (Karna) and Vasanth Masadi. Krishna Teja has worked on dialect and diction, with Ajay Kumar J credited as costume designer.

Extensive Technical Crew Behind The Paradise

The film’s sound department includes Suren G for sound mixing and Sync Cinema for sound design.

Choreography has been handled by Brinda Master, Sudhan and Aata Sandeep, while action choreography is credited to Ram-Lakshman, Real Satish, Maibam Nabakanta and Simhadri.

Hari K. Chanduri is the co-director. The cinematography team also includes Praveen Pothan as second-unit cinematographer, Ram Kumar R as operative cinematographer, and Dwarakesh S and Aboorvan A as associate cinematographers. Melvin is credited as assistant cinematographer.

The art department includes Murali Kondeti as art director and K. Naresh Goud (Nikku) as art assistant.

Red Chillies.Color has handled colour work, with Ken Metzker serving as senior colourist.

Marketing and Publicity Team

The publicity and promotional departments include Kabilan as publicity designer, Aditya Raman S for titles and Sridhar Chadalawada for still photography.

Vamsi-Sekhar is the film’s PRO, while First Show is associated with its marketing.

The Paradise Reception Will Become Clearer After Wider Release

The first overseas premiere reactions have already generated discussion among Nani’s fans, particularly because some early viewers have raised concerns about the film’s editing, narration and emotional elements.

However, the initial posts represent a relatively small sample of viewers who watched the earliest international shows. The wider response will only become clearer once The Paradise reaches substantially more audiences across India and overseas.