Aniesh opens Itllu Arjuna opposite Anaswara Rajan
Newcomer Aniesh makes his Telugu lead debut in Itllu Arjuna as a mute lover opposite Anaswara Rajan. The film is in North American theaters with English subtitles.
Mina Park
Aniesh’s first Telugu lead role asks him not to speak. Itllu Arjuna opened Friday with Anaswara Rajan as Keerthi, and with Aniesh as Arjun, a young man who cannot talk his way through a love story that turns into a chase. Mahesh Uppala wrote and directed. Venky Kudumula produced for What Next Entertainments, with Nagarjuna presenting and Thaman S on the score. The film runs about 2 hours 37 minutes.
Aniesh Reddy grew up in Hyderabad. His father, businessman Mahesh Reddy, produced Nagarjuna’s Shirdi Sai and Om Namo Venkatesaya. Aniesh studied business management in London, trained with Satyanand in Vizag, then spent a year on acting work in the United States. He has said the mute love story pulled him in, and that nearly six months of workshops went into body language, reactions, and sign language audiences could follow. Jr NTR unveiled the trailer. Ram Charan and Akhil Akkineni also showed up for the push.
Anaswara Rajan is the familiar name for a lot of diaspora viewers. She broke out in Malayalam with Super Sharanya and Neru, then made her Telugu debut in Champion. This is her second Telugu film, and she is the experienced half of a new pairing that has to sell affection without Aniesh getting a single punchline.
The Times of India’s opening-day X roundup had viewers calling Aniesh’s mute turn promising and the chemistry with Anaswara a plus. Some of those posts also called the second half standard crime-thriller fare. The Indian Express review liked the speech-impaired premise early, then said the screenplay slides into a generic chase after the interval.
If you want to judge the debut yourself, North American theaters are running it. Cinemark has Telugu shows with English subtitles in Bellevue, Washington, and Fremont, California. AMC has listings in Grapevine and Houston. Regal Elmwood in Buffalo is also Telugu with English subtitles. In the GTA, York Cinemas in Richmond Hill has Friday at 3:00 p.m. plus weekend matinees, and Central Parkway Cinemas in Mississauga ran Thursday premieres. Confirm the time before you leave.
