Operation Padma

Operation Padma
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Karthikeya V
Produced by	Ghattamaneni Arvind Babu Raghava Mandalapu Rambabu Mandalapu
Cinematography	Kalyan Sami Pavanmani
Edited by	JK Frames
Music by	Subhash Anand
Production company	Krishav Cinemas
Release date	6 February 2026 (2026-02-06)
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Operation Padma is a 2026 Indian Telugu-language political crime thriller film directed by Karthikeya V.¹ The film is produced by Ghattamaneni Aravind Babu, Raghava Mandalapu, and Rambabu Mandalapu.²³ It features an ensemble cast including Naresh Medi, Rajitha Sandy, Ranadheer Beesu, KT Mallikarjuna, and Raghupathi Reddy.¹ The movie was released in theaters on 6 February 2026.⁴

The film is edited by JK Frames.⁴ Music is composed by Subhash Anand.² Cinematography is Kalyan Sami and Pavanmani.²

The story revolves around Nandi Kishore, a former Home Minister who turns into a whistleblower after uncovering a massive corruption scandal within the state's Civil Supplies department.⁵ By exposing this scam, he gains immense popularity among the public but simultaneously becomes a primary target for a powerful political mafia.³ To eliminate him, his enemies hire Kuldeep, a stylish and ruthless professional assassin known for never failing his missions.⁴ In response to this threat, a specialized private detective unit is formed under the code name "Operation Padma," which is spearheaded by Avantika.² The narrative unfolds as a tense psychological mind game and a cat-and-mouse chase between the cold-blooded assassin and the detective team as they attempt to protect the whistleblower and uncover the mastermind behind the conspiracy.³

• Ranadheer Beesu as Kuldeep⁵
• Rajitha Sandy as Avantika¹
• Raghupathi Reddy Gunda²
• Naresh Medi
• KT Mallikarjuna

The film was made with a high budget, and critics noted that the heavy financial investment is clearly visible on screen.² Cinematography was handled by Kalyan Sami and Pavanmani, who successfully created a moody and tense visual palette suitable for a surveillance thriller.⁴ The film's gripping background score was composed by Subhash Anand, while the editing was done by JK Frames.² Akhil Nakirekanti choreographed the stunts, deliberately focusing on raw and realistic action sequences rather than over-the-top spectacle.⁴

Upon its release, Operation Padma got mixed to moderately positive reviews, with critic ratings ranging from 2 to 2.75 out of 5 stars.

The reviewer from 10TV gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and stated that while the scenes between the killer and the Operation Padma team are like moves and counter-moves, the film's presentation should have been written with more clarity.¹

The reviewer from HMTV gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and stated that the almost 90-minute first half is thrilling and the cat-and-mouse game between the killer and the detective team is the film's main strength."²

The reviewer from Zee news Telugu gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and stated that the overall, the movie feels like a mind game to the audience." The reviewer commended the female cast by stating, "All women characters look highly energetic.³

The reviewer from The Hans India gave the film 2.75 out of 5 stars, and stated that Operation Padma works not just as a thriller, but as a layered investigative drama. He highlighted the performances by stating that Randheer Beesu delivers a chilling performance and the female characters are confident, intelligent, and fearless.⁴