4 min readHyderabadJul 17, 2026 02:13 PM IST
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has given Venkatesh Maha’s Telugu psychological drama Rao Bahadur a 5-star rating on Letterboxd, calling it “not a film but an opera” and describing its writing as something that felt like it was “written on a hallucinogen.” According to him, it is the longest review he has ever written about any film on the platform.
“It’s not a film, it’s an opera. Fantastical, modernist, magic realism, gender politics, musings on patriarchy, ballsy, and enviable to me as a filmmaker. Needs guts to make it and more guts to produce it and put it out there,” Kashyap wrote. He singled out Satyadev’s performance in the dual role, playing both the young and old versions of the aristocrat. “Satyadev is just too good. Both young and old. Stuck in time. His spiralling madness speaks of the time in so many ways,” he added.
Coming to director Venkatesh Maha, Anurag Kashyap revealed a personal connection. He recalled meeting Maha in Hyderabad several years ago, when the director had shared his vision and plans for the film. “Venkatesh Maha is a genius, remember meeting him once in Hyderabad when he told me what he wants to do next and I didn’t expect this. I love Venky Maha.. just do man what you do. More power to you,” he wrote.
Also Read – Rao Bahadur review: A strange, stubborn film that asks what we inherit besides property
“MADNESS. BALLSY. INCREDIBLE WRITING” 🔥💥
Acclaimed filmmaker @anuragkashyap72 Ji reviews #RaoBahadur on @letterboxd with a 5⭐ rating ❤🔥
Book your tickets now 💥
🎟️ https://t.co/cRS0ShnxLpEXPERIENCE TELUGU CINEMA LIKE NEVER BEF🎃RE pic.twitter.com/e1F4ER24rB
— Rao Bahadur (@RaoBahadurMovie) July 16, 2026
Kashyap also noted Rao Bahadur’s deep cultural roots, saying it is a film that demands a second viewing to be fully appreciated. “It also needs a rewatch to get all the nuances which are so deep rooted in culture. Best written songs in cinema in a long while. Wish I knew Telugu to enjoy it more. The nostalgic Rao Bahadur’s various obsessions speak to me in a very direct way. To articulate better a second viewing is required.”
Anurag Kashyap is not the only prominent filmmaker to publicly champion Rao Bahadur. Earlier this week, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the director of Animal and Kabir Singh, posted a message on social media calling it “one of those rare, rich films that reminds you why we fell in love with cinema in the first place.” He urged audiences to give the film three hours of their time, praising Satyadev’s performance and crediting Venkatesh Maha for making the film with conviction and no shortcuts.
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Written, directed and edited by Venkatesh Maha, who previously made the critically acclaimed C/o Kancharapalem in 2018, Rao Bahadur is set in 1970s India and follows an ageing aristocrat battling a terminal illness while remaining consumed by a toxic obsession with his lineage. Maha spent five years developing the script, describing it as “a Telugu story made for the world.” The film blends psychological drama with magical realism, dark comedy and suspense.
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Satyadev plays the title role in Rao Bahadur, with Deepa Thomas, Vikas Muppala, Anand Bharathi, Bala Parasar and Pranay Vaka in the supporting cast. The film is produced by Anurag Reddy, Sharath Chandra and Chinta Gopalakrishna Reddy under A+S Movies, SriChakraas Entertainments and Mahayana Motion Pictures.
