Karthikeya (film)

Karthikeya is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti. Produced by Venkata Srinivas, the film stars Nikhil Siddhartha and Swathi Reddy in lead roles, with Tanikella Bharani, Rao Ramesh, and Jayaprakash in supporting roles. The music was composed by Shekar Chandra, while Karthik Ghattamaneni handled the cinematography.

The story revolves around Karthik, a curious medico who investigates the mysterious events surrounding a closed Karthikeya temple in the village of Subrahmanyapuram. The inspiration for the film came from an incident at Talupulamma Temple in Kakinada district. Principal photography for Karthikeya began on 5 July 2013 and concluded on 21 February 2014, with filming locations across Andhra Pradesh, including Araku, Bobbili, and Kumararama temple in Samarlakota, as well as in Pondicherry and several places in Tamil Nadu, such as Kumbakonam.

After several delays, the film was released on 24 October 2014 as a Diwali release. It received positive reviews and was a commercial success, grossing over ₹20 crore on a budget of ₹4–6 crore. At the 62nd Filmfare Awards South, Karthikeya earned four nominations, and at the 4th SIIMA Awards, it won one award from four nominations. Following the success of the film, a sequel titled Karthikeya 2 was released in 2022, which was also a critical and commercial success.