The Ranabaali teaser starring Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna dropped on Wednesday. The 2-minute-32-second-long teaser features Deverakonda introducing himself as Singanamala Bobbili Ranabaali, a rebel warrior taking down British colonial powers in 19th century Rayalaseema.
The period action drama will get a worldwide theatrical release on October 16, 2026 during the Dussehra festive window. Ranabaali dropped its teaser ahead of what was originally planned as its release date earlier this year in September. The film is now releasing October 16.
Ranabaali’s teaser starts with a title card that reads: ‘We honour the memory of eight million Indian lives lost under British rule, 1876-78’. This was most likely referencing the Great Famine of 1876-1878 that took place in the Madras Presidency as the visuals show dried up lands and dying civilians.
Actor Arnold Vosloo who played Imhotep in The Mummy franchise, stars as Sir Theodore Hector in the Vijay Deverakonda-starrer. He is described as ‘Demon of Drought’, who enslaves villages and robs India of its riches as a British officer.
Next we see Vijay Deverakonda himself making an appearance as Ranabaali in a disheveled look. Ranabaali is repeatedly addressed as a ‘savage’ by British antagonists throughout the teaser clip. ‘Savage’ is then reappropriated as a term of pride. Following this, Vijay engages in fights with British soldiers releasing intense aggression as Ranabaali.
Rashmika Mandanna has a brief appearance as Ranabaali’s wife Jayamma. The Rashmika-meme queen barely gets any screen time throughout the promotional content for Ranabaali so far with most of the teaser dedicated to introducing the world, villain and hero.
Things build up to Vijay shouting: ‘Not a grain of this land will be exported out’. There is then a shot of what appears to be a demon hand holding onto something. The teaser ends with Vijay Deverakonda posting it on X along with the caption: ‘Never Forget. The Men who came as guests and stayed as oppressors. The Men in our villages, who decided to draw blood. ‘The Savage’ oath’’
The film is directed by Rahul Sankrityan, who was last seen directing Vijay Deverakonda’s Taxiwaala and Nani’s Shyam Singha Roy. Pramod Tammineni penned the screenplay.
Ajay-Atul are composing the music, Nirav Shah is handling the cinematography and Karthika Srinivas R edits. The film is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar under Mythri Movie Makers with T-Series presenting.
Set in Rayalaseema from 1854 to 1878, Ranabaali stars Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna. The film is reported to be based on true events about drought and rebellion against the British.
This is the third film Deverakonda and Rashmika are sharing the screen together on after Geetha Govindam and Dear Comrade. Ranabaali will release in five languages – Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam.
The Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika starrer will be competing with Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 and Dhanush’s Om when it releases during the Dussehra holiday window.
Filmmakers had been expected to release the film around September 11 before announcing a delay. The makers of Ranabaali confirmed the October 16 release date with a poster of Vijay sporting his Ranabaali avatar with the words ‘The darkest chapter of our history opens this October.’
Audiences on social media seem divided over the teaser. Many slammed Ranabaali for Vijay Deverakonda having a “completely new avatar.” Others said they were surprised by the casting of Arnold Vosloo as the villain. One person wrote, “One word isn’t enough to describe this madness! Vijay Deverakonda is in a completely new avatar. The energy he brings to screen is something else!”
Another review said, “#Ranabaali Teaser Review = Peak. Teaser Rating = 7/10 One disappointing factor is Ajay-Atul’s background music. But hopefully the film will be epic. Fingers crossed. Overall every shot is crisp. Arnold vosloo as the villain looks brilliant. Vijay Deverakonda looked more enhanced than previous trailers. His appearance and dialogues look more mature with some wicked visuals.”
While some fan wrote that Ranabaali gave them “major DNLBJCB vibes” criticizing the influx of violent period films about larger-than-life heroes defeating anti-national baddies.
Did Deverakonda really need to look so rugged and shout so much? Others said didn’t work for them.
Ranabaali is Vijay Deverakonda’s most important release after several films flopped at the box office. Fans are hoping that Ranabaali is the turning point for the actor’s career.
Rashmika Mandanna was last seen in Cocktail 2 opposite Shahid Kapoor. Cocktail 2 released on June 19 and opened in theatres. Rashmika and Vijay got married in Udaipur earlier this year on February 26.