Gurram Paapi Reddy (2025) Movie: How A Corpse Heist Turns Into Pure Telugu Madness
Gurram Paapi Reddy (2025) is a Telugu dark comedy crime drama directed by Murali Manohar Reddy, built around an offbeat premise mixing con jobs, corpses and small-town politics. The film stars Naresh Agastya, Faria Abdullah, Yogi Babu and Brahmanandam, backed by music from Krishna Saurabh and cinematography by Arjun Raja.
Story, genre and setting
At its core, the story follows an enigmatic fraudster who hires three people to secretly swap a dead body from a grave, only for the team to realise the job is nothing like what they were promised. As the plan unravels, the plot turns into a cocktail of crime, deception and situational comedy set against a Rayalaseema/Hyderabad backdrop.
The film positions itself as a new-age dark comedy, using crime and oddball characters to explore power, reputation and how “clever” people end up doing foolish things. Tonally it sits closer to recent Telugu experimental comedies like MAD or Mathu Vadalara than to regular commercial entertainers.
Cast, characters and performances
Naresh Agastya plays Paapi Reddy, a feared yet eccentric local figure whose volatile nature drives much of the conflict and humour. He reportedly sports multiple get-ups as a master of disguises, giving him scope for both character work and comic timing.
Faria Abdullah, known from Jathi Ratnalu and Mathu Vadalara, plays the female lead and also contributes creatively by singing, writing and choreographing a song for the film. Yogi Babu and Brahmanandam add strong comic presence, with makers repeatedly highlighting Yogi Babu’s track as one of the major crowd-pleasers.
Direction, writing and music
Director Murali Manohar Reddy has been vocal about avoiding formula films and focusing on odd characters and organic humour instead of forced jokes. The story by Poorna Prajna is designed around the clash between clever and foolish people, using their bad decisions as the engine for both chaos and comedy.
Music by Krishna Saurabh leans into energetic, fun tracks that match the film’s quirky tone, with at least one song shaped around Faria Abdullah’s performance as singer and lyricist. High production values and clean visuals, noted by Brahmanandam in promotions, help the film look bigger than a typical small dark comedy.
What works well
Early coverage and interviews suggest the film’s biggest strengths are its offbeat premise, eccentric ensemble and situational, stupidity-driven comedy. The combination of Naresh Agastya’s grounded acting with veterans like Brahmanandam and Yogi Babu gives the comedy both freshness and familiarity.
The director’s choice to keep the humour organic and rooted in character decisions, rather than loud skits, could appeal to audiences who liked recent new-age Telugu comedies. The Rayalaseema flavour, local slang and small-town power games promise a specific texture instead of generic backdrop.
What could be better
Because the film leans so heavily on quirkiness and oddball behaviour, there is a risk that emotional depth or strong stakes might feel secondary if the writing overplays silliness. Dark comedies can also struggle with tone; if the balance between crime, corpse-related plotlines and humour is mishandled, some viewers may find it too flippant or uneven.
The ensemble focus and multiple side characters might dilute attachment to Paapi Reddy himself if his arc is not clearly defined beyond being volatile and feared. Runtime will be another factor, as a roughly 2-hour-plus dark comedy needs tight editing to avoid lag in the second half.
Public buzz and early reactions
Promotional coverage from Telugu media highlights positive buzz around the teaser, calling it an eccentric, wild ride with a blend of humour, crime and folklore-style storytelling. Articles and events emphasise that the film steers clear of standard formula, which has earned goodwill among viewers who track smaller, experimental projects.
Senior comedian Brahmanandam and the team have publicly asked audiences to support new-age comedies like this, praising the producers for backing a fresh concept with decent scale. Ticketing and info sites list it clearly as a crime-comedy-drama for UA16+ audiences, signalling that it is meant more for youth and adults than for kids.
Overall verdict
Gurram Paapi Reddy (2025) looks like a risky but promising Telugu dark comedy that leans on character-driven humour, a morbid yet fun central hook and a committed ensemble cast. If the writing sustains both laughs and tension across its runtime, it could become a word-of-mouth sleeper hit among fans of offbeat Telugu cinema.
Rating: 4.2/5
