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The Paradise review: 4.7/10, One-Time Watch

Telugu · Tollywood · Released 24 Sep 2026

ReviewHub score: 4.7/10 · Verdict: One-Time Watch — based on 15 YouTube reviews (2 positive, 7 mixed, 6 negative).

A first half that builds a real, lived-in world, and a second half that borrows its ending from three movies you've probably already seen.

Story

The Paradise is a period action-drama set in a slum called Paradise near Secunderabad, home to the Savari community, who live without government recognition or basic rights while Malik rules over them with absolute authority. Sammakka rises as one of the few voices of rebellion, while her son Jadal, after years in prison, returns determined to bring Malik down. Released simultaneously across Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada on 24 Sep 2026.

What works

  • The first half is widely praised for its raw, confident world-building and the mother-son emotional core
  • Anirudh Ravichander's background score and music are singled out as a highlight in nearly every review
  • Nani's performance and emotional scenes are credited even by otherwise harshly critical reviewers
  • Several standout individual sequences - the jail-set action block and the interval bang - draw specific praise

What doesn't

  • The second half is near-universally described as a steep drop-off - repetitive, emotionally hollow, and poorly paced
  • Mohan Babu, Raghav Juyal and Sampoornaesh Babu's characters are repeatedly called wasted or underused despite the star casting
  • Extremely graphic, brutal violence (A-rated) that multiple reviewers explicitly warn is unsuitable for the weak-hearted, women, elders, or family viewing
  • The story structure is criticized as a derivative 'identity/operation' genre template that borrows heavily from Dasara, Rangasthalam and Pushpa without adding much new

What each reviewer said

  • Poolachokka (Telugu) — Skip, 3/10
    “First half felt like paradise, second half felt like hell — the reviewer calls it a predictable, template 'operation/identity' genre film with nothing new to offer, and a mother-son emotional angle that never actually lands. Bottom line: rated a rock-bottom 1.31 out of the reviewer's own 4.51-tomato scale.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Barbell Pitch Meetings (Telugu) — Skip, 3/10
    “Calls it a poorly-made mix of Dasara, Rangasthalam and Pushpa's mother-emotion beats that never earns any of them, bluntly describing the fight sequences as a step backwards for the genre. Bottom line: a comedic, thoroughly unimpressed pass.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Adi Reddy (Telugu) — Skip, 2.5/10
    “Calls it one of the worst films the reviewer has seen — no logic, no memorable music or dialogue — while still crediting Nani individually for giving the film whatever life it has. Bottom line: a harsh pass, Nani's individual effort aside.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Thyview (Telugu) — One-Time Watch, 5/10
    “A disappointed non-spoiler take: plenty of good individual ideas and strong casting, including Mohan Babu, but they're crammed in without ever combining into a coherent narrative. Bottom line: a film with ideas that never resolve into a satisfying whole.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Man Of Fiction (Telugu) — Skip, 3.5/10
    “Praises the production design, cinematography and music, and calls Sampoornaesh Babu's completely wasted role the biggest letdown of the film. Bottom line: an utter disappointment emotionally, despite the technical polish.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • FILMY MASALA (Hindi) — Good Watch, 6.5/10
    “A street-reactions compilation with mostly enthusiastic mass responses — several moviegoers call it a must-watch and rate it a full 5/5, praising Anirudh's BGM and the climax fight, though a couple of voices in the same crowd found the action unconvincing. Bottom line: loud, largely positive reactions on the ground.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • REELOAD MEDIA (Malayalam) — Good Watch, 6.5/10
    “An unusually personal account of walking out mid-film during a rough patch before returning for the climax, ultimately calling the experience of watching it with a packed, multi-language crowd genuinely 'epic' and unforgettable. Bottom line: a positive, if unconventional, theatre experience.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Ravi Telugu Traveller (Telugu) — Skip, 4/10
    “Praises a goosebump-worthy opening ten minutes and the interval block, but says the second half became genuinely hard to sit through. Bottom line: an average film, rated 2 out of 5 — the reviewer's own score.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • POP Premiere (Malayalam) — One-Time Watch, 5.5/10
    “A crowd-reaction piece split down the middle — some call the first half a clean, must-watch experience, while others in the same group say the second half became something they simply had to endure. Bottom line: a genuine mixed bag on the ground.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Cinemapicha (Telugu) — One-Time Watch, 5.5/10
    “Praises Anirudh's music, the mother-son track, and Mohan Babu's fight scene with Nani, but is visibly frustrated the villain wasn't used more aggressively and that Sampoornaesh Babu got no memorable moment. Bottom line: keep expectations in check and you'll leave satisfied — go in expecting more, and you won't.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • BHT REVIEW (Hindi) — One-Time Watch, 6/10
    “Calls the jail and cafe action sequences genuinely mind-blowing and confirms this is a hard, brutal A-rated watch, but says the second half visibly loses steam, as if the makers ran out of time or budget. Bottom line: a one-time watch — worth it for Nani's fans, skippable for a neutral audience.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Gulte Pro (Telugu) — Skip, 3.5/10
    “A detailed critique arguing the film never properly establishes the Paradise slum or its people, leaving Mohan Babu, Raghav Juyal and Sampoornaesh Babu's characters entirely wasted and even the central mother-son bond feeling like a 'touch and go.' Bottom line: a costly, well-shot film built on a foundation too weak to connect emotionally.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • NTV Entertainment (Telugu) — One-Time Watch, 5/10
    “Says the film opens on a promising, raw note but 'goes to sleep' once Nani's character properly enters, with a half-baked Mohan Babu villain and an action-heavy back half that needed more emotional grounding. Bottom line: full marks for Nani's emotional scenes, undercut by a thin second half.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • Shruti TV (Tamil) — One-Time Watch, 5/10
    “A blunt Tamil-audience take calling the overall experience average and the screenplay a letdown, saying the story feels more like watching a trailer cut than a full film, though it credits Nani's performance. Bottom line: 'okay bro' — an average watch, in the reviewer's own words.” Watch the review on YouTube
  • TV5 News (Telugu) — One-Time Watch, 5.5/10
    “Opens with a stark warning that the film's bloodshed and violence aren't for the weak-hearted, and while it credits the mother-son sentiment for working in the first half, says that thread — and the audience's patience — doesn't survive into the second. Bottom line: a hit for Nani's fanbase, a tough watch for everyone else.” Watch the review on YouTube

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Scores, summaries and pros/cons are aggregated by AI from publicly available YouTube review videos. All video content belongs to its creators.