A hitman, Nandu, is hired to stage the assassination of a politician. However, when the politician is actually killed and Nandu is framed for the murder, he assumes a dead man's identity to evade the law.
Acting
Mahesh Babu's deadpan delivery masking genuine vulnerability.
Writing
Trivikram's signature dialogue that works in comedy and tension.
Direction
The seamless tonal shifts from slapstick to life-or-death.
Director
Trivikram Srinivas
Mahesh Babu
Nanda "Nandu" Gopal / Pardhu
Trisha Krishnan
Poori
Sonu Sood
Malli
Prakash Raj
CBI investigator Anjaneya Prasad
Nassar
Satyanarayana Murthy
Kota Srinivasa Rao
Baji Reddy
Sayaji Shinde
Siva Reddy
Sunil Varma
Ramana
Rahul Dev
Saadhu
Charan Raj
Police Officer
Brahmanandam
Krishna Murthy
Tanikella Bharani
Naidu
Ravi Prakash
Ravi
Ajay
Pratap Reddy
Giri Babu
Poori's Father
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The train fight sequence was shot in actual moving trains without green screen, a rarity even then for Telugu cinema.
Athadu cemented the 'Trivikram-Mahesh' template: urbane hero, rural disguise, family warmth masking dark past. This combo defined mid-2000s Telugu star vehicles.
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