{ "id": "eps2212ytf", "slug": "aditya-369", "title": "Aditya 369 (ఆదిత్య 369)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.telugu-films-before-2000", "label": "Telugu films before 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.telugu-films-before-2000" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.telugu-films-before-2000", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000: Telugu films before 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.telugu-films-before-2000", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.telugu-films-before-2000", "label": "Telugu films before 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.telugu-films-before-2000" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Aditya 369 (ఆదిత్య 369), also known as Mission 369, is a 1991 Telugu sci-fi film by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao starring Balakrishna in a dual role, regarded as India's first time-travel film, re-released in 4K in 2025.", "snippet": "Aditya 369 (ఆదిత్య 369), also known as Mission 369, is a 1991 Telugu sci-fi film by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao starring Balakrishna in a dual role, regarded as India's first time-travel film, re-released in 4K in 2025.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.telugu-films-before-2000", "markdown": "# Aditya 369 (ఆదిత్య 369)\n\n**Aditya 369** (ఆదిత్య 369) is a 1991 Telugu-language science-fiction film directed by [Singeetam Srinivasa Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/singeetam-srinivasa-rao), in which a professor's time machine carries its passengers to the [Vijayanagara](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijayanagara) empire of [Krishnadevaraya](https://www.edgepedia.org/krishnadevaraya) and to a post-apocalyptic future. It is widely regarded as India's first time-travel film[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Mar/28/nandamuri-balakrishnas-aditya-369-returns-to-screens-on-this-date) and stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in a dual role alongside Mohini, Amrish Puri, Tinnu Anand, and Tarun[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252196/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | 1991; July 18 per IMDb, Telangana Today, and The Times of India, August 18 per FilmiBeat, TMDB, and Moviebuff[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252196/) • [3](https://telanganatoday.com/celebrating-30-years-of-timeless-classic-aditya-369) • [4](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/aditya-369/story.html) |\n| Director / producer | Singeetam Srinivasa Rao; Sivalenka Krishna Prasad, Sridevi Movies banner[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aditya_369) |\n| Writers | Story and screenplay by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao; dialogues by Jandhyala[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aditya_369) |\n| Music | Ilaiyaraaja; lyrics by Veturi Sundara Ramamurthy, Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, and Vennelakanti[6](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%2520of%2520Indian%2520Cinema.pdf) |\n| Lead cast | Balakrishna (Krishna Kumar / Sri Krishnadevaraya, dual role), Mohini (Hema), Tinnu Anand (Prof. Ramdas), Amrish Puri (Raja Varma), Tarun (Kishore)[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/280363-aditya-369) |\n| Runtime | About 2h 20m (IMDb lists 140 min; Rotten Tomatoes lists 2h 21m)[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252196/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aditya_369) |\n| Later history | Re-released in 4K with 5.1 sound on April 4, 2025; a sequel, Aditya 999, announced with Balakrishna's son Mokshagna Teja in the lead[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Mar/28/nandamuri-balakrishnas-aditya-369-returns-to-screens-on-this-date) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nProfessor Ramdas ([Tinnu Anand](https://www.edgepedia.org/tinnu-anand)), an eccentric scientist, succeeds after years of home-laboratory experiments in building a time machine[8](https://www.moviebuff.com/aditya-369). His daughter Hema (Mohini) and her boyfriend Krishna Kumar (Balakrishna) accidentally enter the machine and travel to the time of Krishnadevaraya's Vijayanagara empire; on another trip they reach a fictional future in which the world faces destruction by radiation after a Third World War[8](https://www.moviebuff.com/aditya-369). A parallel thread concerns a diamond from the Vijayanagara rulers kept in a museum, which the thief Raja Varma ([Amrish Puri](https://www.edgepedia.org/amrish-puri)) tries to steal; a schoolboy, Kishore (Tarun), witnesses the robbery during a museum excursion and is rescued by Krishna Kumar[4](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/aditya-369/story.html). Suthivelu plays a police constable who is also trapped in the machine and provides comic relief, arriving in the past unaware of which period he has entered[9](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/aditya-369-revisiting-telugu-film-which-explored-time-travel-1991-133428). In the Vijayanagara episodes, Balakrishna also appears as the king himself, and the cast includes Chandramohan as the poet Tenali Ramakrishna and J.V. Somayajulu as the minister [Timmarusu](https://www.edgepedia.org/timmarusu)[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/280363-aditya-369).\n\n## Origins and inspiration\n\n**The Wells connection.** Singeetam Srinivasa Rao has said in multiple interviews that the film grew from his reading of H.G. Wells's 1895 novel *The Time Machine* as a student, and he has denied that the film copies [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-zemeckis)'s *Back to the Future* (1985), with which it was compared on release[9](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/aditya-369-revisiting-telugu-film-which-explored-time-travel-1991-133428). The Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, by contrast, describes the film as comic science fiction \"partly inspired by\" *Back to the Future*[6](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%2520of%2520Indian%2520Cinema.pdf). Producer Sivalenka Prasad secured Balakrishna's dates with the help of his relative, the singer S.P. Balasubramaniam, who also presented the film and, by chance, sat next to Singeetam on a flight during which the director spoke of his time-travel ideas[10](https://telugucinema.com/nostalgia/25-years-aditya-369).\n\nThe film's depiction of the Vijayanagara empire draws on folklore and oral literature, showing pearls and diamonds sold on the streets and theft unheard of; while it portrays Krishnadevaraya as a noble king, it also presents the move to modernity and democracy as an improvement[9](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/aditya-369-revisiting-telugu-film-which-explored-time-travel-1991-133428).\n\n## Production and reception\n\nThe film was shot at Annapoorna Studios in [Hyderabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyderabad)[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252196/). Cinematography was split between V.S.R. Swamy, who filmed the Vijayanagara-period scenes, and [Kabir Lal](https://www.edgepedia.org/kabir-lal), who filmed the rest; art director Peketi Ranga received a Nandi Award for his work[11](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/cinema-news/30-years-for-balakrishna-aditya-369-movie-32824.html). The time-travel effects, simple by later standards, were considered innovative for the early 1990s[12](https://epaper.telanganatoday.com/download/ca56311b96e25a39_12.pdf).\n\nContemporary and retrospective assessments differ. The Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema calls the film \"a rare excursion into the science fiction genre in Telugu film\" and states it \"was not well received\"[6](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%2520of%2520Indian%2520Cinema.pdf). Telangana Today, marking the film's 30th anniversary, writes that it \"broke records at the box office\" and \"raked in rave reviews and box office collections\"[3](https://telanganatoday.com/celebrating-30-years-of-timeless-classic-aditya-369), and The News Minute calls it a commercial success that was also critically acclaimed[9](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/aditya-369-revisiting-telugu-film-which-explored-time-travel-1991-133428). The Times of India reported that it became the highest-grossing film of its release year and was screened at the [International Film Festival of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-film-festival-of-india)[13](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/balakrishnas-famous-sci-fi-aditya-369-turns-27-today/articleshow/65034943.cms). On IMDb it holds a rating of 8.4/10 from about 3,800 users[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252196/).\n\nThe UK release was cut to obtain a 12A classification: scenes involving illegally staged horse falls were removed under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, and an uncut classification was not available[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252196/).\n\n## Legacy and re-release\n\nThe film is frequently described as the first Telugu, and often the first Indian, film to portray time travel, combining history with science fiction[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Mar/28/nandamuri-balakrishnas-aditya-369-returns-to-screens-on-this-date) • [14](https://www.aha.video/movie/aditya-369). It has since acquired a cult following among science-fiction fans[12](https://epaper.telanganatoday.com/download/ca56311b96e25a39_12.pdf).\n\n**2025 re-release.** Nearly 34 years after the original release, the film returned to theaters on April 4, 2025, remastered in 4K with upgraded 5.1 sound, after a pre-release event during Ugadi and a screening at the Red Lorry Film Festival in Hyderabad[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Mar/28/nandamuri-balakrishnas-aditya-369-returns-to-screens-on-this-date). Despite strong first-day attendance, trade reporting described the re-release as commercially weak after the opening weekend[15](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/tollywood-re-releases-in-april-2025-big-on-nostalgia-low-on-collections.html?amp=1). The film also joined the Amazon Prime Video catalog[16](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/ott-tollywoods-first-time-travel-epic-aditya-369-now-streaming-on-this-platform-hk.html).\n\n**Sequel.** Balakrishna announced on his Aha talk show *Unstoppable* that a sequel, Aditya 999, is in development with his son Mokshagna Teja in the lead role; details had not emerged at the time of reporting[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Mar/28/nandamuri-balakrishnas-aditya-369-returns-to-screens-on-this-date).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Nandamuri Balakrishna's Aditya 369 returns to screens on this date, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Mar/28/nandamuri-balakrishnas-aditya-369-returns-to-screens-on-this-date)\n2. [Aditya 369 (1991), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252196/)\n3. [Celebrating 30 years of timeless classic 'Aditya 369', Telangana Today](https://telanganatoday.com/celebrating-30-years-of-timeless-classic-aditya-369)\n4. [Aditya 369 Story, FilmiBeat](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/aditya-369/story.html)\n5. [Aditya - 369, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/aditya_369)\n6. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, films 1991-1995](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%2520of%2520Indian%2520Cinema.pdf)\n7. [Aditya 369 (1991), The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/280363-aditya-369)\n8. [Aditya 369, Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/aditya-369)\n9. ['Aditya 369': Revisiting the Telugu film which explored time travel in 1991, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/aditya-369-revisiting-telugu-film-which-explored-time-travel-1991-133428)\n10. [25 Years of Aditya 369, TeluguCinema.com](https://telugucinema.com/nostalgia/25-years-aditya-369)\n11. [అద్భుతం… 'ఆదిత్య 369', NTV Telugu](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/cinema-news/30-years-for-balakrishna-aditya-369-movie-32824.html)\n12. [Aditya 369 (1991), Telangana Today e-paper feature](https://epaper.telanganatoday.com/download/ca56311b96e25a39_12.pdf)\n13. [Balakrishna's famous sci-fi 'Aditya 369' turns 27 today, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/balakrishnas-famous-sci-fi-aditya-369-turns-27-today/articleshow/65034943.cms)\n14. [Aditya 369, aha video](https://www.aha.video/movie/aditya-369)\n15. [Tollywood Re-releases in April 2025: Big on nostalgia, low on collections, 123telugu](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/tollywood-re-releases-in-april-2025-big-on-nostalgia-low-on-collections.html?amp=1)\n16. [Tollywood's First Time-Travel Epic 'Aditya 369' Now Streaming on Prime Video, 123telugu](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/ott-tollywoods-first-time-travel-epic-aditya-369-now-streaming-on-this-platform-hk.html)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Telugu films before 2000*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-369", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-369.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Aditya 369 (ఆదిత్య 369)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-369. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Aditya 369 (ఆదిత్య 369)](https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-369)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-369](https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-369). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Aditya 369 (ఆదిత్య 369)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/aditya-369. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Aditya 369, also known as Mission 369, is a 1991 Telugu sci-fi film by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao starring Balakrishna in a dual role, regarded as India's first time-travel film, re-released in 4K in 2025." }