{ "id": "epev9a1zyy", "slug": "gods-of-dharmapuri", "title": "Gods of Dharmapuri", "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.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries", "label": "Indian and South Asian web series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries.yr-2003-2020", "label": "Premiered 2003 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries.yr-2003-2020" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "India · 2001 to 2020: Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001", "label": "India · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Gods of Dharmapuri (G.O.D) is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action drama web series on ZEE5, directed by Anish Yohan Kuruvilla, following the mining mafia's rise to power.", "snippet": "Gods of Dharmapuri (G.O.D) is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action drama web series on ZEE5, directed by Anish Yohan Kuruvilla, following the mining mafia's rise to power.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries.yr-2003-2020", "markdown": "# Gods of Dharmapuri\n\n**Gods of Dharmapuri** (G.O.D) is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action drama web series created for the streaming platform ZEE5, directed by Anish Yohan Kuruvilla and starring Raj Deepak Shetty, Sruthy Jayan, Satyadev Kancharana, and Karthik Ratnam. Set in the 1960s and 1970s, it follows the mining mafia's rise that takes Pratap Reddy from poverty to power in the fictional town of Dharmapuri, near the [Andhra Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/andhra-pradesh)–Karnataka border, until he becomes the target of his own friends and family.[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Premiere | 23 October 2019 on ZEE5; one season of 10 episodes[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132) |\n| Setting | Fictional mining town of Dharmapuri in the Rayalaseema region, during the 1960s and 1970s[2](https://www.ottplay.com/news/exclusive-an-exciting-update-about-the-second-season-of-zee5s-gangster-drama-gods-of-dharmapuri-god/a750137035630) |\n| Director / producer | Anish Yohan Kuruvilla; Radhika Lavu of Ellanar Films[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132) • [2](https://www.ottplay.com/news/exclusive-an-exciting-update-about-the-second-season-of-zee5s-gangster-drama-gods-of-dharmapuri-god/a750137035630) |\n| Lead cast | Raj Deepak Shetty as Pratap Reddy, Sruthy Jayan as Saroja, Satyadev Kancharana as Venu Reddy, Karthik Ratnam as Ravi Reddy, Chandini Chowdary as Swapna, L.B. Sriram as D.N. Reddy[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132) • [3](https://cinetown.org/ott/all-ott/850/season/1) |\n| Languages | Telugu original, dubbed in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi; English subtitles[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132) |\n| Episode length | About 31 to 54 minutes per episode[4](https://www.jiotv.com/tv-shows/g-o-d/5b455d1b9d295cf29957dd04bef6dc29) |\n| Audience rating | 7.7/10 on IMDb (166 votes)[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/g-o-d-gods-of-dharmapuri) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and story\n\nThe series opens with Pratap Reddy, a man from Kadapa, migrating to Dharmapuri with his wife Saroja and their two sons, Venu and Ravi, to work as laborers in a mine. The town is ruled by violent and unlawful men under the feudal lord and Sarpanch (elected village headman in rural India) D.N. Reddy. When the local goon Odappa demands protection money, Pratap refuses, and the confrontation ends with Pratap killing Odappa.[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132)\n\nFrom there Pratap is drawn into the town's power struggle. Arrested for the killing, he is rescued on bail by Ranga Rao, a communist party leader who contests against D.N. Reddy, and is made union leader of the mining factory. After a bloody confrontation with D.N. Reddy's henchmen, and with leftist political support behind him, Pratap dethrones D.N. Reddy and becomes Sarpanch of Dharmapuri, which draws the wrath of the established powers.[6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-review/) As the years pass, his two sons develop problems of their own, and Pratap eventually becomes the target of his friends and family.[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132)\n\nThe story spans two generations across its ten episodes, tracing the Reddy family's rise from nothing and the violence that engulfs its members over two decades. Reviewer Hemanth Kumar C R, writing in The News Minute, described the show as thematically similar to *Gangs of Wasseypur* in portraying violence and vengeance as a disease, and noted that by tracing one family's rise it offers an insight into how local events feed larger political power centers.[7](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/god-review-satyadev-karthik-rathnam-dazzle-zee5-web-series-class-struggle-111386)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\n- **Raj Deepak Shetty** as Pratap Reddy, the mine laborer who seizes control of Dharmapuri[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132)\n- **Sruthy Jayan** as Saroja, Pratap's wife, a role the director called the soul of the show[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132) • [8](https://www.yovizag.com/anish-kuruvilla-director-gods-of-dharmapuri/)\n- **Satyadev Kancharana** as Venu Reddy, Pratap's elder son[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132)\n- **Karthik Ratnam** as Ravi Reddy, the younger son[3](https://cinetown.org/ott/all-ott/850/season/1)\n- **Chandini Chowdary** as Swapna, a village girl who marries Venu[1](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132) • [6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-review/)\n- **L.B. Sriram** as D.N. Reddy, the tyrant Sarpanch Pratap displaces[3](https://cinetown.org/ott/all-ott/850/season/1) • [6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-review/)\n- Supporting roles include Samyuktha Hornad as the journalist Divya Mathews, John Kottoly as the leftist leader Ranga Rao, Jagadeesh Prathap as Chalapathi, Vijay Adhiraj as Vengal Reddy, and Bala Aditya[6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-review/) • [2](https://www.ottplay.com/news/exclusive-an-exciting-update-about-the-second-season-of-zee5s-gangster-drama-gods-of-dharmapuri-god/a750137035630)\n\n### Season 2\n\nA second season was in development as of September 2021. Producer Radhika Lavu said at that time that only some of the actors from the first season would be retained for the second installment.[2](https://www.ottplay.com/news/exclusive-an-exciting-update-about-the-second-season-of-zee5s-gangster-drama-gods-of-dharmapuri-god/a750137035630) As of the latest listings, the series remains at one season, streaming on ZEE5 with a paid subscription.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/g-o-d-gods-of-dharmapuri) • [13](https://webisoda.in/webseries/gods-of-dharmapuri/)\n\n## Production\n\nThe series was produced by Radhika Lavu of Ellanar Films and marked Anish Kuruvilla's return to directing.[2](https://www.ottplay.com/news/exclusive-an-exciting-update-about-the-second-season-of-zee5s-gangster-drama-gods-of-dharmapuri-god/a750137035630) Kuruvilla shot the series at Anegundi near Hampi, a UNESCO protected heritage site, whose untouched vegetation and rock formations allowed the 1970s setting to be recreated with little set dressing; he credited producer Radhika Lavu with approving the more expensive outdoor location.[8](https://www.yovizag.com/anish-kuruvilla-director-gods-of-dharmapuri/) Production designer Srikanth Ramisetti built the vintage rural decor, and the writing team pursued dialectal realism: dialogue writer Bharghav Karthik grew up near the Karnataka–[Rayalaseema](https://www.edgepedia.org/rayalaseema) area, and the team interacted with locals to reproduce the regional culture authentically.[8](https://www.yovizag.com/anish-kuruvilla-director-gods-of-dharmapuri/)\n\nHyderabadi author K.V. Aditya, known for the mythological fantasy book *Daitya Diaries*, worked on the additional screenplay during pre-production, his first screenwriting credit. He described the switch from books to screen as a move toward dialogue-heavy writing constrained by production budgets.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2019/Oct/26/many-ways-to-write-2053040.html)\n\nThe music was composed by Shakthi Kanth, with a background score that reviewers singled out for lifting the drama, and the theme song \"Rakaasi Loya\" sung by Ramya Behara. Cinematography was by Naveen Yadav and editing by Abhinav.[6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-review/)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritics received the series well. The Envoy Web scored it 3.5 out of 5, calling it a rustic Telugu web series on the lines of *Gangs of Wasseypur* and *Mirzapur*, and praised Karthik Rathnam, Sruthi Jayan, Chandini Chowdary, and L.B. Sriram in particular.[6](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-review/) 123telugu gave it 3 out of 5, calling it a well-made series with a rustic backdrop and gritty performances that was slow to start but built to solid drama in its last five episodes.[10](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-telugu-web-series-review.html?=1) LetsOTT gave it 4 out of 5 stars, writing that it was a statement that the regional segment in the digital space had arrived, and the binged.com reviewer Srivathsan Nadadhur highlighted the performances of L.B. Sriram, Sruthy Jayan, and Karthik Ratnam.[11](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/g-o-d-reviews-audience-and-critics-rave-about-this-gritty-and-gripping-zee5-original/)\n\nThe show also performed commercially for its platform. On its first anniversary in October 2020, MediaNews4U reported that it remained among the top 3 Telugu shows on ZEE5 with 60% season engagement, that most viewers watched more than one episode at a sitting, and that the platform's subscriptions had increased by 50%.[12](https://www.medianews4u.com/gods-of-dharmapuri-g-o-d-zee5-telugu-original-web-series-celebrates-one-year-anniversary/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [G.O.D, ZEE5 official series page](https://www.zee5.com/ta/global/web-series/details/g-o-d/0-6-2132)\n2. [Exclusive: An exciting update about the second season of ZEE5's Gods of Dharmapuri, OTTplay (29 September 2021)](https://www.ottplay.com/news/exclusive-an-exciting-update-about-the-second-season-of-zee5s-gangster-drama-gods-of-dharmapuri-god/a750137035630)\n3. [G.O.D – Gods of Dharmapuri season 1, Cinetown](https://cinetown.org/ott/all-ott/850/season/1)\n4. [G.O.D TV Show, JioTV](https://www.jiotv.com/tv-shows/g-o-d/5b455d1b9d295cf29957dd04bef6dc29)\n5. [G.O.D – Gods of Dharmapuri streaming information, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/g-o-d-gods-of-dharmapuri)\n6. [Gods of Dharmapuri (G.O.D) review: A rustic web series you shouldn't miss, The Envoy Web (20 March 2020)](https://theenvoyweb.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-review/)\n7. ['G.O.D' review: Satyadev, Karthik Rathnam dazzle in Zee5 web series on class struggle, The News Minute (29 October 2019)](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/god-review-satyadev-karthik-rathnam-dazzle-zee5-web-series-class-struggle-111386)\n8. [Anish Kuruvilla on his experience of helming Gods of Dharmapuri, Yo! Vizag](https://www.yovizag.com/anish-kuruvilla-director-gods-of-dharmapuri/)\n9. [Many ways to write, The New Indian Express (26 October 2019)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2019/Oct/26/many-ways-to-write-2053040.html)\n10. [Lockdown Review: Gods of Dharmapuri – Telugu Web Series (Zee 5), 123telugu (23 April 2020)](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/gods-of-dharmapuri-telugu-web-series-review.html?=1)\n11. [G.O.D Reviews: Audience and critics rave about this gritty and gripping ZEE5 Original, ZEE5 News (5 November 2019)](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/g-o-d-reviews-audience-and-critics-rave-about-this-gritty-and-gripping-zee5-original/)\n12. [Gods of Dharmapuri (G.O.D), Zee5 Telugu Original web series celebrates one year anniversary, MediaNews4U (3 November 2020)](https://www.medianews4u.com/gods-of-dharmapuri-g-o-d-zee5-telugu-original-web-series-celebrates-one-year-anniversary/)\n13. [Gods Of Dharmapuri (G.O.D), Webisoda](https://webisoda.in/webseries/gods-of-dharmapuri/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series › Premiered 2003 to 2020*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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/gods-of-dharmapuri", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/gods-of-dharmapuri.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": "\"Gods of Dharmapuri\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/gods-of-dharmapuri. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Gods of Dharmapuri](https://www.edgepedia.org/gods-of-dharmapuri)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/gods-of-dharmapuri](https://www.edgepedia.org/gods-of-dharmapuri). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Gods of Dharmapuri\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/gods-of-dharmapuri. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Gods of Dharmapuri is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action drama web series on ZEE5, directed by Anish Yohan Kuruvilla, following the mining mafia's rise to power." }