General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20263 min read

D/o Prasad Rao: Kanabadutaledu

D/o Prasad Rao: Kanabadutaledu (D/o ప్రసాద్ రావు: కనబడుటలేదు) is an Indian Telugu-language crime thriller streaming television series released on ZEE5 on 27 February 2026. It follows Prasad Rao, a father who searches for his missing daughter Swathi with Officer Rebecca Joseph, as a missing-persons case unravels into a web of harassment and dark secrets.¹

Key fact	Detail
Title meaning	"Kanabadutaledu" translates to "she is not to be seen", referring to the daughter's disappearance²
Platform and date	ZEE5, 27 February 2026, Telugu audio with English subtitles¹
Format	One season of six episodes, each roughly 18 to 29 minutes³
Director and producer	Poluru Krishna (director and screenplay); K.V. Sri Ram, production house South India Screens⁴
Lead cast	Rajeev Kanakala as Prasad Rao, Udaya Bhanu as Rebecca Joseph, Vasanthika as Swathi¹
Genre and rating	Crime, drama, thriller; certified U/A 16+¹
Audience score	8.1/10 on IMDb from 104 ratings⁵

Spoilers

Premise and story

Prasad Rao, a grocery-store owner in Chittoor district, has a daughter, Swathi, the first graduate in the family. When Swathi gets a job in Hyderabad, he initially hesitates to send her, but agrees at the request of relatives and helps her settle in a hostel there. One month after she joins the job, Swathi goes missing, and the news becomes a media sensation.⁶

The six episodes trace the investigation. In the first, "A Father's Worst Nightmare", Prasad Rao reluctantly allows Swathi to move to Hyderabad and is forced to return there when she disappears. In the second, "The Truth That Broke Me", her disappearance reaches the media and forces the police to act; Officer Revika Joseph and Prasad Rao discover Swati's body, and his knowledge of the location raises questions. Later episodes follow the interrogation of Swati's roommates, the search of her phone, and a lead about her whereabouts on the day of her death; in the fifth, Prasad Rao regains consciousness but cannot remember his daughter's death, shocking the family. The finale is titled "A Father's Justice".⁷

Cast and crew

Rajeev Kanakala plays Prasad Rao, Udaya Bhanu plays Officer Rebecca Joseph, and Vasanthika plays Swathi. Gayathri Bhargavi appears as Bhavani and Bindhu Mouli as Sujatha; the supporting cast includes Sriram Venkat in a significant role.¹^•⁸

Behind the camera, Poluru Krishna directed and wrote the screenplay, with dialogue by Maidala Shruti. Sri Ram Maddury composed the background score, Ram K Mahesh handled cinematography, and Chandrashekar G.V. edited the series.⁴

Reception

Professional reviews were mixed, praising the performances while criticizing the writing and climax. 123telugu.com rated the series 2.5/5, calling it a well-intended crime thriller with a good message that falters in execution; the review noted that the antagonist's character feels underdeveloped, that major reveals in the final episode feel heavily rushed, and that the investigation portions are generic and lack logic in places.⁶ NTV Telugu gave 2.75/5, crediting the background score and cinematography and calling the series an engaging murder mystery.² The South India Times rated it 3.25/5.⁸ A Moneycontrol review found the performances of Rajeev Kanakala, Vasanthika, and Udaya Bhanu convincing, but judged the script weak and the big reveals too quick, concluding it was not a fully fulfilling thriller.⁹

Audience response on IMDb was more favorable: the series holds 8.1/10 from 104 ratings, with episode 2 rated 8.4.⁵

Availability

The series streams on ZEE5, both by subscription and free with ads, in India.¹⁰ JustWatch lists a typical episode runtime of about 23 minutes.¹⁰

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026