# Dilruba (film)
**Dilruba** (Telugu: దిలారుబా) is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language romantic action drama film written and directed by Viswa Karun in his debut and starring Kiran Abbavaram, Rukshar Dhillon, Kathy Davison, and Satya.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2025/Mar/14/dilruba-review-striking-moments-trapped-in-a-sea-of-oversimplified-ideas) It was released in India on 14 March 2025 and underperformed commercially, grossing about ₹121.5 million (₹12.15 crore) worldwide.[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Dilruba_2025)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Viswa Karun, in his directorial debut[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2025/Mar/14/dilruba-review-striking-moments-trapped-in-a-sea-of-oversimplified-ideas) |
| Lead cast | Kiran Abbavaram, Rukshar Dhillon, Kathy Davison, Satya, Dayanand Reddy, John Vijay[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2025/Mar/14/dilruba-review-striking-moments-trapped-in-a-sea-of-oversimplified-ideas) • [3](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/dilruba-movie-130406) |
| Release | 14 March 2025 (India), moved from a planned Valentine's Day date to coincide with Holi[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Feb/14/kiran-abbavarams-dilruba-gets-new-release-date) |
| Certification and runtime | CBFC UA 16+, certificate DIL/7/17/2025-HYD dated 10 March 2025, certified length 152.8 minutes[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwNzI2MDIyMDI1MDAwMTU%3D) |
| Music and cinematography | Sam CS (music), Daniel Viswas (cinematography)[3](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/dilruba-movie-130406) |
| Production | Sivam Celluloids with Saregama's Yoodlee Films; producers include Jojo Jose, Ravi, Rakesh Reddy, Vikram Mehra, and Siddharth Anand Kumar[3](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/dilruba-movie-130406) • [6](https://www.telugutimes.net/en/cinemas/cinema-news/the-success-journey-of-dilruba-starts-with-the-premiere-kiran-abbavaram-313141.html) |
| Box office | ₹121.5 million (₹12.15 crore) worldwide gross, of which ₹71 million (₹7.10 crore) was India net, per Sacnilk[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Dilruba_2025) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
Kiran Abbavaram plays Siddharth, a stubborn, heartbroken young man trying to move past his ex-girlfriend Maggie (Kathy Davison). Because of a traumatic experience with Maggie's family, he has a strong aversion to the words "sorry" and "thank you," and he relocates to a college in Mangalore to start over. There, Anjali (Rukshar Dhillon) pursues him persistently until he falls for her, but conflict forces him to confront his refusal to apologize.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2025/Mar/14/dilruba-review-striking-moments-trapped-in-a-sea-of-oversimplified-ideas) A trade synopsis adds that Siddhu reluctantly accepts Anjali's proposal, faces another breakup, and that his ex Maggie returns to make amends while a ruthless goon targets him.[7](https://filmi.ai/film/dilruba-2025/)
## Production and release
The film was announced under the title Dilruba in December 2024, with a February 2025 release target and music by Sam CS.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2024/Dec/20/kiran-abbavarams-next-titled-dilruba) It was initially scheduled for [Valentine's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/valentines-day), 14 February 2025, but was pushed back; the makers announced 14 March, the occasion of Holi, as the new date.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Feb/14/kiran-abbavarams-dilruba-gets-new-release-date) According to TeluguCinema, Abbavaram, coming off the success of his previous film *KA*, instructed the makers to reshoot portions and invest additional effort in post-production, causing the delay.[9](https://telugucinema.com/news/dilruba-declares-its-revised-release-date)
The [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification) cleared the film at [Hyderabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyderabad) with a UA 16+ category on 10 March 2025, with a certified length of 152.8 minutes.[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwNzI2MDIyMDI1MDAwMTU%3D) The film is jointly produced by Sivam Celluloids, Saregama, and Yoodlee Film.[10](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/kiran-abbavarams-dilruba-wraps-up-censor-formalities.html)
## Reception
Critical response was largely negative. The Cinema Express review rated it 2 out of 5, calling it an earnest, character-driven love story that reduces complex emotions to oversimplified life lessons, while praising Sam CS's score and Daniel Viswas's cinematography and noting that Anjali is written with clarity and autonomy.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2025/Mar/14/dilruba-review-striking-moments-trapped-in-a-sea-of-oversimplified-ideas) Gulte gave 2.25 out of 5[11](https://telugu.gulte.com/movie-reviews/114875/dilruba-telugu-review) and TeluguBulletin 2.5 out of 5, saying Abbavaram elevates a routine drama.[12](https://www.telugubulletin.com/dilruba-movie-review-218486) On Rotten Tomatoes, critic Carla Hay described the plot as an unimaginative love triangle stretched to irritating levels, and Srivathsan Nadadhur of *The Hindu* called it a forgettable action-romance undone by its chaotic screenplay.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dilruba_2025) IMDb users gave it 4.2 out of 10 from 134 votes.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35049164/)
## Box office
Sacnilk's tracker reported ₹121.5 million (₹12.15 crore) in worldwide gross over 15 days, comprising ₹81.5 million (₹8.15 crore) India gross (₹71 million (₹7.10 crore) net) and ₹40 million (₹4.00 crore) overseas. Daily net collections opened at ₹15.5 million (₹1.55 crore) on 14 March 2025 and fell below ₹1 million (₹0.1 crore) by day 8.[2](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Dilruba_2025) FilmiBeat's first-quarter report for 2025 Telugu releases listed Dilruba as a flop.[15](https://www.filmibeat.com/top-listing/2025-telugu-movies-first-quarter-report-hit-and-flop-movies-6-4378.html)
## Aftermath
In October 2025, while promoting his next film *[K-Ramp](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-ramp)*, Abbavaram said the treatment was the problem: "No doubt, we touched upon a very good point, but there was an issue with the treatment. The film began in 2021, but unfortunately, we faced huge delays. A film like Dilruba shouldn't be held for so long in production, as there's a high chance the concept loses its essence." He acknowledged that the team could not deliver on the promise.[16](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/as-k-ramp-releases-kiran-abbavaram-reveals-what-went-wrong-with-dilruba-prp.html)
## References
1. [Dilruba review: Striking moments trapped in a sea of oversimplified ideas, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/review/2025/Mar/14/dilruba-review-striking-moments-trapped-in-a-sea-of-oversimplified-ideas)
2. [Dilruba (2025-03-14) – Review, Rating & Box Office Collection, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Dilruba_2025)
3. [Dilruba Movie (2025) – Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/dilruba-movie-130406)
4. [Kiran Abbavaram's Dilruba gets new release date, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2025/Feb/14/kiran-abbavarams-dilruba-gets-new-release-date)
5. [CBFC Search Film: DILRUBA, Central Board of Film Certification](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwNzI2MDIyMDI1MDAwMTU%3D)
6. [The Success Journey of Dilruba starts with the Premiere, Telugu Times](https://www.telugutimes.net/en/cinemas/cinema-news/the-success-journey-of-dilruba-starts-with-the-premiere-kiran-abbavaram-313141.html)
7. [Dilruba (2025) review, box office collection, Filmi](https://filmi.ai/film/dilruba-2025/)
8. [Kiran Abbavaram's next titled Dilruba, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2024/Dec/20/kiran-abbavarams-next-titled-dilruba)
9. ['Dilruba' declares its revised release date, TeluguCinema](https://telugucinema.com/news/dilruba-declares-its-revised-release-date)
10. [Kiran Abbavaram's Dilruba wraps up censor formalities, 123telugu](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/kiran-abbavarams-dilruba-wraps-up-censor-formalities.html)
11. [సమీక్ష – దిల్ రుబా, Gulte](https://telugu.gulte.com/movie-reviews/114875/dilruba-telugu-review)
12. [Dilruba Review: Kiran Abbavaram Elevates a Routine Drama, TeluguBulletin](https://www.telugubulletin.com/dilruba-movie-review-218486)
13. [Dilruba (2025), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dilruba_2025)
14. [Dilruba (2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35049164/)
15. [2025 Telugu Movies First Quarter Report: Hit & Flop Movies, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/top-listing/2025-telugu-movies-first-quarter-report-hit-and-flop-movies-6-4378.html)
16. [As K-Ramp releases, Kiran Abbavaram reveals what went wrong with Dilruba, 123telugu](https://www.123telugu.com/mnews/as-k-ramp-releases-kiran-abbavaram-reveals-what-went-wrong-with-dilruba-prp.html)
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*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 of the 2020s › Telugu films of 2025*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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