General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Nayanam

Nayanam (నయనం) is a 2025 Telugu-language streaming television series, a psychological thriller with science-fiction elements produced as a ZEE5 original. It follows Dr Nayan, an ophthalmologist whose illegal experiments let him see into the private lives of his patients through their eyes, an obsession that draws him into a murder mystery.¹ The six-episode series premiered on ZEE5 on 19 December 2025 and marks the streaming debut of actor Varun Sandesh.²

Key fact	Detail
Platform and premiere	ZEE5 Telugu original, all six episodes released 19 December 2025¹
Genre and rating	Thriller, Sci-Fi, Mystery; U/A 16+; Telugu audio with English subtitles¹
Premise	An ophthalmologist injects a fluid into patients' eyes that lets him watch their lives through special glasses for four minutes; he witnesses a patient murdering her husband³
Lead cast	Varun Sandesh (Nayan), Priyanka M Jain (Madhavi), Uttej (Gowri Shankar), Ali Reza (Harishchandra), Rekha Nirosha (Kavitha), Hari Munnangi (Bose)⁴
Key crew	Written and directed by Swathi Prakash Mantripragada; screenplay Kalyan Kagitapu; music Ajay Arasada; cinematography Shoeb Siddiqui; editing Venkata Krishna Chikkala⁴^•⁵
Production	SRT Entertainments, producers Ram Talluri and Rajani Talluri⁵
Reception	IMDb 6.4/10 from 88 votes; OTTplay review 3/5; crossed 100 million streaming minutes on ZEE5 by 8 February 2026⁶^•³^•⁷

Spoilers

Premise

Dr Nayan runs an eye clinic for people in need and is regarded as a saviour for his low-cost eye treatments, but he secretly carries out experiments in the clinic that let him look at the personal lives of his patients through their lenses.¹ According to the OTTplay review, he injects a fluid into his patients' eyes with special properties: wearing special glasses, Nayan can watch what happens in a patient's life for four minutes.³

The murder. Nayan uses the device on Madhavi, the wife of Gowri Shankar, and his obsession with her leads him to witness a disturbing event: he sees her murdering her husband.¹^•³ The Times of India's synopsis adds that the doctor accidentally witnesses a murder through his surveillance system, a report the authorities ignore, and the story turns on the secrets this exposes.² The series frames the plot as a question of how far a person will go to uncover a truth that can destroy him.⁸

Episodes

All six episodes were released together on 19 December 2025, with runtimes between roughly 26 and 38 minutes.¹^•¹²

"The Eye Beyond" (about 26 minutes)
"Through Her Eyes" (about 30 minutes)
"The Watcher Is Watched" (about 29 minutes)
"The Echoes Of Deceit" (about 34 minutes)
"The Door Behind The Eye" (about 29 minutes)
"The Scars Of Silence" (about 38 minutes)

Cast and production

Varun Sandesh, known for Telugu films such as Happy Days and Kotha Bangaru Lokam, plays Dr Nayan in his first streaming lead.⁹ Priyanka M Jain, known from the reality show Bigg Boss, plays Madhavi; Uttej plays Gowri Shankar, Ali Reza plays Harishchandra, Rekha Nirosha plays Kavitha, and Hari Munnangi plays Bose.⁴^•⁸

The series was written and directed by Swathi Prakash Mantripragada, with the screenplay by Kalyan Kagitapu.⁴ Ajay Arasada composed the background score, Shoeb Siddiqui handled cinematography, and Venkata Krishna Chikkala edited.⁵ It was produced by Ram Talluri and Rajani Talluri under SRT Entertainments.⁵ ZEE5 released the trailer on 9 December 2025 and positioned the show as one of its two year-end Telugu originals for 2025, alongside The Great Pre-Wedding Show.¹⁰^•¹¹

Reception

The series holds a 6.4/10 rating on IMDb from 88 user votes.⁶ Critics described it as a slow-burn thriller with a strong premise but uneven execution. The OTTplay review, rating it 3/5, called Varun Sandesh's performance one of his career best and credited Ajay Arasada's score and the lighting, while noting that the series starts on a dull note and lacks clarity early on.³ A Flickonclick review similarly found the beginning confusing and slow, praised Sandesh's committed performance and the middle-episode twists, and criticized the weak narration, uneven pacing, and a predictable final act.¹³ A Telugu Prabha review rated it 2.5/5, calling it a great idea with average execution.¹⁴

Viewership. ZEE5 announced on 8 February 2026 that the series had crossed 100 million streaming minutes on the platform.⁷

Other works of the same name

The title Nayanam has also been used for an unrelated Telugu drama film, listed for 2026 release, in which the businesswoman Sunayana investigates her sister Nayana's alleged suicide; it stars Ester Noronha and Noel Sean and is directed by Kranthi Kumar Vadlamudi.¹⁵ An earlier Telugu film of the same title, a drama released on 15 October 2021, shares the same premise of a wealthy businesswoman investigating her sister's suspicious suicide.¹⁶

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › Telugu serials

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

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