# Tholi Prema (తొలిప్రేమ) (1998 film)
**Tholi Prema** (తొలిప్రేమ, "First Love") is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by A. Karunakaran, starring [Pawan Kalyan](https://www.edgepedia.org/pawan-kalyan) as Balu and [Keerthi Reddy](https://www.edgepedia.org/keerthi-reddy) as Anu, with music by Deva. Produced by G. V. G. Raju under the SSC Arts banner, it was released on 24 July 1998, ran for 146 minutes, and went on to win the [National Film Award for Best Feature Film](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-award-for-best-feature-film) in Telugu and six Nandi Awards.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/) • [2](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/71_46thNfacatalogue.pdf) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/awards/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 24 July 1998 (India), Telugu language, 146 minutes (2h 26m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/) |
| Lead pair | Pawan Kalyan as Balu; Keerthi Reddy as Anu[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/) |
| Director / producer | A. Karunakaran (also story and screenplay); G. V. G. Raju, SSC Arts[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tholi_prema/cast-and-crew) • [5](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/tholi-prema/cast-crew.html) |
| Music | Deva; songs include "Ee Manase Se Se", "Emayendo Emo", "Gagananiki Udayam", and "Emi Sodaraa"[6](https://rajamusicbank.com/songs/Actor/pawan-kalyan/Tholi-Prema/731.html) |
| National honor | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu for 1998, with a Rajat Kamal and Rs 20,000 each to the producer and director[2](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/71_46thNfacatalogue.pdf) |
| State honors | Six Nandi Awards for 1998, including First Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, and Best First Film of a Director[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/awards/) • [7](https://apsftvtdc.in/pdf/Nandi-Film-Awards-GOs-and-Results/Nandi%20film%20Awards%201998.pdf) |
| Audience rating | 8.3/10 on IMDb from about 5,400 votes[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Balu, the youngest member of a lively family, falls in love at first sight with Anu, who has arrived from the United States to stay with her grandfather after her parents died in a plane crash. She is unaware of his feelings, and the difficulties he faces in winning her heart form the story.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/) • [9](https://www.plotexplained.com/movie/tholiprema-1998)
Anu's hobby is collecting the autographs of people who do good things, and she first approaches Balu after he saves a child on a motorway.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/plotsummary/) When a reckless lorry driver causes her car to slip into a valley, Balu tries to rescue her and falls into the chasm himself; a passing truck driver saves him, and he wakes in a hospital with Anu at his side.[9](https://www.plotexplained.com/movie/tholiprema-1998) Guided by his sister Priya, a medical student who counsels patience, Balu cultivates a friendship rather than pressing a romantic claim.[9](https://www.plotexplained.com/movie/tholiprema-1998)
The film closes as Anu prepares to leave for Harvard University. At the airport she asks Balu for his autograph, holding the same autograph she had wanted after the motorway rescue, and realizes she loves him and cannot leave without acknowledging her feelings.[9](https://www.plotexplained.com/movie/tholiprema-1998) The National Film Award citation describes the film as "an unusual love story about two friends who confess their feelings for each other at the end of the film, which is a break from the run-of-the-mill film".[2](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/71_46thNfacatalogue.pdf)
## Production
While in Chennai, Karunakaran, a Tamil filmmaker on his debut project, saw Pawan Kalyan's picture on the front of a Telugu film magazine and became convinced the actor suited the main role in an unconventional love story. After hearing the script, Pawan Kalyan introduced him to G. V. G. Raju, who had produced the actor's earlier *Gokulamlo Seeta* (1997). A replica of the [Taj Mahal](https://www.edgepedia.org/taj-mahal) was built at Mahabalipuram for the song "Gagananiki Udayam".[11](https://tollywooddesk.com/movie/tholi-prema-1998/) According to a Telugu Filmibeat report, many people advised Pawan Kalyan not to do the film when he first heard the story, but after release it exceeded expectations.[12](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/box-office/dil-raju-about-pawan-kalyan-tholi-prema-movie-box-office-collections-115098.html)
Credits for cinematography differ between databases: IMDb credits Mahidhar,[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/fullcredits/) Filmibeat credits Chota K. Naidu,[5](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/tholi-prema/cast-crew.html) and Filmsadda lists Maheedhar and Chota K. Naidu together.[14](https://www.filmsadda.com/tholi-prema-1998.html) Marthand K. Venkatesh edited the film and Anand Sai was the art director.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/fullcredits/) • [5](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/tholi-prema/cast-crew.html)
## Music
Deva, a Tamil music director, composed the soundtrack. Songs listed for the film include "Ee Manase Se Se", "Emayendo Emo", "Gagananiki Udayam", and "Emi Sodaraa".[6](https://rajamusicbank.com/songs/Actor/pawan-kalyan/Tholi-Prema/731.html) Playback singers on the credits include [S. P. Balasubrahmanyam](https://www.edgepedia.org/s-p-balasubrahmanyam) and [K. S. Chithra](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-s-chithra).[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/fullcredits/) Telugu press coverage at the film's re-release described Deva's songs as still attracting listeners a generation later.[12](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/box-office/dil-raju-about-pawan-kalyan-tholi-prema-movie-box-office-collections-115098.html)
## Reception and awards
The film was a commercial success. Producer-distributor [Dil Raju](https://www.edgepedia.org/dil-raju) said in an interview that he bought the Nizam distribution rights for 7.2 million rupees (72 lakh rupees), that the total distributor share reached 20 million (2 crore) 8 million (80 lakh), and that the entire investment came back from a single theater, Sandhya 70mm at RTC Cross Road in [Hyderabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyderabad), where the film ran for 217 days; he called it the film that first established him as a profitable distributor.[12](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/box-office/dil-raju-about-pawan-kalyan-tholi-prema-movie-box-office-collections-115098.html) IMDb's trivia page separately records a 365-day run at the Sandhya theater in Hyderabad.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/)
At the 46th [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards), *Tholi Prema* won Best Feature Film in Telugu for 1998, with a Rajat Kamal and a cash prize of Rs 20,000 each to producer G.V.G. Raju and director A. Karunakaran.[2](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/71_46thNfacatalogue.pdf) The Andhra Pradesh state [Nandi Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/nandi-awards) for 1998 named it First Best Feature Film, ahead of *Kante Kooturne Kanu* and *Ganesh*.[7](https://apsftvtdc.in/pdf/Nandi-Film-Awards-GOs-and-Results/Nandi%20film%20Awards%201998.pdf) Its six Nandi Awards also included Best Screenplay and Best First Film of a Director for Karunakaran, Best Editor for Marthand K. Venkatesh, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Vasuki, who played Priya.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/awards/) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 8.3/10 from about 5,400 users.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/ratings/)
## Legacy and re-release
The film is widely treated as Pawan Kalyan's breakthrough and a milestone of his career, and Telugu commentary has called it a benchmark for love stories.[11](https://tollywooddesk.com/movie/tholi-prema-1998/) • [15](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/pawan-kalyan-all-time-classic-movie-tholiprema-is-ready-for-rerelease-394028.html?noamp=mobile) Its title was reused for a 2018 Telugu film directed by Venky Atluri starring [Varun Tej](https://www.edgepedia.org/varun-tej) and Raashi Khanna, which reviewers noted borrowed the name of the 1998 Pawan Kalyan film.[16](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/tholi-prema-review-5058224/lite/)
For the film's 25th anniversary, Sri Matha Creations re-released it in 300 theaters across the Telugu states on 30 June 2023, in a 4K restoration, and fans filled theaters, with social media flooded by clips from the screenings.[17](https://deccanfilm.com/a-part-of-the-earnings-from-tholi-premas-re-release-will-go-towards-pawan-kalyans-rythu-bharosa-yatra-raghuram-reddy-producer-of-sri-matha-creations/) • [18](https://tv9telugu.com/videos/entertainment-videos/pawan-kalyan-fans-damaged-tholi-prema-re-release-theatre-screen-in-vijayawada-kaparthi-theatre-telugu-entertainment-video-995027.html) The film also streams on Vi Movies and TV in India and carries a U (all ages) certification from the [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification).[19](https://filmi.ai/film/tholi-prema-1998/)
## References
1. [Tholi Prema (1998), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/)
2. [46th National Film Awards catalogue, Directorate of Film Festivals, Government of India](https://dff.nic.in/images/Documents/71_46thNfacatalogue.pdf)
3. [Tholi Prema (1998) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/awards/)
4. [Tholi Prema: Full Cast & Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tholi_prema/cast-and-crew)
5. [Tholi Prema Cast & Crew, Filmibeat](https://filmibeat.com/telugu/movies/tholi-prema/cast-crew.html)
6. [Tholi Prema song list, Raja Music Bank](https://rajamusicbank.com/songs/Actor/pawan-kalyan/Tholi-Prema/731.html)
7. [A.P. State Nandi Awards for Feature Films, 1998](https://apsftvtdc.in/pdf/Nandi-Film-Awards-GOs-and-Results/Nandi%20film%20Awards%201998.pdf)
8. [Tholi Prema (1998) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/ratings/)
9. [Tholi Prema (1998) Plot Summary Explained, Plot Explained](https://www.plotexplained.com/movie/tholiprema-1998)
10. [Tholi Prema (1998) – Plot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/plotsummary/)
11. [Tholi Prema (1998): Release Date, Cast & Director, Tollywood Desk](https://tollywooddesk.com/movie/tholi-prema-1998/)
12. [Dil Raju about Pawan Kalyan Tholi Prema box office collections, Telugu Filmibeat](https://telugu.filmibeat.com/box-office/dil-raju-about-pawan-kalyan-tholi-prema-movie-box-office-collections-115098.html)
13. [Tholi Prema (1998) – Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248547/fullcredits/)
14. [Tholi Prema 1998 Movie Online, Filmsadda](https://www.filmsadda.com/tholi-prema-1998.html)
15. [Pawan Kalyan: ప్రేమ కథలకి ఈ సినిమా ఒక బెంచ్ మార్క్, NTV Telugu](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/pawan-kalyan-all-time-classic-movie-tholiprema-is-ready-for-rerelease-394028.html?noamp=mobile)
16. [Tholi Prema review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/tholi-prema-review-5058224/lite/)
17. [A part of the earnings from Tholi Prema's re-release will go towards Pawan Kalyan's Rythu Bharosa Yatra, Deccan Film](https://deccanfilm.com/a-part-of-the-earnings-from-tholi-premas-re-release-will-go-towards-pawan-kalyans-rythu-bharosa-yatra-raghuram-reddy-producer-of-sri-matha-creations/)
18. [Pawan Kalyan Fans: తొలిప్రేమ రీరిలీజ్, TV9 Telugu](https://tv9telugu.com/videos/entertainment-videos/pawan-kalyan-fans-damaged-tholi-prema-re-release-theatre-screen-in-vijayawada-kaparthi-theatre-telugu-entertainment-video-995027.html)
19. [Tholi Prema, Filmi.ai](https://filmi.ai/film/tholi-prema-1998/)
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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 before 2000*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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