Sobhita Dhulipala is finally back in Telugu cinema after nearly six years, and she has not taken the safe or predictable route.
Her next film, Cheekatilo, is a dark, grounded thriller that puts the entire spotlight on her. Streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video from January 23, the film also marks her first release after her marriage to Naga Chaitanya which makes it even more special.
Right from the trailer, it is clear that Cheekatilo is not built on glamour but content and performance. Sobhita appears intense and quietly unsettling. She plays Sandhya, a television news anchor who walks away from her job and turns into a true crime podcaster.
What begins as a personal passion project slowly pulls her into a disturbing web of unresolved murders and long buried secrets. Her look, dialogue delivery, and screen presence feel powerful, real, and well researched.
Directed by Sharan Kopishetty, Cheekatilo blends investigative journalism, podcast culture, and psychological suspense in a way Telugu cinema rarely attempts.
The story explores Hyderabad’s darker corners, linking present day crimes to incidents from over two decades ago. As Sandhya digs deeper, the danger becomes personal, with the deaths of close friends and unsettling revelations that push the narrative into far more serious territory.
What stands out most is how central Sobhita’s character is to the film. Sandhya is not an accessory to the plot; she is the plot. This recalls Sobhita’s earlier impactful performances in Goodachari and Major, where her roles carried weight and consequence. Once again, she chooses a character that demands emotional control, intelligence, and restraint.
From Made in Heaven to The Night Manager, and now Cheekatilo, Sobhita has built a reputation for being a powerhouse talent on OTT.
With Amazon Prime Video, a platform known for exceptional content, backing the project, Cheekatilo has the potential to become a memorable milestone in her career. Going by the trailer buzz, it seems audiences who enjoy serious investigative thrillers are in for a treat.
