Nikhil Siddhartha’s Swayambhu locks release date

It has been nearly three years since actor Nikhil Siddhartha had a film release. His last big outing, Spy (2023), failed at the box office, while another project, Appudo Ippudo Eppudo — delayed for years — finally released in 2024 and made no impact at box office. Since then, Nikhil has been working on a series of upcoming films, the most ambitious among them being Swayambhu.

The makers have now announced that this historical action drama will hit the screens on February 13, 2026. The team also released a video confirming that the shoot has been completed.

The announcement video features Nikhil introducing his horse, Maruthi, and showcases his physical transformation into a warrior. Mounted on a grand scale, the film explores India’s cultural heritage through the story of a formidable warrior. Samyuktha and Nabha Natesh play the female leads in this historical action drama.

Titled Rise of Swayambhu, the video offers a glimpse into the film’s extensive world-building and massive set work, hinting at a vision that stretches beyond a single film. It also introduces KK Senthil Kumar as the cinematographer and KGF composer Ravi Basrur as the music director.

Directed by Bharat Krishnamachari and produced by Bhuvan and Sreekar, Swayambhu is one of the highest-budget films of Nikhil’s career. The actor is placing strong hopes on the project, which he considers a landmark in his filmography. Nikhil’s Karthikeya 2 was a major success in 2022 in both Telugu and the Hindi belt, and the team now plans to release Swayambhu in multiple languages beyond Telugu.

“170 days of shoot. Two years of relentless pursuit. Extreme hurdles. Finally bringing to you all the untold story of a common man who had to become a warrior,” Nikhil wrote on social media.