Ground

<p>This is the story of a group of teenage boys who play cricket in the ground every Sunday. Hari and Teju are in love with each other, and Hari is mad about playing cricket. One day when Hari and his group of friends go to the ground to play cricket, they get into an argument with another group of boys playing nearby. The arguments escalate to Hari making his team agree to play a bet cricket match with the opposite team. The story unfolds to show whether Hari’s team won the bet match or not, and how it affected his love story with Teju. This is a single-location film, having the entire movie taking place within a ground. The incidents in the film amount to only 2-3 hours in real-time. The background score was composed by Bhaskar Appalla. was released theatrically on 23 February 2024. is digitally available on . The movie received mixed to positive reviews from the critics. Sarvepalli Bhavana from gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, and stated, “Ground breaks away from the conventions of mainstream Telugu cinema, presenting a refreshingly natural narrative. Shot with natural lighting and minimal resources, the film exudes authenticity, a departure from the formulaic approach of mainstream cinema.” Suhas Sistu of gave 2.75 stars out of 5 and stated, “In the realm of Telugu cinema, where big-budget spectacles often dominate the landscape, Ground emerges as a refreshing and distinctive gem.” and concluded with “Suraj’s directorial debut is a testament to the potential of storytelling beyond the mainstream.” Suresh Rachamalla of gave 2.75 stars out of 5 and verdicted, “Each character feels important in the story, and with new actors the storyline felt fresh. But the story has some lag scenes.” Nelki Naresh Kumar of gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and said, “The movie took too much time to introduce the characters, and the comedy did not evoke much laughter. But the newcomers Hari and Tejaswini acted well in their roles. Bhaskar’s music and Jaheer’s cinematography complemented director Suraj’s fresh attempt.” A critic of gave a positive review to the film and stated, “The entire movie is shot either in the ground or in the locations nearby to the ground. There have been cricket based movies earlier, but this movie is different from them.”</p>