Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Korean Kanakaraju review: horror comedy mocked for racist stereotypes
There is a new movie from India called Korean Kanakaraju.
It is a scary movie and a funny movie at the same time.
The movie is about a boy named Kanakaraju who lives in a small village.
One day, the spirit of a Korean man enters his body, and he starts acting like a different person.
The movie also has a girl who really likes Korean pop culture, and the movie makes jokes about her.
The person who wrote the review says these jokes are mean because they make fun of Korean people.
He thinks making fun of the way Korean people speak and eat is not real comedy.
The reviewer liked one funny actor named Satya and the nice colors in the movie.
But he did not like the ending, which uses computer-made pictures that look fake.
Overall, he thinks the movie had a good idea but did not use it well.
Korean Kanakaraju is a Telugu horror comedy starring Varun Tej as a village youth possessed by a Korean man's spirit.
The review accuses the film of racism, saying it mocks Korean culture and reduces Ritika Nayak's character to a K-pop stereotype.
Comedian Satya, playing Kanakaraju's best friend, is praised as the film's brightest spot.
The second half, recycled gags, predictable jump scares and an AI/CGI climax are heavily criticized.
Thaman S's songs and Manojh Reddy's cinematography earn praise; the film runs 2 hours 36 minutes.
- Who
- Varun Tej plays Kanakaraju, Ritika Nayak plays the female lead, and Satya plays the best friend; an unnamed critic wrote the review.
- What
- Korean Kanakaraju, a Telugu horror comedy about a Rayalaseema village youth possessed by a Korean man's spirit, receives a sharply critical review accusing it of racism and weak storytelling.
- When
- Not stated in the article.
- Where
- Anantapur and Penukonda in Rayalaseema, Andhra Pradesh, where a Kia manufacturing plant brings Korean and Telugu communities together.
- Why
- Kanakaraju's run-in with his arch nemesis leads to an unexpected encounter, and he ends up possessed by the spirit of a Korean man who dies in a freak accident.
Supportive view of the film
Critical view of the film
Treatment of Korean culture
Supportive view of the film
The film is built around the real cultural collision between Rayalaseema and Korea, where a car factory brought the communities together, and aims for comedy in that meeting.
Critical view of the film
The comedy mocks Korean culture through stereotypical jokes about how Korean people speak and eat, and turns a young Indian woman's genuine enthusiasm for another culture into a joke.
Overall entertainment value
Supportive view of the film
The premise is novel for Telugu cinema, Varun Tej's dual performance shows visible commitment, Thaman S's songs were already popular, and Satya's comic timing keeps stretches watchable.
Critical view of the film
The second half collapses, gags are recycled, the horror is reduced to predictable jump scares, and the AI-generated CGI climax is executed so poorly it questions the film as a concept.
- Film
- Korean Kanakaraju
- Genre
- Horror comedy
- Lead actor
- Varun Tej
- Supporting cast
- Ritika Nayak, Satya
- Setting
- Anantapur and Penukonda, Rayalaseema
- Runtime
- 2 hours 36 minutes
- Music
- Thaman S
- Cinematography
- Manojh Reddy