Venkatesh Daggubati celebrates 40 years in Telugu cinema with his first look as Lt. Colonel Venkat Reddy from Anil Ravipudi’s upcoming film.

Venkatesh Daggubati and director Anil Ravipudi are collaborating again for an upcoming family entertainer, tentatively titled VenkyAnil5. As Venkatesh completed 40 years in the film industry on Friday, the makers released his first look and revealed his character as Lt. Colonel Venkat Reddy.

In the poster, Venkatesh wears an Indian Army camouflage uniform, sunglasses and a scarf. He stands beside a rugged SUV, giving the character a strong military appearance. The poster reveals that Venkat Reddy is an Army officer specialising in counter-terrorism and hostage negotiation.

The military symbols, rocky setting and large vehicle suggest an adventurous and serious story.

The makers shared the poster with the message, “Introducing Victory VenkyMama garu as Lt. Colonel Venkat Reddy,” while celebrating his “40 glorious years” in Telugu cinema.

The film marks Anil Ravipudi’s fifth collaboration with Venkatesh after F2, F3, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam and MSG. The makers had earlier introduced Kalyan Ram’s character and announced that the first shooting schedule was completed.

Keerthy Suresh will star opposite Venkatesh, while Krithi Shetty is paired with Kalyan Ram. The film is planned for a Sankranthi release next year.

GV Prakash Kumar is composing the music, with Sameer Reddy handling cinematography. Tammiraju is the editor, while AS Prakash is overseeing production design. S Krishna serves as executive producer.

The latest first look has increased interest in Venkatesh’s new military character and his reunion with Ravipudi.