Good Time (2026) Review – Rating, Verdict & Box Office | Tollybo
Last updated: 27 Oct 2026
Good Time (2026) Review
Released on 9 Oct 2026, Good Time (2026) is a Telugu drama, thriller movie starring Nikhil Gajula, anyuktha nallani, soundarya lahari. Directed by Chanakya Jilla. 'Good Time' follows Jaani, a young cab driver whose life is caught between love, gambling, and bad luck. As everything around him begins to fall apart, he keeps waiting for the one thing he believes will change his life: his Good Time. Our Rating: 2/5. Verdict: DISASTER. Runtime: 2h 15m.


Good Time(2026)
Telugu · Drama, Thriller
2h 15m · 9 Oct 2026
Writer: Abhiram Rayaprolu
Ratings
Our Rating
2
📖 Story
Janaki Ram alias Johnny works as a cab driver in Alwal, Hyderabad, and occasionally gets involved in online betting. His mother works for a local political leader named Rider Ganga. When a college girl named Nischala enters Johnny's life, his romantic track goes fine until mounting debts, his mother's loans, and unexpected twists from his lover push him into a web of troubles. The core story follows whether Johnny successfully manages to clear his problems and find his good time.
Good Time is a youth-centric fun drama that attempts to explore relevant Gen-Z themes like avoiding bad habits, betting, and making wise choices during one's formative years, but it fails to fully impress due to uneven execution. The film establishes a sensible core point about how a person's youth and decisions shape their future, steering clear of substances, bad company, and gambling. However, the narration often fluctuates in tone, shifting from an message-oriented approach back to routine commercial formulas. While the intent of the young team is appreciable, the overall structure lacks the consistent tightness required to keep the audience hooked throughout.
The first half of the movie takes its own sweet time to establish the primary plot, moving along a routine flow before finally diving into the actual conflicts. The introduction of the protagonist and his everyday struggles with cab driving and small-time bets feels familiar without offering much novelty. Although the humor works in bits and pieces, the narrative pacing remains slow during the initial portions as it sets up the character dynamics. It takes a while for the story to pick up momentum, leaving viewers waiting for the core conflict to genuinely take off and drive the narrative forward with real urgency.
The second half drops in momentum compared to the first half, experiencing a noticeable dip in the comedy dosage and overall narrative grip. Subplots involving the second heroine and the predictable political angles unfold in a standard fashion without offering any exciting surprises. The climax portion ends up being largely predictable, wrapping up the confrontations between Johnny and Rider Ganga in a rather simple manner instead of delivering an intense or high-impact face-off. While the second half tries to generate fun through dual love tracks and twists, the execution feels stretched and slightly repetitive.
Looking at the performances, debutant young hero Nikhil Gajula handles his multi-shaded role quite well and manages a confident performance in his first film. Anyuktha Nallani looks good on screen and fits her character neatly, adding decent value to the romantic segments. MC Hari, playing Rider Ganga, leaves a distinct mark with his crazy role, while Soundharya Lahari and the rest of the supporting cast do justice to their respective boundaries. Direction-wise, Chanakya Jilla picks a contemporary concept suited for modern youth, but his screenplay and narrative grip falter in the second half, missing the opportunity to maximize the entertainment dosage.
On the technical front, the production values are quite commendable for a young team, as they maintained decent quality standards without visible compromises. Nirvan Atreya delivers trendy and youthful music tracks that appeal well to the younger crowd, complemented by Anvesh Yadav's neat camera work. The editing in the second half, however, could have been much crisper to eliminate slow moments and improve the narrative flow. Overall technical execution is decent, though stronger screenplay writing would have elevated the project to a much higher level.
In conclusion, Good Time is a below-average youth entertainer that works only in parts due to its routine narrative style and uneven second half. While the young cast puts in sincere efforts and the core message about youth decisions is good, the lack of fresh screenplay moments and a predictable climax hold it back. It is like a fun road trip where the starting scenic views look promising, but the middle stretch hits too many speed bumps before ending with a standard destination.
Nikhil Gajula: Puts up a confident debut performance, balancing multiple shades of his character reasonably well.
Anyuktha Nallani: Fits her role neatly with good screen presence and decent performance in the romantic track.
MC Hari: Appears in a crazy role as Rider Ganga and leaves a notable impression on screen.
Soundharya Lahari: Performs adequately within her character's scope to support the youthful narrative.
💪 Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ✓Trendy and youthful music score by Nirvan Atreya
- ✓Sincere performances by the young lead cast
- ✓Relevant core message aimed at Gen-Z regarding life choices
- ✓Neat production values and clean cinematography
Weaknesses
- ✕Slow and routine narration in the first half
- ✕Dropping comedy dosage and lagging screenplay in the second half
- ✕Predictable climax and mundane political subplots
- ✕Editing could have been crisper to avoid sluggish moments
🎬 Direction & Writing
Chanakya Jilla chooses a contemporary Gen-Z theme focusing on the consequences of wrong decisions during youth. While the basic idea and setup show promise, the execution loses direction in the second half, and a tighter screenplay was needed to maintain full engagement.
📰 Critic Reviews
📰 Ratings Sources
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Our Rating
💰 Box Office Collection
No collection data available yet.
🏛️ Centers & 🏅 Awards
No centers data available.
No awards data available.
😊 Sentiment Breakdown & 🧠 Critics
| Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Positive | 25% |
| Neutral | 45% |
| Negative | 30% |
Critics
Critics noted that Good Time features a relevant youth-oriented concept and sincere performances from debutants, but it suffers from a routine first half, a lagging second half, and predictable writing that prevent it from being fully engaging.
Final Box-Office Result
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
When did Good Time release in theatres?▾
Good Time released on 9 October 2026 (2026).
Is Good Time a hit or flop?▾
Good Time is declared a DISASTER at the box office.
What is the budget of Good Time?▾
Budget of Good Time is approximately ₹1 Crore.
Where to watch Good Time online? OTT release date?▾
Good Time OTT release date not announced yet.
Who directed Good Time?▾
Good Time directed by Chanakya Jilla.
Who are the main cast members of Good Time?▾
Good Time stars Nikhil Gajula, anyuktha nallani, soundarya lahari, hrithik shetty, Dhanraj Vineet.
What is the Tollybo rating for Good Time?▾
Tollybo rates Good Time 2/5. Verdict: DISASTER.
What is the genre and runtime of Good Time?▾
Good Time — Genre: Drama, Thriller, Runtime: 135 minutes, Language: Telugu.
