Sainikudu (Telugu: సైనికుడు, translation: Soldier) is a Telugu ( Dubbed in Malayalam as Sulthan and Tamil as Kumaran) film which was released on 30 November 2006.Gunasekhar directed this film. The film stars Mahesh Babu and Trisha in pivotal roles. The movie will also see Kamna Jethmalani in an item number as well as a cameo appearance. The film also had Irfan Khan as the main antagonist and Prakash Raj in a supporting role. Harris Jayaraj scored the music for the film. Balasubramaniam handled the camera work while Sreekar Prasad handles the editing. The music of the film was released on 21 October 2006. There was a lot of hype and expectation as this was Mahesh Babu's first film being released after the record breaking Telugu super hit movie Pokiri.

Despite receiving mixed reviews, Sainikudu opened well in India.

The film starts with floods at Rangasaipet in Warangal District. Houses, trains and people inundate in flood water and Siddarth, (Mahesh Babu) a young man saves the people up to his maximum effort. Eight of his friends assist him in the rescue activity.

Mahesh Babu (born Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni on 9 August 1975) is an Indian film actor best known for his work in Telugu cinema. Born to actor Krishna, Mahesh Babu faced the camera at the age of four as a child artist in 1979's Needa. His first leading role was in the film Rajakumarudu, which was released in August 1999.

After playing the role of a young Kabaddi player in the 2003 blockbuster film Okkadu, Mahesh continued in this vein, gaining mass appeal and appearing in many successful films such as Murari (2001), Athadu (2005), Pokiri (2006), Dookudu (2011) and Business Man (2012). These accomplishments, have established him as one of the most sought after actors in Telugu Cinema. He was listed at 5th position among Times 50 Most Desirable Men for the year 2011 and at 12th place the year before.

Mahesh Babu has worked in nine films as a child artist and in seventeen films as a lead actor till date. He has won six Andhra Pradesh state Nandi Awards, two Filmfare Best Telugu Actor Awards and two CineMAA Awards. In addition to the films, he also endorses several brands such as Thums Up, Navratna Oil, Univercell, Amrutanjan,Provogue,Idea, Vivel, Jos Alukkas and Santoor Soap in Andhra Pradesh.

Prakash Rai (born 26 March 1965), better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning film actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam films.He got introduced to films by K. Balachander in the movie Duet (1994). In remembrance, he named his production company "Duet Movies".

He has played a variety of roles, most notably as the antagonist in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil and of late, as a character actor. He is considered to be one amongst the club of natural actors. He has won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998 for Mani Ratnam's Iruvar and a National Film Award for Best Actor in 2009 for his role in Kanchivaram, a Tamil film directed by Priyadarshan.

Prakash Raj was born to a ethnic Bunt family in Puttur, Karnataka on 26 March 1965. He did his schooling from St.Joseph's Indian High School in Bangalore. He later joined St. Josephs College of commerce, Bangalore, where he participated in many plays.^{[citation needed]}