Pushpa 2 Shatters Box Office Records Despite Underwhelming Content
No doubt, reigning star Allu Arjun drew record-breaking openings on day one and shattered records of even Hindi films like ‘Jawan’ by drawing more than Rs 150-odd crores on the first day itself. “It is true that Allu Arjun’s film has breached all box office records and has established a new day one record in Indian cinema,’ says producer M S Raju, who claims that is a proud moment for Telugu cinema. “No doubt, Allu Arjun who started his career with ‘Gangotri’ moved up the ladder with his hard work and talent and reached the enviable stage with ‘Pushpa The Rule'. I would like to tap Sukumar on his back for his vision and immense hard work for the film,” he adds.
On Mythri Movie Makers reportedly went through a few sleepless nights due to re-shoots, postponement of shootings and release, and so on. “I admire their patience under pressure but they stood like a rock,” he quips.
Coming back to collections, it is learned that there is a drop in collections in the Telugu states and also the Hindi version on the second day. “There is a dip in the collection which may be due to higher ticket rates. After slow morning shows, collections have been picked for matinee and night shows. It will do better once the ticket rate climbs down after every four days since the producer chose the ‘flexible’ rate option” he says and adds, “When few big stars are clamoring to release their films safely during festivals, this film has come during working days and yet spinning box office magic,’ he points out.
However, the action-adventure received mixed responses due to underwhelming content and too many hero elevations, like the first scene, where the hero speaks fluent Japanese. “There is no benchmark for perfect commercial film and few misses are bound to happen here and there. When the audience have lapped it, the criticism is going to fizzle out,” he points out. It was nothing but a man show of Allu Arjun and overlooking the content. “There is always a director behind such fiery episodes and I think it’s a celebration of heroism. I hope that Sukumar wanted elevations and content wasn’t his priority this time. You have to enhance heroic acts, tweak a few characters, and put in more muscle-flexing scenes, otherwise, why should we make a sequel?
Actresses like Rashmika and Sreeleela getting a raw deal in this hero-worship film, ‘I disagree since Rashmika played a significant role and is almost similar to her nice performance in ‘Animal’. Sreeleela is young and showcased her dancing prowess and provided some relief,” he explains.
Returning to collections, Allu Arjun’s charisma is expected to set new records in Telugu states and it is expected to touch the Rs 200 crore mark after making Rs 90 crore to date. Besides, the Hindi version is going to be a profitable venture for Hindi distributors who bought the film for Rs 200 crore and expected to cross Rs 300 crore. “I can’t talk figures but it is going to establish new collections records in the days to come, " he concludes.
