The festival season in Tollywood – be it Sankranthi, Dasara or Deepavali – is incomplete without multiple star-driven films releasing, often even clashing at the box-office. This Dasara, two big stars are gearing up for a grand release – Chiranjeevi with Godfather and Nagarjuna with The Ghost. While both films are releasing on Wednesday, October 5 in India, the US premiere shows will happen on October 4. Amid these top-tier movies, Swathi Muthyam, a family entertainer that is also releasing on October 5, has managed to create some buzz too.
Fans have already decked up theatres with banners of their favourite actors and are ready to welcome their movies. While political thriller Godfather is directed by Mohan Raja, action thriller The Ghost is helmed by Praveen Sattaru. Both the movies are likely to appeal to different sets of audience and cater to the stars’ respective fan bases in the Telugu states. However, industry insiders say that Chiranjeevi’s Godfather has an edge over The Ghost.
Exhibitors estimate that while about 60% theatres will be screening Godfather, 30% of the screens have been allocated for The Ghost. The rest of the theatres will be screening Mani Ratnam’s blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan: I and Swathi Muthyam.
Speaking to TNM, M Ramdasu from the Andhra Film Chamber of Commerce said, “It will be a contest now as both Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna are senior heroes. On one hand, there is Chiranjeevi fans’ craze for his action scenes, dance and songs. On the other hand, for Nagarjuna, there is a set of viewers who like his romantic style, comedy and action segments.” He added that despite Chiranjeevi’s previous release Acharya failing to make a mark at the box-office, it has not deterred his fans as Godfather’s promotional content has increased expectations and pre-bookings are high. Godfather, a remake of the 2019 Mohanlal-starrer Lucifer, also features Bollywood star Salman Khan in a cameo.
Meanwhile, Praveen Sattaru’s The Ghost is expected to appeal to action lovers. The director’s previous film, the 2017 spy thriller PSV Garuda Vega, had received a positive response from critics and audiences.
Theatre owners noted that this time the excitement for the Chiranjeevi flick has risen gradually and will peak towards the end of Tuesday, just before release day. “There is some underestimation since it’s a remake. People are asking for tickets to Lucifer instead of Godfather, such is the craze for the original film,” a theatre owner in Hyderabad said on the condition of anonymity.
Bal Govind, owner of Sudharshan theatre in Secunderabad, said that they have recorded housefull ticket bookings for both the movies on the first day and that pre-bookings look good so far.