Telugu superstar Ravi Teja and Tamil icon Vijay were expected to draw in the audiences into theatres where their new films Krack and Master, respectively were released for Pongal which is considered the best time to release films in South India. This time Vijay hoped he would also entice audiences in the North, as the dubbed Hindi version was also released.
However both the Pongal biggies have opened to abysmal audiences in the North.While Krack a comeback vehicle for Telugu star Ravi Teja who has not had a hit in several years, was not expected to crack the Northern belt’s boxoffice as it was released in North with English subtitles only, the Tamil Master was built up as as a Pan-India blockbuster , in the style of Prabhas’s Baahubali and Yash’s KGF.
But lightning did not strike the same place thrice.
An eminent trade analyst who wishes to remain anonymous says, “We must understand that South superstars like Vijay and Ravi Teja have no market in the Hindi belt. Dubbed Hindi films from Tamil and Telugu cinema have never worked in Hindi. Why would it work now when 95 percent of the moviegoing audience is staying away from theatres for fear of Covid 19?”
With the South superstars working only in their home territory the pan-India boxoffice awaits that big blockbuster that would bring the audience back.
The fact that the Akshay Kumar starrer Bell Bottom which was to release in theatres in April has now been pushed to June, proves that moviegoing audiences in India are not ready to brave it into theatres, at least not right now. And certainly not in the North.