Sankranthi @ Tollywood: Only Money, No Fights
The much anticipated Sankranti season is beyond us now. Festival season has been completed and so did the exciting period at the Tollywood box office with all the new films nearly done with the theatrical run.
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However, this Sankranti season has been one of the dullest box office seasons for Tollywood till now. There was absolutely zero sense of competition and excitement that is usually associated with the festival season.
Over the years, the clashes between the likes of Sarileru Neekevvaru – Ala Vaikunthapurramulo, Waltair Veerayya – Veera Sinha Reddy, and Guntur Kaaram – Hanuman stood as the hallmarks of Sankranthi clashes.
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However, this year’s festival season has been one of the most passive and non-exciting clashes.
The subdued run of Game Changer right from outset, followed by lack of proper fighting spirit between the Sankranthi films was the main reason behind this.
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Daaku Mahaaraj, and Sankranthi Ki Vasthunnam fared well but considering the contrasting genre, there was no debate about the box office comparison.
Usually, the Sankranthi theatrical clash replicates a heated Kodi Pandem(cockfight) with one film looking to gain the upper hand over the other by pulling bigger numbers. This fighting culture was not observed this festival season.
With Game Changer going mellowed, and Daaku slowing down after opening weekend, it was Sankranthi Ki Vasthunnam that went berserk all the way. This Venky film drove on the vacuum created by the lack of substantial opposition.
Though Sankranthi Ki Vasthunnam might get classified as the Sankranthi winner, it is not a close-fought battle but instead a one-sided one, which is not what we usually associate with Sankranthi box office.
With Tollywood elite stars making pan Indian biggies, they can no longer make small scale Sankranthi films which run on entertainment. This leaves space for senior stars and second tier heroes to capture this market with interesting stuff.
