The Sankranti festival brought unexpected surprises to Telugu cinema. Initially, the spotlight was on Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram, the third collaboration with director Trivikram Srinivas, known for the success of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. However, as the Sankranti releases unfolded, the attention of the Telugu audience shifted to Teja Sajja’s HanuMan, emerging as the sole victor at the box office.
Despite an upswing in Guntur Kaaram’s box office collection over the weekend, it couldn’t match HanuMan. On Day 9, Guntur Kaaram earned Rs 3.25 crore, and though there was an increase on Day 10 with Rs 3.50 crore, it still lagged behind. The film’s total collection is now Rs 118 crore. In contrast, HanuMan, with Rs 14.6 crore on Day 9 and a remarkable Rs 16.50 crore on Day 10, has crossed the Rs 130 crore mark domestically, surpassing Mahesh Babu’s film significantly.
Among the other Sankranti releases, Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga collected Rs 26 crore, and Venkatesh’s Sanidhav earned Rs 14 crore. It’s evident that HanuMan has emerged as the audience’s preferred choice with its remarkable performance at the box office.
The unexpected outcome has left trade analysts and Telugu cinema fans surprised, especially considering Mahesh Babu’s significant market presence. The film’s producer, Naga Vamsi, addressed the issue at a press meeting, attributing the initial setback to the promotional strategy for Guntur Kaaram. He mentioned that having 1 am shows for the film was counterproductive, as it created expectations similar to action-oriented films like KGF and Salaar, whereas Guntur Kaaram is a family-oriented Trivikram film centred around a mother-son bond. Vamsi acknowledged it was a mistake to release a Trivikram film at that time, stating, “It was not a good choice.”
Before the grand ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the creators of Teja Sajja’s’HanuMan contributed Rs 2.66 crore for the inauguration. They shared an official statement on X. Director Prasanth Varma had earlier informed IndiaToday that the HanuMan team had already donated Rs 14 lakh from their first-day collection.
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