'RRR': Trade Experts Open Up On The Buzz Around SS Rajamouli’s Period Drama

Director SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ is possibly the biggest film to release this year yet. Starring actors like Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and many others, the film has been in the making for quite a few years. The film’s release has been pushed back and forth a number of times because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown on the theatres. Finally, the movie is about to hit theatres tomorrow. But is there good enough buzz for the movie before its release?

Talking of the pre-release buzz, Trade Expert Taran Adarsh says, “The pre-buzz is very good. It’s extraordinary. It is the biggest brand today. It SS Rajamouli. It can’t get bigger than this. His last two ‘Baahubali 1’ and ‘Baahubali 2’ have been massive. So, it all depends on the content of the film. Just three days back I was with Ram Charan and Jr NTR in Bengaluru and I asked them if they’ve seen the film, and they said that even they’ve not watched the film as they’re also continuously promoting the movie. But from the outset, the buzz looks fantastic. As far as advance booking goes, I must say that it is never an indication of what is to happen. It is always spot booking. Did anyone expect ‘Kashmir Files’ to make Rs 200 Crores in 14 days? Did anyone expect ‘Baahubali 1’ to make such records? These are just examples. For now, besides Rajamouli no one seems to have watched the film. So it’s a wait and watch thing.”

Slightly on a contradicting view, Trade Expert Atul Mohan says, “Yes, it is one of the biggest releases of the year so far, and that too by one of the biggest filmmakers that we have today. But surprisingly, in Hindi, the advance booking in not that great. In the south, it’s massive. Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh it is fantastic. Weekend is going to be super solid there. The advance bookings in the Hindi belts is very poor. The primary reason is the massive success of ‘The Kashmir Files’. With that film, most of the audiences have exhausted their monthly budget for a theatrical visit with the family. It went on to become a massive hit. Then the other reason is that the multiplexes have kept the ticket prices a bit too high. Yes there are movie fans who will go on the first day first show, but because of the ticket prices being high people tend to watch the response (and reviews) for the first day or so, and then take a call whether or not to plan that movie at the theatres. When the movie’s release date was announced it was predicted that the opening day it would make around 20-25 crores, but with ‘Bachchan Panday’ also flopping, the expectations have come down to 10-15 crores (for Hindi). It’s not too good.”

So, let’s wait for tomorrow to see whether or not ‘RRR’ is able to live up to the audience’s expectations.