What Went Wrong With Akhanda 2’s Hindi Release?
When Akhanda premiered in theatres, it was released only in Telugu. However, its Hindi-dubbed version gained huge traction after streaming on Hotstar.;
The success of a film on OTT platforms often creates big hopes for its sequel. This belief played a key role in shaping the journey of Akhanda 2. After the first Akhanda found unexpected popularity in North India through its OTT release, the makers assumed the sequel would naturally repeat that magic on a larger scale.
When Akhanda premiered in theatres, it was released only in Telugu. However, its Hindi-dubbed version gained huge traction after streaming on Hotstar. The film received strong engagement, especially from Hindi-speaking audiences, leading many to believe that Akhanda had become a recognizable brand beyond the South Indian market. This OTT response gave the makers confidence that the sequel could perform well in the Hindi belt too.
With this belief, director Boyapati Srinu planned Akhanda 2 keeping North Indian viewers in mind. The film strongly highlighted themes of Sanatana Dharma and patriotism. Several sequences were clearly designed to appeal to a wider Hindi audience. Scenes like Lord Shiva’s Tandavam, the appearance of Lord Hanuman, and repeated devotional references were intentionally added to strengthen the film’s religious and cultural impact.
For the first time in his career, Nandamuri Balakrishna also took an active role in promoting a Hindi-dubbed version. He gave interviews to a few Hindi YouTube channels, signaling the team’s serious intent to connect with North Indian viewers.
Although some of these interview moments later became viral memes, they still showed a genuine effort to expand the film’s reach.
Unfortunately, the strategy did not work as expected. Akhanda 2 failed to impress even core Telugu audiences. The film also recorded a weak opening weekend of around $790,000 in the important North American market, raising early concerns.
The Hindi-dubbed version performed even worse. In its first three days, it reportedly earned only about ₹35 lakh. While poor performance in Tamil and other languages was somewhat predictable, the complete rejection by Hindi audiences came as a major shock.