Crowded May Day weekend: Who Sweeps Stakes?

There’s no big-ticket Telugu star stepping in to cash on the Summer holidays. Neither is there an “event film” dominating the box office with the likes of Peddi and Toxic already opting out of the hot summer. Yet, theatres are far from empty, as some mid-budget Telugu films and dubbed movies are braving the scorching temperatures and IPL tsunami as well. With multiple films from different industries trying to grab attention, one thing that’s to be seen is who will sweep the stakes.

On May 1st, the original Telugu films that are hitting cinemas are Gayapadda Simham and Jetlee. Tharun Bhascker is stepping in as a hero once again with Gayapadda Simham, a risk he clearly believes would pay off. The promotional material worked just enough to create interest, including Tharun’s AI videos with US President Donald Trump, and JD Chakravarathy’s crazy promotional videos, which have all worked in favour. Now the result will be dependent on the content only.

Then comes Jetlee, a hijack comedy that banks heavily on comedian Satya, who is playing the main lead. A comedian turning lead isn’t new, but it only works when the writing backs it. While the film is directed by Ritesh Rana of Mathu Vadalara fame, the film, bankrolled by Mythri Movie Makers, is another big asset. All these factors got huge attention for the movie, and now the onus lies on the content to make it work in theatres.

Then comes the dubbing wave of films. A day before, on April 30th itself, Dhanush’s Kara is arriving. The film has a strong trailer, backed by good pre-release buzz, and it might actually pull urban crowds if word of mouth clicks. On May 1st, then comes Sai Pallavi’s first ever Hindi film, Ek Din, featuring Amir Khan’s son Junaid as the male lead. The film’s Telugu version Oka Raju is hitting cinemas as planned, and bookings are also hopeful.

Then comes the Malayalam film “Patriot”, which has Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, and Nayanthara in the leads. This lineup should have created noise across industries, but then, they are not even promoting the film in Telugu, for reasons better known to them. At the same time, Hindi film, Raja Shivaji, featuring Ritesh Deshmuk and directed by himself, is also hitting the cinemas. Bookings in the Hyderabad area for this movie are quite hopeful.

Even the biggest names don’t convert into openings if they don’t get proper word of mouth from the First Day First Show. Let’s see which film will get rewarded by the audience, from Kara to Jetlee to Gayapadda Simham, and others.