Telugu star Chiranjeevi's new movie Acharya, which hit the screens on April 29, has proved to be a disaster in the Telugu states. The biggie collected Rs 40.33 crore (share) in six days, failing to meet expectations. The film needs to collect nearly Rs 107 crore to emerge as a 'clean hit' at the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana box office, which is unlikely to happen given the fact that it raked in merely Rs 26 lakh on its sixth day.
Acharya opened to a good response, collecting Rs 29.50 crore on its first day. It, however, failed to hold from day 2 as the word of mouth was quite underwhelming. The film landed in a controversy when Kajal Aggarwal's scenes were deleted at the last minute, which upset her fans. The fact that KGF Chapter 2 is still going strong in the Telugu market too worked against it.
Acharya, directed by Koratala Siva is an actioner that revolves around a 'saviour' who tries to protect his people. It stars Ram Charan, last seen in RRR, as 'Siddha'--a character who shares a close bond with the protagonist. The cast includes Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Kishore, Acharya is Chiranjeevi's first release in nearly three years. He was last seen in Sye Raa, which opened to a solid response in the Telugu market. It, however, wasn't able to make an impact in most other markets.
Chiranjeevi will be hoping to bounce back with his next movie Godfather. The action drama, helmed by Mohan Raja, is a remake of the Malayalam flick Lucifer and features 'Chiru' in the role of a mass figure. It is likely to be more 'commercial' than the original version. It stars Nayanthara as the female protagonist. Bollywood star Salman Khan will essay a 'guest role' in what is the first Telugu movie of his career.