Telugu star Chiranjeevi's latest movie Acharya opened to a good response in the Telugu states on April 29, collecting Rs 29.5 crore(share) at the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana box office. It, however, failed to impress critics as the screenplay wasn't up to the mark. The negative words of mouth affected it on its first Saturday as it witnessed a huge drop, collecting merely Rs 5.2 crore on its first Saturday. Its two-day collection stands at nearly 35 crore, which isn't a good figure by 'Mega' standards. In fact, even Radhe Shyam fared better than the biggie despite being perceived as a 'class' film.
Movie buffs had high expectations from Acharya as it has been directed by Koratala Siva, who emerged as a synonym for success with flicks such as Mirchi and Janatha Garage. Moreover, Ram Charan--who a box office draw in his own right-- plays a key role in the actioner. This makes its lacklustre performance even more disappointing.
Acharya is unlikely to show much growth today (May 1) as the advance booking is not up to the mark. Moreover, KGF 2 is still going strong in mass centres. Acharya needs to collect nearly Rs 107 crore to emerge as a 'clean hit' in the Telugu states, which will be a herculean task given the current situation. To make matters worse, the Hollywood biggie Doctor Strange 2, slated to arrive in theatres on May 6, is set to give it a run for its money in the Hyderabad region.
Acharya, backed by Charan, revolves around a 'saviour' who rises to protect his people from evil. It features 'Megastar' in a massy new avatar that does justice to his grand reel image. The RRR actor plays Siddha, a character who shares a close bond with the protagonist. The cast includes Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Kishore. Kajal Aggarwal, who was paired opposite Chiru, shot for the film but her scenes were removed as the director felt they didn't fit the narrative.