Sukumar School: Two Wickets Down, Will Third One Score?

Karthik Dandu Faces Vrushakarma Test

Director Sukumar’s assistants turned directors are trying to make a mark for themselves in Tollywood. However, they are faltering with their second films.

Buchi Babu Sana is the first example. He made a sensational debut with Uppena, which established him as a director to watch. But his second film, the much-hyped Peddi starring Ram Charan, couldn’t do any wonders at the box office. The film turned out to be pretty average content-wise and even commercially.

Now Srikanth Odela has delivered The Paradise with Nani after his successful first film Dasara. While Dasara was no great cinema, it was a decent watch that did well at the box office and established him as a promising filmmaker.

But The Paradise turned out to be a horrible film with over-the-top performances, vomit-inducing violence and a no-head, no-tail story. Many found the film unbearable. Due to the hype, songs and Nani’s credibility, the film didn’t collapse at the box office. Mainly in Nizam, it has done reasonably well for the first four days. If the film had been good, The Paradise would have even turned out to be the highest grosser of the year till now due to the hype and craze. But second-film syndrome hit Srikanth Odela badly.

Now the attention moves to Karthik Dandu.

After making a strong impression with Virupaksha, Karthik Dandu is returning with Vrushakarma, starring Naga Chaitanya. Virupaksha established him as another promising filmmaker from Sukumar’s creative school.

Vrushakarma already has decent buzz and could get a strong opening, especially if the songs and promotional material connect with audiences. It could even give Naga Chaitanya one of his biggest openings.

But the bigger question is about the content.

Buchi Babu and Srikanth Odela could not repeat the impact of their debuts. Can Karthik Dandu break that pattern with Vrushakarma, or will the second-film pressure catch another Sukumar protégé?