NTR-Neel Out: Infront There is Mega Festival?

In Tollywood, Sankranti is more than just a festival — it’s the most lucrative box office window of the year. Year after year, producers aim to cash in on the festive spirit, massive family turnout, and the long holiday stretch.

Films that click with the audience during Sankranti often end up becoming industry hits or huge money-spinners, as seen recently with Sankrantiki Vastunnaam, which gained momentum purely through strong word-of-mouth.

Looking ahead to Sankranti 2026, the stage appears to be clearing for one major star — Megastar Chiranjeevi. Earlier, fans were bracing for a heavyweight clash between Chiru and Jr NTR.

However, the buzz now is that NTR’s film with KGF director Prashanth Neel has been postponed to June 2026 due to production delays. With NTR’s exit from the Sankranti race, Chiranjeevi’s film with Anil Ravipudi now looks poised to dominate the festival box office.

Interestingly, top-tier stars like Prabhas, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, and Pawan Kalyan are not expected to have any releases during this window.

Though names like Ravi Teja and Venkatesh are being floated, their projects haven’t even gone on floors yet. Meanwhile, mid-range films such as Nithiin’s Yellamma and Naveen Polishetty’s Anaganaga Oka Raju might also eye the season, but they don’t pose a significant threat to a Chiranjeevi-starrer.

Given Anil Ravipudi’s knack for family entertainers and festival-friendly scripts, even a decent entertainer with Chiranjeevi could create a storm at the ticket windows.