The rise of pan-India cinema has created a new challenge for South Indian stars. Delivering one massive nationwide hit is difficult, but following it up with another strong film is an even bigger task. Several top stars have struggled to maintain their momentum after their breakthrough pan-India successes.
Prabhas is the biggest example. After Baahubali 2, Saaho opened to huge numbers across India. It even collected around Rs. 25 crore net in Hindi on its first day, powered by the massive goodwill Prabhas had built. However, weak content turned the film into a flop. Still, its Hindi lifetime business was impressive for a dubbed South film. Prabhas later bounced back with Kalki 2898 AD, but also had epic disasters like Radhe Shyam, Adipurush and The Raja Saab.
Jr NTR also struggled after RRR. Devara opened well and collected around Rs. 60 crore net in Hindi, which was a decent result considering the limited expectations in the North. However, War 2 turned out to be a massive setback.
Ram Charan had an even tougher follow-up after RR. Game Changer was a washout and failed to create strong hype before release. Poor word of mouth made things worse. His next film Peddi also failed to make any impact in the pan-India markets.
Now, Yash is facing the same test with Toxic. The film has opened tremendously, with its Hindi version on course to cross Rs. 40 crores on day 1. It has even gone beyond Saaho’s opening, further proving Yash’s massive pan-India pull. However, negative reports from audiences can prove disastrous, and we have to see if the film crashes after such a spectacular opening.
The next big test belongs to Allu Arjun with Raaka. After the blockbuster success of Pushpa 2, he is betting on Atlee. The filmmaker has a strong commercial track record but has also faced heavy backlash for not coming up with any groundbreaking content.
If Atlee can deliver at least a reasonable product, it could be a very smooth ride for Allu Arjun. If Raaka succeeds, Allu Arjun can go a step further and prove that he is not just a star who delivered a blockbuster with Pushpa 2, but a dependable pan-India superstar. Whether he can go beyond Prabhas and Yash and establish himself at that level remains to be seen.
