Ram Charan was supposed to blast the box office with Peddi. Akhil Akkineni’s Lenin was supposed to break the curse. But Ravi Teja is the one who has actually delivered the box-office comeback with Irumudi.
All three films arrived with different comeback expectations, and the results have also been very different.
Ram Charan entered Peddi with massive hype. After the disasters Acharya and Game Changer, fans believed Peddi was the film that would finally deliver the explosive comeback they had been waiting for.
Ram Charan put in genuine effort, and fans believed he had delivered the performance they were hoping for. But at the box office, Peddi failed to create the expected storm. Instead of turning into a box office rampage, the film came and went without much impact.
Then came Akhil Akkineni’s Lenin. Akhil entered the film after a decade-long struggle at the box office, carrying enormous pressure to finally break the curse. Lenin gave him much-needed relief and performed reasonably well, giving him much-needed breathing space. But again, the larger impact was missing.
Fans celebrated the result and called it a true comeback, but Lenin did not become the resounding hit that could completely change Akhil’s standing at the box office.
Then came Ravi Teja. He entered Irumudi carrying perhaps the heaviest baggage of the three. His recent track record was filled with bad films and box-office disasters, and his credibility had taken a serious beating. Ravi Teja needed Irumudi to work.
And it worked, and how!
Irumudi’s word of mouth has been very positive. The box-office trend is phenomenal across A, B, C and D centers. BookMyShow numbers are fantastic, while spot bookings are showing the same momentum. Most importantly, there is a genuine wave among audiences right now for Irumudi.
Families and audiences across age groups are turning up in big numbers to witness Ravi Teja’s comeback. Theatres are reportedly turning into stadiums during the Bangaru Pallaki song, with audiences celebrating the experience together. That kind of response cannot be manufactured through social media campaigns or fan claims.
This is the kind of theatrical impact that shows a star has genuinely connected with the audience again. Ram Charan was expected to create the same with Peddi. Akhil was expected to create it with Lenin. Ravi Teja has finally delivered it with Irumudi.
