Prabhas, Yash and Allu Arjun in Focus...
The pan-India star race is becoming interesting again. Yash has moved into the second position after the massive Hindi openings of Toxic and Ramayana, while Prabhas continues to hold the top spot. Allu Arjun completes the current top three, but his next film could change the competition significantly.
Yash‘s rise is backed by some impressive opening numbers. Toxic reportedly collected over Rs. 50 crores net in Hindi on its first day. The film did not have the advantage of an established franchise or sequel value. Its opening was largely driven by Yash’s popularity after KGF. The worldwide opening was also estimated at around Rs. 110 crores gross.
Toxic eventually crashed because of poor word of mouth. However, its opening proved that Yash can bring audiences to theatres on a massive scale, even without the backing of an established franchise.
His presence in Ramayana has further strengthened his position. The film opened to more than Rs. 130 crores worldwide on its first day and is heading towards Rs. 800 crores in six days. Ranbir Kapoor, the Ramayana connection and the film’s massive scale are major factors. But Yash’s star value has also contributed to its appeal in India and overseas.
Prabhas remains at the top because of his longer pan-India journey. He has delivered massive disasters too, like Adipurush, but overall, he is the one who truly has some fan following in the North. Most of his films have good openings in Hindi, barring utter trash like Radhe Shyam and Raja Saab.
Allu Arjun, meanwhile, has already delivered one of the biggest Hindi-grossing films among his contemporaries with Pushpa 2. However, the franchise factor makes it difficult to measure how much of that success came purely from his individual stardom.
His next film, Raaka with Atlee, will be crucial. If it becomes another Rs. 1000-crore blockbuster, Allu Arjun’s position in this race could become much stronger.
For now, Prabhas, Yash and Allu Arjun make up the top 3 pan-India stars. Prabhas’ Fauzi opening will decide his pure stardom in the North. Yash won’t have another release until Ramayana Part 2, most probably, unless he plans a quickie in between. Allu Arjun will face his litmus test with Raaka, which might change the game completely.
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