Pushpa Vibes: Kingdom VD’s Pan-India Entry Card?

After Rangasthalam, director Sukumar initially planned to collaborate with Mahesh Babu. However, the script didn’t come together as expected.

Realizing the project wouldn’t work, he instead approached Allu Arjun with just a basic idea—the backdrop of the Seshachalam forests and red sandalwood smuggling.

Allu Arjun liked the concept, and from there, Sukumar and his team developed the full story. Once the script was finalized, they quickly moved into production.

However, by the time they completed the first half, the footage had already exceeded three hours. As a result, they decided to split the story, releasing Pushpa: The Rise as the first part.

The second half also expanded into another full-length film, leading to Pushpa 2. The rest, as they say, is history—Pushpa 2 went on to become one of the biggest hits in Indian cinema.

Now, a similar situation seems to be unfolding with Vijay Deverakonda’s upcoming film Kingdom. Initially planned as a single film, the first half alone reportedly crossed two and a half hours in runtime. Due to this, the makers decided to split it into two parts, with the first part set to release on May 30.

The teaser, released yesterday, has received a positive response. VD’s look, performance, visuals, cinematography, and background score have impressed audiences. Since Taxiwaala, Vijay Deverakonda hasn’t had a solid hit, but Kingdom seems promising.

The film is being released as a pan-India project with an extensive rollout in Hindi as well. Now, the question remains—can Kingdom turn out to be a pan-India success like Pushpa?

Even if it achieves half the impact of Pushpa: The Rise in 2021, it would be a significant leap for Vijay Deverakonda as a budding pan-India star.