Ram Charan’s Peddi, directed by Buchi Babu, has almost completed its theatrical run. After Maa Inti Bangaram arrived, Peddi slowed down further. The extra scenes added later also did not create much excitement.
In the Telugu states, it managed to do reasonably okay, but outside that market, the performance was disappointing. More than its box office, the film ended up creating noise for the wrong reasons, especially the outrage around the sexual objectification of Janhvi Kapoor’s character and the way some scenes were seen as normalizing non-consensual abuse in the name of playful romance. In the end, Peddi turned out to be an underwhelming film in every way.
Now Ram Charan’s focus has moved to RC17 with Sukumar. But even before RC17 starts, the discussion has already shifted to RC18.
A lot of names are being heard, and one of them is Buchi Babu again. That itself is enough to make some Ram Charan fans panic.
A section of fans clearly feels Charan should not waste the peak phase of his career on another Buchi Babu film so soon, especially after Peddi did not fully deliver on expectations.
Meanwhile, fans have started doing what fans do best: turning anxiety into trolling.
Ever since NTR’s God of War announcement brought mythology back into Tollywood discussions, some fans have been joking that if Buchi Babu really wants to make another film with Ram Charan, he should just make Ekalavya’s biopic. Their logic is darkly funny. Buchi Babu seems to have a habit of injuring his heroes in climaxes. In Uppena, it was the private part. In Peddi, it was the leg. So if he wants to continue that pattern in a mythological film, who better than Ekalavya, who cuts off his own thumb for Dronacharya?
It is silly trolling, but it also reflects the nervousness among fans.
According to inside talk, Ram Charan has not taken any decision yet about his 18th film. Yes, he reportedly likes Buchi Babu’s narration style and the way he presents emotional drama. But that doesn’t mean he is in a hurry to immediately do another film with him.
At the same time, Buchi Babu is also said to be changing direction a bit. He has apparently told people around him that he does not want to go back to message-heavy writing this time and is instead working with his team on a more commercial subject. Whether that film is for Ram Charan or someone else is still not decided.
As of now, though, Charan’s full attention is on Sukumar’s film. The poor performance of Peddi in the Hindi market and overseas has reportedly disappointed him, and naturally, he would not want that to repeat. If he wants to regain momentum outside the Telugu states, RC17 has to work big.
So for now, RC18 is still a distant question. Buchi Babu may remain in the discussion, but there is no sign yet that Ram Charan is ready to jump back into that combo immediately.
And after the way Peddi ended, that hesitation is understandable.
