Sankranti festive window used to be Tollywood’s most lucrative season for star driven films and distributors alike. That certainty has collapsed over the last three years. Mahesh Babu in 2024, Ram Charan in 2025, and Prabhas in 2026, three of the biggest tier one heroes, all released their films on Sankranti and saw disastrous results. Now tier one stars are wary of taking the Sankranti plunge.
In 2024, Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram, directed by Trivikram, failed to match audience expectations and turned out to be a big flop. In 2025, Ram Charan’s Game Changer, directed by Shankar and promoted as one of the biggest pan India films made on a massive budget, turned out to be an epic disaster, with even hardcore Mega fans disowning the film after its release.
Now in 2026, Prabhas’ Raja Saab, directed by Maruthi, turned out even worse and is struggling to even collect 200 crores gross worldwide. This has led to losses in the range of 100 to 150 crores for the producer. After three consecutive Sankranti disappointments, tier one stars no longer see this slot as safe.
The impact is already visible. Trade circles are buzzing about 2027 schedules. The big question is which big star hero will dare to come next. NTR’s Dragon with Prashanth Neel is being discussed, but nothing looks locked yet. After watching what happened to Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan, and Prabhas, no top hero wants to be the next name added to this list. One wrong Sankranti film now damages brand value, not just collections.
Interestingly, Sankranti has not failed completely. It has just stopped working for tier one stars because of overhype, massive budget, and poor content. Senior heroes like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, and Venkatesh are still comfortable in this season because their films are aimed at family audiences and come with controlled budgets. Even medium range heroes like Teja Sajja or Sharwanand have delivered decent hits, as expectations are realistic and content driven.
That is the biggest lesson from the last three years. Sankranti no longer guarantees success just because a superstar arrives. Content, the right director pairing, and audience connect matter more than hype. Blind confidence, rushed scripts, or wrong director choices get exposed brutally during festivals.
Going forward, tier one stars will think ten times before locking Sankranti. Until a superstar breaks this jinx with a clean blockbuster, Sankranti may remain a danger zone rather than a celebration for Tollywood’s biggest names.
