Prithviraj Sukumaran returned to theatres with his second release of the year, Vilayath Buddha, directed by Jayan Nambiar. This comes after the failure of L2 Empuraan. Despite Prithviraj’s star power, the film started with only an average opening because the team failed to build real expectations.
Viewers who watched the film are now sharing extremely negative reactions. They say Prithviraj delivered a solid performance, yet the screenplay felt flat and dull in many places. Some also felt Vilayath Buddha looked too similar to Allu Arjun’s Pushpa in tone and style.
The film is adapted from Sachy’s novel and revolves around an ego clash between two men. Since Prithviraj already delivered two acclaimed films with similar themes—Driving Licence and Ayyappanum Koshiyum many expected another strong drama. Instead, they left disappointed.
Because of the poor word of mouth, emerging actor Sandeep Pradeep’s Eko, which released on the same day, is now leading over Vilayath Buddha at the box office. Social media users are also criticising Prithviraj and claim he is neglecting Malayalam cinema while focusing on his pan-India ambitions, especially with Rajamouli’s Varanasi.
With extreme negative responses, Vilayath Buddha is heading towards a major disaster. The box office run will show whether the film can salvage anything and reach at least the break-even mark.
