If everything goes as planned, the box office may witness another Megastar Chiranjeevi vs Superstar Rajinikanth clash this Dussehra.
According to industry buzz, Vishwambhara is being prepared for an October 16 release. The film has been in production for a long time and suffered major delays mainly because of VFX work. Now, the talk is that the makers have finally decided to bring it for Dussehra and have already started informing distributors unofficially. Reports say the film is now in the final stage of post-production, and the final copy may be ready by the end of August.
On the other side, Chennai reports suggest that Jailer 2 is targeting October 15. An official announcement is expected very soon. The film reportedly got delayed because the makers were trying to lock an important cameo. After both Balakrishna and Shah Rukh Khan are said to have declined, Hrithik Roshan finally came on board and recently completed his episode in Chennai. Insiders say that portion has come out very well, and the Hrithik-Rajinikanth combination will be one of the biggest highlights of the film.
If these dates hold, Vishwambhara and Jailer 2 will arrive with just a one-day gap, setting up one of the biggest clashes of 2026 in AP and Telangana.
This naturally brings back memories of 2023, when Bhola Shankar clashed with Jailer. That box office battle ended very badly for Chiranjeevi, as Jailer (a dubbed film) dominated while Bhola Shankar turned into a major embarrassment for Mega fans. Rajinikanth defeated Chiranjeevi on his home ground.
After the Bhola Shankar disaster, Chiranjeevi took a long gap and returned with Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu, which gave him a much-needed hit. Rajinikanth, on the other hand, has had a mixed run after Jailer. Lal Salaam, Vettaiyan, and Coolie did not fully help him continue that comeback momentum.
For Vishwambhara, a lot will depend on whether the makers have truly fixed the film’s biggest concern: the visuals. The teaser had damaged the film badly because of poor VFX, and the long silence after that only reduced the hype further. But now there is inside talk that the VFX output has improved a lot and that Nag Ashwin’s supervision has helped the team significantly. If that is true, Vishwambhara may still have a chance to regain some lost buzz.
At the same time, Jailer 2 is carrying much stronger hype right now. The first part already has a strong fan base, Nelson’s style suits Rajinikanth well, and the addition of Hrithik Roshan has only increased curiosity. As of now, it clearly looks like the more exciting film of the two.
That is why, if the clash really happens, Vishwambhara will be the one under more pressure.
For Chiranjeevi, this is a chance to erase the bad memory of Bhola Shankar vs Jailer and prove that he can still stand tall in a direct clash against Rajinikanth. But for that to happen, Vishwambhara has to arrive with strong visuals, solid promotions, and above all, good content.
Of course, full clarity will come only after the official release date announcements. But if October 15 and 16 are indeed locked, then Dussehra 2026 could turn into a very interesting Megastar vs Superstar battle once again in Telugu states.
