Nayanthara’s upcoming Kollywood film Hi, directed by Vishnu Edavan, is gearing up for a worldwide theatrical release tomorrow. With only a few hours left for the release, the pre-bookings for the film are now happening across many centers.
With Toxic releasing yesterday and Hi arriving tomorrow, Nayanthara has two major releases this week. Since Toxic is a highly anticipated pan-Indian film and Hi is a medium-budget film, many initially expected Toxic to dominate the box office and leave little attention for Hi.
However, the situation is now slightly different. Toxic has received mixed responses from audiences, and the bookings for the film have slowed down in some centres. At the same time, Hi has been carrying relatively low pre-release hype despite the team’s good promotional efforts. In several centres, the first-day bookings are still quite low, with some locations having not even crossed 10 tickets.
Interestingly, a press show for Hi was screened in Chennai recently. Following the screening, several Kollywood trackers and press members who watched the film started sharing very positive responses on social media.
According to the early reactions, Hi is a superb feel-good film with plenty of humorous portions that work well. The performances of both lead actors, Kavin and Nayanthara, have also received strong appreciation, with many believing that the two have delivered some of their best work.
The family-entertainer genre is also being seen as a major advantage for Hi. Some observers feel that the film has the potential to connect strongly with family audiences and could perform much better at the box office than its current pre-release buzz suggests.
Before the release of Toxic, there were also expectations that Nayanthara’s role in the film would give her solid recognition, especially since the trailer presented her character as an important part of the story. While the early response to Toxic has been mixed and the film has not completely matched the expectations surrounding it, Nayanthara now has another opportunity with Hi.
With the film receiving encouraging reactions from the press, the focus has shifted towards the audience response. It remains to be seen whether Hi can live up to the positive early buzz, surprise at the box office and provide Nayanthara with a much-needed boost when it releases tomorrow.
