A big budget does not guarantee a successful film. Take for instance Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero, Salman Khan’s Tubelight, Ranbir Kapoor’s Saawariya, and Alia Bhatt’s Brahmastra. But the one thing that raises prospects of profits is a fascinating story, especially if it’s about a topic close to the audience’s heart. This is probably what will ensure a satisfactory start to Om Raut’s upcoming mythological drama, Adipurush, at the box office. Made on a reported budget of Rs 500 crore, trade experts believe the audience will lap up the film primarily because it is a retelling of the Hindu epic Ramayan.
Adipurush, which will hit the theaters on June 16, features Telugu star Prabhas as King Raghava who fights the evil Ravana (played by Saif Ali Khan) with the help of the vanara army to bring back his wife Janaki (played by Kriti Sanon) from Lanka.
Film trade expert Taran Adarsh says he will be watching the film mainly because of his fascination with Ramayan, which he watched on television as a kid with his entire family. He believes, just like him, there will be many Indians who will be watching Adipurush for their love of Ramayan.
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“For me, the most important thing is not Prabhas, Kriti Sanon or Saif Ali Khan. For me, it is Ramayan, and it is a very strong emotion. Everything else is secondary,” he states, while agreeing that many Indians watching the film will resonate with his emotion.
Also read | Adipurush final trailer: Prabhas as Raghava takes the fight to Saif Ali Khan’s Lankesh, but VFX remain inconsistent
Adipurush’s advance booking opened on Sunday. Ever since, reports of it breaking Pathaan’s pre-release booking record have been going around. However, Taran refuted such reports and said though the film has sold a good number of tickets, it is not at par with Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan. “The organic number of the tickets sold is yet to be known. At the moment, it looks like it is going to take a good start,” he told indianexpress.com.
Experience the divine tale of Adipurush, a story that touches the depths of your soul ❤️ Jai Shri Ram 🙏#Prabhas @omraut #Adipurush in cinemas worldwide on 16th June 💥 pic.twitter.com/kqP2vrDct0
— Prabhas (@PrabhasRaju) June 13, 2023
However, a bulk of the film’s tickets have already been bought by celebrities. Ranbir Kapoor, The Kashmir Files producer Abhishek Agarwal and Ananya Birla have bought 10,000 tickets each to distribute among the underprivileged sections of society. Other celebs are also following suit.
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Adarsh says the generation that watched Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan on TV will watch Adipurush for the nostalgia factor. Film producer and trade analyst, Girish Johar believes many parents will take their kids for the film to educate them about Hindu mythology.
Johar suggests, “People will take their kids for the film because in a long time, nothing has come based on Ramayan. Earlier, we lived in a joint family, where grandparents narrated this story. But now everyone is in a nuclear family, and every parent realises the importance of telling the story. So, they might go not just for entertainment, but also to inculcate mythological values in their kids. Unless it is extremely bad, people will lap up the film. It is a larger-than-life extravaganza and it is telling the epic tale which every Indian household knows. So, I am sure parents will take their kids at least once and this will give a big push to the film.”
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As per Johar, Adipurush will take a start of around Rs 50 crore at the box office across all languages. “It’s a true pan-India film where the directors and the makers are from the North, but they have taken a big South star in the lead role. Prabhas has a huge fan following and I peg the film’s Hindi version to have an opening of anywhere around Rs 15-18 cr. The film will be among the top ten openers of all time in all languages. It can touch Rs 50 cr plus for sure in all languages,” he predicts.
The national cinema chain PVR has already sold over one lakh tickets, 25 per cent of which have been sold in the southern states. “We have received an overwhelming response to the pre-bookings of Adipurush to be released in 5 languages – Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. We have already crossed over 1 lakh bookings out of which over 25% have been from the southern states except for certain regions.”
As Johar mentioned, Prabhas, undoubtedly, has a huge fan following. But the dismal performance of his last couple of films at the box office has put his choices under the scanner. The 2022 release Radhe Shyam did business of Rs 19.30 crore. Saaho (2019) also failed to do magic at the ticket counters as it earned Rs 142.95 cr. It was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 350 cr. So, it is crucial for him that Adipurush gets a good footfall in the theaters.
Also read | Kriti Sanon calls Prabhas ‘as simple as Prabhu Ram’ at Adipurush launch: ‘He is from the heart’
“It is very important for Prabhas that Adipurush works because Saaho really didn’t do well. Though it worked well in the Hindi circuit, it didn’t get him into that zone. Secondly, Radhe Shyam was a complete disaster. Especially, when you have touched heights with Baahubali and Baahubali 2, you have to… I am not saying that every film has to be that way. It is not necessary for Sachin Tendulkar to hit a sixer on every ball. He needs a big hit and when the budget of your film is Rs 500 crore, you need to deliver solid numbers,” says Taran Adarsh.
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Girish Johar agrees Prabhas “has to still cut ice across in the Hindi belt” but he also believes that with the character of Lord Ram, he would be able to reach the hinterlands of North India. “The character he is playing will help him go inroads into the Hindi belt,” he says but he doesn’t fail to mention that if this breakthrough doesn’t happen, “then definitely he has to think twice.”
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Adipurush has recovered some of its making cost from its distribution, OTT and satellite rights. As per trade analyst Ramesh Bala, the makers have already earned Rs 270 crore from the distribution rights. As per a report, the OTT and satellite rights of the film have been sold for a whopping Rs 210 crore. Now, it remains to be seen how much will it earn from ticket sales.
