The Tollywood box office experienced a setback during the crucial summer season, as none of the highly anticipated Telugu films managed to capitalize on the summer fervor. Surprisingly, some of the dubbed movies that arrived unexpectedly turned out to be brilliant.
In the first week of May, the movies "Ugram" starring Allari Naresh and "Ramabanam" featuring Gopichand were released. Both films carried considerable expectations due to their packaging. However, "Ugram" failed to recreate the magic of its initial buzz. Presenting Allari Naresh as a serious cop, did not deliver promising results, leaving distributors and viewers dissatisfied.
As for "Ramabanam," it faced a worse fate. The film, with its routine content, was outright rejected by the audience. This rejection had a notable impact on Gopichand's reputation, as he faced criticism and trolls for the first time in his career. Directed by Sreevas and produced by People Media, "Ramabanam" did not resonate with the audience.
Moving to the second week of May, more than half a dozen films were released. "Custody," featuring Naga Chaitanya as the protagonist, was highly anticipated but failed to leave a positive impression. Despite the musical talents of Ilayaraja and Yuvan Shankar Raja, the movie ended up being a big disaster in Chaitanya's career.
Other films released in the same week, such as "The Story of a Beautiful Girl," "Bhuvana Vijayam," "Farhana," "Kalyanamastu," "Music School," "Katha Venuka Katha," and "Tea Break," also failed to make any impact. However, "The Kerala Story," which hit theaters a day later, managed to win over audiences through word of mouth and controversy, despite its limited production values.
In the third week, "Anni Manchi Sakunamule," directed by Nandini Reddy and starring Santhosh Shobhan, received a bad response at the box office. On the other hand, "Bichagadu 2" turned out to be a hit. Directed by Vijay Antony, the film achieved break-even within a few days and quickly entered the profitable zone. On the other hand, "Hasina" released in the same week, turned out to be a flop.
Entering the fourth week, movies like "Jaitra," "Mem Famous," "2018," "Malli Pelli," and "Men Too" were released. Among them, the focus was primarily on Naresh's "Malli Pelli" and Chai Biscuit's "Mem Famous". However, surprisingly, the dubbed film "2018" stole the spotlight and surprised everyone with its success.
Overall, the dubbed films, including "Bicchagadu 2," "The Kerala Story," and "2018," outshone the direct releases like "Ugram," "Ramabanam," and "Custody" in the month of May.
