This Deepavali will see a clash between three young actors: Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Kiran Abbavaram, and Pradeep Ranganathan.
Their films Telusu Kada, K-Ramp, and Dude are set to release on the same day ahead of the festival.
For Siddhu Jonnalagadda and Kiran Abbavaram in particular, this is a crucial test. Despite aggressive promotions, they still need stronger hype to secure solid opening weekend numbers.
Siddhu’s last film “Jack” was a disaster, wiping out the craze he had built with the Tillu franchise. He now has to prove once again that he can draw openings on his name alone, irrespective of the director.
“Telusu Kada” does have the advantage of backing from a big banner like People Media Factory, along with glam leads Raashi Khanna and Srinidhi Shetty. Even so, it’s a make-or-break outing for Siddhu.
Kiran Abbavaram briefly bounced back with “Ka,” which ended his flop streak, but “Dilruba” pushed him back into trouble.
“K-Ram” is loaded with double-meaning dialogues and kiss scenes aimed at the youth, and it has generated decent attention. But the real question is whether Kiran can translate that buzz into box office openings.
Pradeep Ranganathan, though not a Telugu native star, already has two Telugu hits: Love Today and Dragon.
Backed by Mythri Movie Makers, “Dude” positions him on relatively safer ground. However, with two local Telugu films competing, he too must prove his pull with strong day-one numbers.
