The public mood can sometimes be understood by observing which films succeed at the box office and which ones fail.
Looking back, NTR Kathanayakudu and NTR Mahanayakudu, released ahead of the 2019 elections, both turned out to be flops. In contrast, Yatra, a biopic on Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, emerged as a hit.
Around the same time, Lakshmi’s NTR, a propaganda-driven film, also gained significant traction among the public. Although it was not released in Andhra Pradesh, many people traveled to Telangana to watch it.
These developments appeared to reflect the public mood, which eventually translated into Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy winning the 2019 elections with a massive majority.
By 2024, the situation seemed to reverse. Yatra 2 failed at the box office, and there was little interest in Ram Gopal Varma’s Vyooham and Sapatham, which were released on FiberNet. In line with this shift in sentiment, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy suffered a heavy defeat in the 2024 elections.
This suggests that the reception of certain films, and the personalities associated with them, can sometimes offer clues about public sentiment.
Currently, Ustaad Bhagat Singh is reportedly witnessing extremely poor collections in several centers across Andhra Pradesh. Surprisingly, even in Pithapuram—the constituency represented by Pawan Kalyan—the film is not drawing significant crowds.
In a striking example, the film reportedly collected a share of just ₹98,000 across the entire Guntur district on Monday. This figure reflects the total for the whole district, not just a single town, indicating the extent of its weak performance.
Some observers interpret this as a sign that public interest in Pawan Kalyan, at least politically, may not be as strong as before. If there were strong support, the film might have seen better footfalls. Even if only his fans and Jana Sena supporters had turned up, the collections could have been higher—but that does not seem to be the case.
At the same time, Ustaad Bhagat Singh is not a completely poor film. It is reasonably watchable, though its narrative may feel somewhat outdated. Even then, this level of rejection has come as a surprise.
This could be a moment for Pawan Kalyan to reassess his political image. Ignoring such signals may not be wise. However, stepping away from films altogether may not be the solution either.
Cinema often provides stars with a direct way to gauge public response through audience reactions and box-office performance.
