Should Kalyan Ram's EVM have avoided Sankranti race?

Kalyan Ram, a member of the prestigious Nandamuri clan, is all set to entertain fans with his latest release Entha Manchivaadavuraa, slated to arrive in theatres on January 15, 2020. The action-drama comes days after the Sankranti biggies Sarileru Neekevvaru and Ala Vaikunthapurramloo and this might affect its commercial prospects. Industry trends suggest its day one share in the Telugu states is likely to be around Rs one crore. However, the estimate might not be 100 per cent accurate as this is quite a small release. Either way, a lot will eventually depend on the Word of Mouth.

If Entha Manchivaadavuraa opens along these lines, it will match the collection of Kalyan Ram's last release 118, which had raked in around Rs 1.4 crore on day one. It will, however, prove to be no match for MLA, which earned close to Rs 2.53 crore. That said and done, this is not too surprising as Upendra Madhav-directed flick featured top actress Kajal Aggarwal as the heroine, marking her second collaboration with her Lakshmi Kalyanam co-star.

While the film's day one figure would have been a lot higher had it not indirectly clashed with Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun's movies, the makers seem to have made a wise decision, nonetheless. The first major release after Sankranti usually finds it a bit difficult to rake in the moolah, if it does not feature a top star in the lead. Akhil's last release Mr Majnu, which hit screens a few days after the festival releases (NTR Kathanayakudu, Vinaya Vidheya Rama and F2) is a case in point. The romantic-entertainer emerged as a flop despite receiving above-average reviews. Similarly, Vishnu Manchu's 2017 release Luckunnodu too had crashed at the ticket window.

Coming back to Entha Manchivaadavuraa, it features Mehreen as the leading lady and this has piqued the curiosity. The cast also includes Sarath Babu, Venella Kishore, Vijayakumar and Prabhas Sreenu.