Bangarraju: Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya's Sankranthi entertainer grosses Rs 76 crore globally

Nagarjuna Akkineni and his son, actor Naga Chaitanya doled out a perfect festive treat for audiences this Sankranthi with Bangarraju, the sequel to the former's superhit Soggade Chinni Nayana. Written and directed by Kalyan Krishna, the mishash of romance, drama, horror and folklore featured Krithi Shetty, Ramya Krishna, Govind Padmasoorya in pivotal roles and had music by Anup Rubens. Bangarraju's theatrical run has more or less ended and the film has managed an impressive show at the box office.

As per an official statement from the makers, Bangarraju has grossed Rs 76 gross worldwide. Needless to say, it is the highest career ever in the career of Nagarjuna besides also being his most well received film in in Andhra and Ceded regions. The film collected nearly Rs 12 crore alone in Ceded areas, while it was strictly okay in the Nizam region. Bangarraju benefited hugely from the fact that there were no major releases post Sankranthi in Telugu cinema. Unlike Rowdy Boys and Hero that catered to a particular section of audiences, Bangarraju was tailormade for the masses.

At a time when biggies like RRR, Radhe Shyam opted out of the Sankranthi race owing to Omicron fears, Nagarjuna took a bold step to release Bangarraju and his strategy has paid off big time. Yuvaraj's cinematography in addition to veteran writer Satyanand's screenplay were equally crucial to the success of the entertainer. The story revolves around a grandfather Bangarraju, who returns from the heavens onto the earth to rescue his grandson Chinna Bangarraju from an issue. Vennela Kishore, Jhansi, Brahmaji, Rao Ramesh and Sampath too essayed crucial roles in the film.

Bangarraju's satellite rights and streaming rights are with the ZEE group. The film may release on OTT in the second half of February.