PremiumKushi bookings open! Big money riding on Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha’s film
Both the lead actors are keen for a hit after experiencing failures with their recent releases
Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha
Last Updated: 04.04 PM, Aug 30, 2023
It was a disappointing August with hardly any hits for Telugu cinema, except for the dubbed version of Jailer and the surprise small-budget success Bedurulanka 2012. With many major releases scheduled for September - Kushi, Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty, Skanda and Salaar - the fraternity would be eagerly hoping for a turnaround. Kushi will be the first among them to release on September 1.
Kushi, for the uninitiated, brings together Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha for the second time after the Savitri biopic Mahanati. The film, written and directed by Shiva Nirvana, is produced by Y Ravi Shankar and Naveen Yerneni under Mythri Movie Makers. Composer Hesham Abdul Wahab, who shot to fame with Hridayam in Malayalam, makes his Telugu debut with the relationship drama.
The advance bookings for the drama commenced in Telugu states this morning and the responses have been very impressive. The bookings for day one in several screens in Hyderabad have opened on a positive note. The film is crucial for both the lead actors, who experienced box office failures with their previous films - Shaakuntalam (Samantha) and Liger (Vijay).
The pre-release theatrical business for Kushi has come up to Rs 53 crore on the whole. While the film was sold to buyers for a sum of Rs 15 crores in the Telangana region, the Andhra and ceeded region rights were finalised at Rs 20 crore and Rs 6 crore respectively. In Karnataka and other regions across the country, Kushi’s theatricals are valued at Rs 4.5 crore. The overseas rights were acquired at Rs 7 crore.
The film needs to make anywhere in the range of Rs 55 crore or more to breach past the breakeven mark and enter profit zone. Jayaram, Sachin Khedakar, Murali Sharma, Lakshmi, Ali, Rohini, Vennela Kishore, Rahul Ramakrishna, Srikanth Iyengar and Saranya Pradeep form the supporting cast. G Murali is the cinematographer and Prawin Pudi is the editor.