Bichagadu 2 vs Anni Manchi Sakunamule: An absorbing contest between two underdogs at the Telugu box office

This hasn’t been a great summer for Telugu film industry in general. April witnessed a flurry of duds at the box office and half-way into May, not a single film has made enough noise at the ticket window. The biggies - Custody, Ramabanam, Ugram - couldn’t draw audiences to theatres and it presents an opportunity for two medium budget films to test their fortunes.

Anni Manchi Sakunamule (which released on May 18) and Bichagadu 2 (released today) are the major releases at the Telugu box office this weekend. While the former is a family entertainer, directed by Nandini Reddy, headlined by Santosh Soban, Malvika Nair, the latter (dubbed from Tamil - Pichaikkaran 2) is an action drama, featuring Vijay Antony, Kavya Thapar in the lead.

The strengths and the target audience of both the films are quite different. While Anni Manchi Sakunamule is comfort food - a feel-good family drama - about love, joint families with breezy music, appealing cinematography and an ensemble cast, Bichagadu 2 is an out-and-out mass entertainer with a dose of action, sister sentiment.

Nandini Reddy’s film, which released in theatres yesterday, has received a decent reception from critics, audiences and is off to a moderate start in terms of box office revenue. Meanwhile, Bichagadu 2 has an additional advantage - it’s a sequel of a successful film and that makes it a safe prospect for the producers. Going by early reports, it has taken a good opening in Andhra Pradesh and the film has been promoted well over the last few days.

Interestingly, both films earned a fair share of negative reviews as well. However, there are more positives than negatives that could convince audiences to hit theatres. The going will be slightly tougher for Anni Manchi Sakunamule though. With no biggies expected to release until June 16 (Adipurush), the makers of Bichagadu 2, Anni Manchi Sakunamule can expect a slow-and-steady theatrical run for their films.