Clash of the biggies: Nani’s Dasara, Pathu Thala, Gurudev Hoysala, Bholaa and Viduthalai at the box office this week in Karnataka

When Natarakshasa Daali Dhananjaya’s 25th film Gurudev Hoysala was pushed ahead from its earlier Rajyotsava release date, the team chose March 30, which, at the time, did not seem like a very crowded date. But as the days went by, one by one, more and more big-ticket films lined up for the Ram Navami long-weekend. The Karnataka box has five major releases competing for a slice of the market this week.

First up, there’s Gurudev Hoysala, an action-packed cop caper, which has Dhananjaya take on a bunch of baddies. Then there’s Natural Star Nani’s Dasara, his latest pan-Indian film, which is not only releasing in Kannada, but also stars Dia fame Dheekshith Shetty in a pivotal role. One of the big Tamil releases of the week is Pathu Thala, the official remake of the Kannada hit Mufti, which has Silambarasan taking on the role done by Century Star Shivarajkumar in the original. Next up is Viduthalai Part 1, a period crime drama with Vijay Sethupathi and Soori in the lead. And last, but not the least, there’s Ajay Devgn’s Bholaa, which, incidentally, is the Hindi remake of the Tamil hit, Khaithi.

The question now, though, is, which of these films will find favour in Karnataka, where audiences tend to support other languages as well. According to the buzz on social media, Nani’s Dasara is high up on the list of films that will get a good opening in the state. For starters, there is a sizeable Telugu audience, plus many who enjoy Tollywood flicks. There may even be interest in Simbu’s Pathu Thala, even though it is the Mufti remake, to see how they’ve adapted it for Tamil audiences. That Vijay Sethupathi’s film Viduthalai 1 will find an audience is a no-brainer. Netizens have had mixed reactions to the Bholaa trailer, so it remains to be seen if they will warm up to the film in theatres.

So, where does that leave Gurudev Hoysala? The trailer of the Dhananjaya flick had been lapped up by audiences, and it has done fantastic pre-release non-theatrical business too. The film is expected to pick up in theatres after the FDFS reviews come in. Kiccha Sudeep, who was given a special preview of the film earlier this week, had said that Dhananjaya has a hit loading with Gurudev Hoysala.