Dhamaka’s dream run continues on Netflix, is the second most-viewed title in India

Ravi Teja is back to winning ways at the box office with consecutive hits – Dhamaka and Waltair Veerayya. While both films received mixed responses from critics, it didn’t affect its prospects at the ticket window and continued to woo audiences to theatres. Well, both the films came with an advantage of releasing across two festive weekends. While Dhamaka released for Christmas (on December 23, 2022), Waltair Veerayya hit screens across the globe for Sankranthi (January 13). Interestingly, the streaming rights of both films were acquired by Netflix.

Dhamaka arrived on Netflix a week after Sankranthi and is expectedly working well with streaming enthusiasts too. The entertainer, on Wednesday, was the second most-viewed title in India, as per Netflix stats and consistently featured in the top 5 list this week. The film, directed by Trinadha Rao Nakkina, gives just what an average viewer expects for the worth of his ticket – a larger-than-life experience with adequate entertainment, doses of heroism, catchy music sans any melodrama. It doesn’t care about logic, plot and is filled with references from Trivikram films and 90s Chiranjeevi hits.

Writer Prasanna Kumar Bezawada has a good understanding of the sensibilities of the masses and it has helped with Dhamaka. Ravi Teja’s dual role with a twist, the refreshing screen presence and the spiritedness of Sreeleela in addition to a solid supporting cast with Jayaram, Tulasi, Shritej, Sachin Khedekar, Hyper Aadhi, Praveen contribute to its impact. Bheems Ceciroleo’s songs like Jinthak, Dandakadiyal, It’s Happening are catchy and shot in exotic locations that enhance the viewing experience.

In times when storytellers are trying to outsmart viewers with new age plots, sensationalism and intelligent twists, Dhamaka, without trying to do anything out of the box and sticking to basics, succeeds. Trinadha Rao Nakkina, in fact, has good track record with entertainers, be it his films like Cinema Choopista Mama, Nenu Local, Hello Guru Prema Kosame. People Media Factory, the producers, also backed Karthikeya 2 in 2022 and is also bankrolling G2, the sequel to Adivi Sesh’s Goodachari.