PremiumFans irked as Aadujeevitham Karnataka bookings open ahead of Yuva
Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Aadujeevitham is being distributed by Hombale Films, which has also bankrolled Yuva Rajkumar’s debut, Yuva
Last Updated: 08.57 AM, Mar 26, 2024
Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran has a long association with Kannada cinema and the production house, Hombale Films. For quite a while, Prithviraj has been taking on the responsibility of bringing Kannada cinema to Kerala, including those produced by Hombale Films, while he has also worked with the banner on Salaar and is committed to do another called Tyson.
When Prithviraj then advanced the release of his film Aadujeevitham from a Vishu outing to March 28 to capitalize on the Easter holiday in his home state and elsewhere, Hombale Films jumped in to take up the Karnataka release of the Blessy directorial. This despite the fact that the banner has its own production, Yuva, hitting theatres the very next day.
This, however, has irked a set of fans, since Hombale Films has already opened the bookings for Aadujeevitham, while Yuva’s will open only on Wednesday, with only two days to go for the release. Fans of the Doddmane have taken to social media wondering why the banner appears to be favouring Prithviraj’s film over its own production, and that too one that will mark the debut of the latest entrant from the Rajkumar family – Yuva Rajkumar.
For Hombale Films, though, bringing two of the most expected films to theatres seems more like a strategic move. Yuva director Santhosh Ananddram had said that they were targeting around 300-350 centres in Karnataka and although Aadujeevitham’s final screen/show count is yet to be ascertained, it will be no less than 100-150 reckon netizens. As of now, bookings for the Malayalam and Kannada versions have been opened, with those for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi to also be available shortly. Trade sites predict that it could be the biggest release for a Malayalam film in Karnataka.
Depending on the performance of either film, this arrangement gives the banner the leeway to allot more theatres/shows to the one that emerges victor this festive weekend. With Yuva, Hombale Films is clear that the box office journey will begin only on March 29, with no paid premieres the previous evening. The banner is yet to confirm if there will be early morning shows for fans, with Santhosh reiterating that the production house is keen on an 8 am start.