Ponniyin Selvan 1: Can Karthi's Sardar and Sivakarthikeyan's Prince stop the juggernaut of the blockbuster film?

The Kollywood industry, which was going through a lull phase in recent times, has delivered two industry hits in a span of just three months recently, leaving cinephiles thrilled. While Kamal Haasan-starrer Vikram earned more than ₹400 crores across the world, Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan 1 breached ₹450 crore mark the other day.

The latter has also become the first movie to gross ₹200 crores only from Tamil Nadu. Movie buffs are now eager to know if the film would enter the coveted ₹500 crore club. The film is still attracting audiences despite having been released three weeks ago.

The Deepavali festival season is likely to be a huge advantage for the period flick, but Karthi's Sardar and Sivakarthikeyan's Prince which are hitting the screens tomorrow are expected to put a dent in the multi-starrer flick's box office prospects.

Going by the current trend, the advance booking for Sardar and Prince are just okayish, and the rest depends on word of mouth. Film lovers opine that Ponniyin Selvan 1 will have an upper hand during the coming weekend and festival week if both the new releases open to average or below average reviews from critics and the audience.

While Karthi is on a roll with appreciation coming up from several quarters for his portrayal of Vanthiyathevan in the Mani Ratnam film, Siva is on a success streak. His last two movies, Doctor and Don, which were released in the post-pandemic era, ended up as super hits.

Both Sardar and Prince will have Tamil and Telugu versions; the former is expected to have an edge in Telugu states considering the following Karthi enjoys in Tollywood, while the latter is an acid test for Sivakarthikeyan. The film is the actor's first simultaneous Telugu release.