Tollywood puts Rs 150 crores on Sankranthi

Tollywood filmmakers are hoping to cash in on the belief that Sankranthi augurs well for cinema. With nearly 15 films releasing next week, Tollywood is all set to return with a bang. Venkatesh, Junior NTR and Ravi Teja, whose films are slated for a Sankranti release, will be seen vying with each other for box office success. And while there may be some scepticism surrounding the release of so many films, worth Rs 150 crore, in a single week, producers are confident as Sankranti spells good luck for the industry.

Producer Ram Achanta, whose film Namo Venkatesha will release next week, says, “We started shooting the film with a Sankranti release in mind. Since many people go on vacation around this time, business is brisk. And while medium and small budget films won’t have a problem, the big budget films will certainly face stiff competition. Generally, films that release during this period earn good collections.” Bellamkonda Suresh, whose film Sambho Siva Sambho starring Ravi Teja will also hit the screens this Pongal, claims that competition is inevitable. According to him, earlier too films did exceptionally well during this season thanks to the fact that this is the revenue month for farmers.