Magadheera creates a bang in Calcutta!

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Saif Ali Khan may be safe and sound at the box-office after the huge opening for Love Aaj Kal but Ram Charan Teja is giving him unlikely competition at a Calcutta multiplex.

Ram Charan who?

A Telugu film starring the rookie actor, son of superstar-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, has surprised box-office pundits by notching up one houseful show after another at Fame Cinemas in South City Mall.

Magadheera, meaning “great warrior”, is the first Telugu film to release in a Calcutta plex and the week’s surprise celluloid success story. The film has not only beaten Bollywood Friday fare like Ram Gopal Varma’s Agyaat and Satish Kaushik’s Teree Sang but even challenged Love Aaj Kal’s reign at Fame.

“Since its release last Friday, all the shows of Magadheera have gone houseful. Audiences are coming in by the droves, with many even returning for a repeat watch. We are definitely playing the film for a second week,” said Rishi Negi, the chief operating officer of Fame Cinemas.

So what makes Magadheera a winner?

“Films on the death and reincarnation theme always do well in the south. What has worked for Magadheera even elsewhere is the huge pre-release buzz about the film and the presence of a new lead pair,” said M. Ravinder Reddy of Hyderabad-based Om Venkateswara Films, the distributor for Magadheera.

The 55-crore film has already earned upwards of Rs 100 crore and is scoring big in the overseas market, just like Love Aaj Kal. At Fame, the audience for Magadheera has been largely Telugu but people who don’t understand the language have trooped in, too.

“In the first four days, close to 600 of our members watched Magadheera. Many are planning to return in the second week,” said Yajnasri of the city-based Andhra Association.

Word-of-mouth publicity has also helped. “My cousin in Hyderabad recommended the film. I loved the special effects and Ram Charan Teja’s screen presence,” said IT professional C. Prashanth.

Magadheera is a lavish production with a story spanning four centuries. The film’s music has also been a hit, though the non-Telugu audience has had to be content with visual eloquence in the absence of subtitles.

In the recent past, Rajanikanth’s Sivaji and Kamal Haasan’s Dasavathaaram have had box-office success in Calcutta.

The original Ghajini, where Surya Sivakumar played Aamir Khan’s role, and even Punjabi films like Yaarian also found takers among the city’s film audience.

“Regional content has always done well here because of the city’s cosmopolitan nature. Films from the southern part of the country definitely have an edge in Calcutta, but even Punjabi content like Yaarian and Asa Nu Maan Watna Da have brought in the crowds,” said Virendra Marya, the regional director of INOX.

Unlike most recent Bollywood releases that have been pulled out of city theatres after the first week, regional content has invariably sailed into Week II.

While Magadheera was released in only one plex, Telugu film Josh is set to hit more screens. “We are looking to release Josh, the debut film of actor Nagarjuna’s son Naga Chaitanya, across Calcutta plexes this month,” said Reddy.

Talks are also on with distributors to release a Marathi film in the city next month.