Telugu Movie Releases in February include a slew of interesting films and after an eventful start to 2024 with the Sankranthi releases, its is going to be Eagle vs Yatra vs Ooru Peru Bhairavakona clash at boxoffice
The four-way clash in Telugu cinema this Sankranthi ensured impressive footfalls in theatres across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over a long weekend. While HanuMan has turned out to be an undisputed box office winner, Guntur Kaaram continues to put up an impressive show, with Naa Saami Ranga nearing the break-even stage already.
The major Telugu releases for Republic Day include Hansika’s experimental thriller 105 Minutes in addition to the dubbed versions of Dhanush’s Captain Miller and Siva Karthikeyan’s Ayalaan. A slew of small-budget films are slated to arrive on February 2 – Suhas starrer Ambajipeta Marriage Band, Sohel’s Bootcut Balaraju being the most prominent of them all.
However, the tussle worth waiting for is the triangular clash among Ooru Peru Bhairavakona, Eagle (February 9) and Yatra 2 (February 8). If Vi Anand-directed Ooru Peru Bhairavakona is a supernatural thriller, Eagle is a dark action drama helmed by Karthik Gattamneni. Yatra 2 is the biopic of AP CM YS Jagan, headlined by Jiiva, Mammootty, Mahesh Manjrekar and directed by Mahi V Raghav.
The appeal of films like Ooru Peru Bhairavakona, Eagle will naturally be wider – thrillers and action dramas have been crowd-favourites in recent months and the credible star cast, crew should convince viewers to hit theatres. The bigger challenge will be for Yatra 2, more so because it ventures into a controversial domain, discussing YS Jagan’s story, months ahead of the AP Assembly Elections.
Political dramas, inspired by true incidents, continue to be a niche territory for Telugu viewers and there’s a definite section of audiences that’ll distance itself from Yatra 2 owing to their political beliefs. Unlike Ram Gopal Varma’s Vyooham (also a biopic on YS Jagan), Yatra 2 is not a parody, has been made on a lavish canvas, with technicians like Madhie, Santhosh Narayanan coming on board.
Eagle has the edge with its star-studded lineup – Ravi Teja, Anupama Parameswaran, Vinay Rai, Srinivas Avasarala and Navdeep. Yet, it would be wrong to underestimate Ooru Peru Bhairavakona. Sundeep Kishan’s script selection has been impressive over the years and VI Anand has delivered surprises like Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada, Okka Kshanam in the past. What’s your pick?
