Suriya’s Retro hit the big screens yesterday. The romantic action entertainer directed by Karthik Subbaraj features Pooja Hegde as the female lead. Naga Vami distributed the Telugu-dubbed version. Since the beginning, there hasn’t been much hype for Retro in Telugu. On top of that, a direct clash with Nani’s HIT 3 and a below-par trailer put Retro in a tough situation.
As a result, Retro earned less than Rs. 3 crores gross on its opening day in the Telugu states. This is extremely poor considering the breakeven target. To make things worse, the film has mostly received negative reviews from Telugu media, and word of mouth is no different. On the other hand, HIT 3’s public talk is encouraging, and hence, Retro will likely be a washout.
Once Suriya was a reliable star in Telugu, but with films like Kanguva, Etharkkum Thunindhavan, and Retro, his market took a significant toll. Suriya’s project with Lucky Bhaskar director Venky Atluri has a good chance to register good revenues, but can Suriya45, helmed by RJ Balaji, spring a pleasant surprise? Let’s see.