Shehzada, the official Hindi remake of Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde’s 2020 Sankranthi blockbuster, Ala Vaikunthapuramulo, opened in cinemas worldwide this morning. With Bollywood slowly bouncing back thanks to Pathaan’s phenomenal success, all eyes were on Shehzada.
But, disappointing everyone, Shehzada has received a lacklustre response from critics and movie lovers alike. The Kartik Aryan and Kriti Sanon-starrer, which was postponed to escape the Pathaan fury, has been hugely affected by Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which also released today across India amid a huge buzz.
Bollywood trade analysts are predicting that Shehzada might end up collecting around Rs 7 crore nett on its opening day. This is a rather dismal start, given the fact that the film’s tickets were sold on a buy one get one free basis. Senior Tollywood producers Allu Aravind and S Radhakrishna, who had also bankrolled Ala Vaikunthapuramulo, co-produced Shehzada in association with Krishan Kumar and Aman Gill.