New Delhi: Pushpa 2: The Rule, starring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, hit the screens today amid a frenzy of excitement. And the craze isn’t confined to India.
The film, released in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam, is even gripping neighbouring countries like Nepal.
Viral visuals from cinema halls in Nepal show massive crowds, with people jostling with each other to grab a ticket for the Allu Arjun film. Payment gateways such as Khalti crashed due to the sudden surge in demand.
Mass Theatre in Nepal
People Are Pushing and Moving Forward to Watch Pushpa #PushpaHindi pic.twitter.com/zWRbiLsYny
— TRK 🪷🔥🦁 (@ActorTRK) January 12, 2022
The film created excitement even before its official release. Pushpa 2’s Hindi trailer, which came out on 17 November, was the country’s number-one social media trend for five days straight.
Telugu Trailer Trending at No.1 Position in INDIA Since 5 Days 💥
Hindi Trailer Trending at No.1 Position in NEPAL Since 5 Days 💥
Perfect Pan India Star Bolthe 🔥#Pushpa2TheRule 🪓 @AlluArjun🦁 pic.twitter.com/C2B1HAMFoo
— M I B ™ (@MassIconBunny) November 22, 2024
According to figures released by Nepal Press, the total collection of the first instalment, Pushpa: The Rise, was NPR 12 crore. Other top-grossing Tollywood films in the country have been Baahubali 2 at NPR 23 crore, and RRR at NPR 13.5 crore.
“The massy entertainment in Nepal’s cinema comes from Indian movies, to be specific, South Indian films. Hence, the craze,” film critic and trade analyst Ramesh Bala told The Print.
The audience in Nepal is particularly inclined toward action films, said Bala. Bollywood movies such as Pathaan (2023) and Jawan (2023) were quite successful in the country. But high-octane films from South India are definitely more attractive to Nepalese people. Directed by Sukumar, the sequel of the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise (2021) follows the life of Pushpa Raj, a coolie who rises to dominate the red sandalwood smuggling trade.
“The audience in Nepal connects with the rags to riches story of Pushpa, as the majority population is middle class,” Bala added.
Pushpa: The Rise, also directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, was a commercial success, amassing over Rs 400 crore in India. According to Bala, Pushpa 2, like many hits from South India in recent years, is likely to break its own records in the Hindi-speaking belt.
“Day 1 the film will collect close to Rs 200 crore in India, and the weekend numbers can go up to Rs 450 crore.”
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)
If Indian govt provides proper platform for Indian movies it will break all records in pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Not only that in muslim countries especially middle East and china and Africa Indian movies are very popular.
It would be master stroke of cultural influences of india. I have meet and talk many people outside india they always praise yoga Indian movies and food…