This year’s Sankranti festival witnessed a box office clash between the films of two heroes — Allu Arjun and Mahesh Babu — with the former ultimately prevailing over the latter. And just when a buzz that 2021 could witness another such clash between the two heroes was gaining ground, filmmaker Rajamouli had recently announced that his film RRR would be released on January 8, 2021.
The announcement has made both the heroes review the release dates of their respective upcoming films. While Allu Arjun’s next film is being directed by Sukumar, Mahesh is working on a movie under Vamsi Paidipally’s direction. Now the question everybody is asking is — will they dare to take on Rajamouli? It’s a Catch-22 situation! “It’s a tricky situation for both Allu Arjun and Mahesh because Sankranti is such a big festival and they don’t want to miss out on it. However, both of them understand the magnitude of the pan-Indian release of Rajamouli’s RRR, so it is certain that they will either advance the release of their films or push them back, but will not compete with RRR”, according to a trade source.
Also, as RRR will be occupying most of the theatres, given its hype, it is going to be tough for any film to take it on. “Remember when Baahubali was releasing, many films, both small and big, stayed away from it, knowing the kind of ripples Rajamouli can create. A similar situation is expected in 2021 Sankranti too,” adds the trade source.
