Blame him or thank him, SS Rajamouli has set a standard for period/event films. Be it Bahubali, Bahubali 2 or RRR, his films have always managed to grab the attention of one and all due to the making as well as the promotions. Rajamouli’s RRR released a few months back and we saw how the film got everyone talking just before its release. If not up to that level, one still expected a sort of aggressive marketing of Ponniyin Selvan 1, considering it’s a film helmed by a veteran like Mani Ratnam. However, except for a few media events, the makers didn’t really put the efforts which were needed for an expensive film like PS 1.
Keeping the promotions aside, even the trailer of Ponniyin Selvan I didn’t really get everyone talking. No doubt, the film has been enjoying a good pre-release buzz down South, but when it comes to the pan-India scene, the biggie lacked that kick which is much needed for an event film. On top of that, Vikram Vedha’s competition made the film look like a touch-and-go affair.
Contrary to poor awareness about PS 1 in the Hindi belt, the film took a surprisingly decent start at several places. The morning shows had decent to good numbers (not at every place though). It’s mainly due to Mani Ratnam’s name or Chiyaan Vikram’s popularity among the Hindi audience. Also, the factor of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan seems working to an extent. This could have been a good situation as it leaves the film to cover the ground on Saturday and Sunday with healthy jumps. However, in this case, the content has failed in impressing the majority of the ticket-buying audience, thus eliminating big jumps from the picture. On the other side, there’s Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan’s Vikram Vedha, which has received a thumbs up from most of the audience.
It’s clearly visible that no matter how big the Kollywood industry is, it has failed in making a mark theatrically in the Hindi belt. It’s a sad truth that a well-made film and a worldwide blockbuster like Vikram didn’t do that well among the Hindi audience. In the past, several Tamil dubbed biggies failed to leave any mark with Valimai and Beast being the best examples. 2.0 is the only well-known exception that worked tremendously at the box office, which had Akshay Kumar playing an important role.
Unlike Telugu and Kannada films, Tamil films are yet to crack the success formula and break the box office jinx in the Hindi belt. Mani Ratnam’s PS 1 is another unsuccessful attempt!
Ponniyin Selvan 1 Box Office Review (Hindi): Final Verdict
On the whole, Ponniyin Selvan 1 doesn’t have the merits to stand in front of a competitor like Vikram Vedha, which is interestingly a remake of a Tamil film. Even if released solo, the film didn’t have any chance to earn well at the box office. In the current situation, PS 1 will earn anywhere between 10-15 crores, which are dissapointing numbers for such a huge film.
