While Kesari, starring Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra in lead roles is a war-drama about a single-digit troop of armymen from Punjab fighting a huge Afghanistan army, Chitralahari is a coming-of-age story that revived the career of its lead actor Sai Dharam Tej who had six consecutive flops prior to this release. Though both films didn’t manage to elicit impressive reviews from critics, Kesari managed to be one of the biggest openers in Hindi cinema this year and Chitralahari entered into the profit zone within a week of its release.
Kesari had also marked the Hindi debut of popular Punjabi director Anurag Singh and was criticised for its attempt to politicise history. Chitralahari, directed by Nenu Sailaja maker Kishore Tirumala isn’t a great film by any means either, but subtle comedy, impressive performances by its lead cast and catchy music helped its smooth yet shortlived run at the box office.