Valimai marks the pan-India debut of Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar. The film is up for theatrical release on the 24th of this month. The action drama is releasing in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. But here’s the problem. Releasing Valimai in Telugu appears to be a waste of resources and here’s why.
For starters, the makers of Valimai decided to stick to the same title for the Telugu version as well. They conveniently ignored the fact that Valimai literally has no meaning in Telugu. The Telugu audience will not even have a clue about the Valimai title. If that is the case, how can one expect the audience to step out to watch a film in theatres if they don’t even know what the title means?
Then comes the promotional campaign. As expected, Ajith did not step out to promote the film. That might work in Tamil Nadu as he is a huge star here but when it comes to the Telugu market, aggressive promotions are needed to bring the film good visibility and reach. But there has been no effort in this regard. Not many Telugu audience even know that Valimai is releasing in Telugu on 24th February.
One might argue that Karthikeya, who plays the antagonist in Valimai is a Telugu actor and he might have some box office pull. But in all fairness, Karthikeya has been in a poor run of form. He is yet to build a consolidated market for himself. His inclusion might not bring the biggest of box office advantages to Valimai.
And on top of all that, the film is clashing with Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati’s Bheemla Nayak which is releasing on 25th February. The Bheemla Nayak fever has set in in the twin Telugu states and the audience are raring to watch the mass entertainer in theatres. So, even in case Valimai manages to put up notable numbers in the twin Telugu states on its opening day, withstanding the Bheemla Nayak wave from the second day is near impossible. The film is certain to lose most of the theatres to Bheemla Nayak from 25th February.
All factors considered, Valimai’s Telugu release prospect doesn’t look all that promising.