Weekend Box Office: ‘Paradha’ faces total rejection

Anupama Parameswaran had promoted “Paradha” as the best film of her career and her finest performance. However, the reality at the box office painted a starkly different picture. The female-centric drama, which hit theaters last weekend, failed to draw audiences from day one. Trade circles were shocked to see near-empty theaters everywhere, with the film registering negligible collections.

The negative word of mouth from the premiere shows sealed its fate, leaving no scope for improvement over the weekend. Director Praveen Kandregula’s earlier outing “Subham” had at least managed a decent opening, but “Paradha” faced outright rejection right from the first show.

What makes this failure more striking is Anupama’s recent track record. She delivered blockbusters like Kartikeya 2 and Tillu Square, yet her star pull did not translate into openings for Paradha. While female-centric films generally face an uphill battle at the box office, this one failed to connect even with niche audiences.

Our critic noted in the review that the film’s very premise was unconvincing and its narration painfully dull, which ultimately explains the audience’s disinterest.

Overall, “Paradha ended its run within the first week itself, joining the list of recent non-starters.

On the other hand, “Coolie” failed to gain momentum in its second weekend and virtually ended its run within the first week itself. Meanwhile, NTR and Hrithik Roshan’s much-hyped “War 2” also turned out to be a washout.