Whether it was a strategic decision or just good fortune, one of the smartest moves by the makers of Vicky Kaushal’s historical epic Chhaava was delaying the release of its dubbed versions, as reported by Indian media.
According to Indian Express, after running for three weeks in the northern market, the film was finally released in Telugu, giving its box office numbers a significant boost. On its 22nd day in theaters, Chhaava earned Rs6.25 crore from its Hindi version, while the newly released Telugu version brought in Rs2.25 crore on its opening day.
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With these earnings, Chhaava has now amassed Rs492.05 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. With no major competition in the Hindi market and no big releases scheduled until Eid, when Salman Khan returns with AR Murugadoss’ Sikandar, Chhaava remains the top choice for theatergoers.
While the Hindi version had an overall occupancy of 11.39%, the Telugu version performed exceptionally well, with 32.77% occupancy across approximately 600 shows. This is a rare feat for a dubbed Hindi film, as South Indian audiences traditionally prefer watching Bollywood films in their original language.
However, trends are shifting, and it will be interesting to see how this impacts Hindi cinema’s reach into newer markets. With Rs492.05 crore in domestic nett earnings, Chhaava is just Rs33 crore away from entering the top 10 highest-grossing Indian films, a spot currently held by Gadar 2. In the category of highest-grossing Hindi films, it ranks eighth and is only Rs13 crore behind Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal.
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Given its strong weekend performance, Chhaava is expected to surpass Animal by Sunday. Notably, Animal’s Telugu version earned Rs45.14 crore, benefiting from the strong regional presence of director Sandeep Reddy Vanga and actress Rashmika Mandanna.
With only Rs100 crore separating Chhaava from Stree 2, the second highest-grossing Hindi film, there is a strong possibility that Chhaava could continue its momentum and climb higher in the rankings. If it maintains its pace, it might even surpass major hits like Stree 2, Jawan, Pathaan, and Gadar 2 to become the highest-grossing direct Hindi film of all time.
