The Telugu-dubbed version of Ramayana is shaping up as the film’s strongest regional story on its opening day. Trade estimates cited by Koimoi put the version at more than ₹4 crore net by late afternoon, with a day-one target of close to ₹9 crore or slightly higher as evening walk-ins build on positive word of mouth.
If that holds, it will become the second-biggest opening ever for a Bollywood film in Telugu, pushing Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal out of second place.
The film behind the number
Nitesh Tiwari directs Ramayana, with Namit Malhotra and Yash producing. Ranbir Kapoor, Yash and Sai Pallavi lead the cast, alongside Ravi Dubey, Arun Govil, Lara Dutta, Indira Krishnan, Rakul Preet Singh, Sonal Jha and Vivek Oberoi. The score brings together AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer.
That combination has always promised scale. What the Telugu number tests is whether the scale travels beyond the Hindi original.
The decision to hold the pre-release event in Hyderabad is a telling detail: it treated the Telugu version as a release in its own right rather than an afterthought of a Hindi campaign.
Where the Telugu start ranks
The benchmark list is short and top-heavy. War 2 sits far ahead, while Animal has held second since its release.
- War 2 – ₹22.75 crore
- Animal – ₹8.55 crore
- Jawan – ₹4 crore
- Chhaava – ₹2.5 crore
- Dhurandhar 2 – ₹2.12 crore
That gap matters: a ₹9 crore opening would roughly triple the next tier and still leave War 2 more than ₹13 crore ahead. It is a strong second, not a contested first.
Why Telugu is leading the dubbed versions
The source notes that the Tamil and Malayalam versions have opened below par, while Kannada and Telugu are performing well. In Telugu, the film has specific advantages: Ranbir Kapoor’s existing pull in the market, Yash’s Kannada-star weight, and a Hyderabad pre-release event that focused attention on the Telugu version.
That local push appears to have converted into footfalls. Walk-ins are expected to drive the rest of the day, which is the variable to watch before the final number is locked.
What to read into the number
For readers tracking Hindi cinema’s box office, the Telugu opening is a reminder that a Bollywood record increasingly depends on dubbed markets. Animal and War 2 both set high bars in Telugu, and Ramayana is now in that conversation because of casting and promotion, not just scale.
The final day-one figure will confirm whether it merely passes Animal or extends the margin. Either way, the top of this list remains a two-film story.
Source: Koimoi
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