This Dusshera season, the Tollywood box office saw six new releases: Vettaiyan, Viswam, Maa Nanna Superhero, Martin, Janaka Aithe Ganaka, and Jigra. With so many releases lined up for the festival, trade pundits expected these films to set the cash registers ringing. But much to their shock, all the Dusshera releases failed to generate excitement among the audience.

Vettaiyan, starring Superstar Rajinikanth, hit the screens yesterday. This TJ Gnanavel’s directorial received mixed reviews from critics. Though the first half got a decent response, the latter half was criticized for its lengthy duration. The reviewers commented that the movie became preachy towards the climax. The collections are not up to the mark in Telugu.

Gopichand and Sreenu Vaitla’s Viswam was released in theatres today. The actor and director are in poor form, and hence, they pinned their hopes on this film. It looks like Gopichand and Sreenu Vaitla need to wait a bit longer for success, as Viswam is receiving below-average reports. Except for a handful of comedy scenes, the rest of the film is said to be boring, with a routine story and execution.

Dubbed films Martin and Jigra are receiving outright bad reports. Martin, headlined by Dhruv Sarja, is said to be an unbearable and loud action drama with over-the-top fight sequences. Reviewers say the film neither has an emotional depth nor a proper storyline. Alia Bhatt’s Jigra is labeled as a tiresome action drama with no engaging moments.

Suhas’ Janaka Aithe Ganaka had its premieres in a few centers, but the reports are quite underwhelming. It is said to be a silly courtroom drama aimed at youth. Out of all the Dusshera releases, Sudheer Babu’s Maa Nanna Superhero stands out in terms of content, but unfortunately, it doesn’t have the required commercial elements to become a box office success.

It is further said that Maa Nanna Superhero might appeal more to the OTT viewers than the theatre-going audience. The makers arranged special premieres, and these shows saw a decent turnout. However, the momentum was not carried for the regular shows on the release day. The openings are poor in all the territories.

Despite six films arriving for the festive season, none possess the quality to emerge as a box office hit, and things are looking bleak for the exhibitors and distributors.