Ravi Teja’s Mr. Bachchan is now out in theatres. Directed by Harish Shankar, the film is the official remake of Ajay Devgn’s superhit Raid. Mr. Bachchan’s team did everything in their capacity to take the movie close to the audience. The promotions were no doubt aggressive, but the team made the bold decision to screen paid premiers a day before the official release.

Generally, paid previews will be helpful if the content is good. These paid premiers were instrumental in elevating the buzz for films like Baby, Mad, and HanuMan, which later turned out to be blockbusters. But these special shows are equally dangerous if a film’s content is not up to the mark. Unfortunately, the reports from these premiers are not encouraging for Mr. Bachchan.

The mouth talk will spread faster when these special screenings happen ahead of the full-fledged release. When a film fails to meet expectations, these paid previews do more harm than good and will indeed affect the openings too. This happened for many films in Tollywood, but the best example to describe this situation is Samantha’s Shaakuntalam.

Had Mr. Bachchan’s team opted for a normal release, the damage would have been less. Harish Shankar is being trolled by netizens brutally. The main complaint from the audience is that this remake got sidetracked with unwanted tracks and commercial elements. With theatrical rights valued at a huge amount, it will be an uphill task for Mr. Bachchan to become a safe venture. Let’s see if Ravi Teja’s crowd-pulling capacity can save the film.