‘Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros,’ ‘Aadu 3,’ ‘Thaai Kizhavi,’ ‘Youth’: Small Budget South Films Strike Big At The Box-office

A spate of small films made on a budget of ₹10 crores and under have swept the box-office in South India. These films, largely featuring newcomers or upcoming actors (except Radikaa Sarathkumar, who headlined “Thaai Kizhavi”), have won the hearts of cinema-going audiences in South India. Interestingly, most films fall under the romantic comedy genre and have been appreciated for their culturally relevant stories, raw performances and fresh faces. Without A-list stars, which add to overall production costs, almost all these films were made on a shoestring budget, leading to affordable ticket prices that draw audience interest in South India. Variety India lists the movies that have created magic at the box office this year.

Malayalam cinema
On January 14 this year, the Telugu romantic comedy, “‘Anaganaga Oka Raju’ starring Naveen Polishetty and Meenakshi Chaudhary and directed by Mari Selvaraj, became the first sleeper hit of the year for South Indian cinema. The film was made on a small budget of ₹8-10 crore and earned an India net collection of ₹53.94 crore. Interestingly, the same week, the highly anticipated Tamil commercial film, “Vaa Vaathiyaar,” starring Karthi and directed by Nalan Kumarasamy, tanked at the box-office earning a meager ₹8.06 crore against a budget of ₹40 crore.

On January 30, the Malayalam horror comedy “Prakambanam” had young talent like Ganapathi S Poduval, Sagar Surya, and Al Ameen at the helm. Directed by Vijesh Panathur, the film was another surprise hit. Made on a budget of ₹4 crore, the film earned a box office India Net Collection of ₹15.36 crore. The film was bravely released the same day as Malayalam star Nivin Pauly’s supernatural thriller, “Sarvam Maya.” But this was a relatively big-budget film, costing ₹30 crore, earning an India net collection of ₹76.84 crore. Therefore, it was admirable that a small movie like “Prakambanam” managed to hold its own and make an impact in the same week.

On April 2, the Malayalam comedy drama, “Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros,” took the box-office by storm with an India Net Collection of ₹129.42 crore. The film was made on a conservative budget of ₹10 crore. It was led by a cast comprising Hashir, Alan Bin Siraj, Ajin Joy and Vinayak V and was directed by Savin SA. There were no other major releases that week.

The ₹20 crore Malayalam fantasy-comedy franchise, “Aadu 3,” released on March 19 and earned an India Net Collection of ₹60.33 crore.

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‘Vaazha II: Biopic of a Billion Bros,’ ‘Aadu 3,’ ‘Thaai Kizhavi,’ ‘Youth’: Small Budget South Films Strike Big At The Box-office

Tamil cinema
The Tamil romantic comedy, “With Love” released February 6. Headlined by Abishan Jeevinth and Anaswara Rajan, it was directed by Madhan. The film was made on a tight budget of ₹4 crore, earned an India Net Collection of  ₹30.72 crore, and faced no competition that week.

Popular South cinema actress Radikaa Sarathkumar’s comedy drama, “Thaai Kizhavi,” was released on February 27. The film was directed by

Sivakumar Murugesan and was made on a small budget of ₹9 crore, earning an impressive India Net Collection of ₹71.67 crore. There were no other big-ticket releases that week.

The Tamil romantic comedy “Youth,” which released on March 19, catapulted its actor-director, Ken Karunas, into stardom overnight. The film, which was made on a budget of ₹6 crore, earned an impressive India net collection of ₹52.62 crore.
Tamil actor Hip Hop Adhi’s Tamil musical drama, “Meesaya Murruku 2”, also released on the same day and has earned an Indian Net Collection of ₹23.74 crore. However, the film’s budget remains unavailable.

Telugu cinema
The Telugu romance drama, “Couple Friendly,” opted for a Valentine’s Day (February 14) release. This was a good movie starring Santosh Soban and Manasa Varanasi and directed by Ashwin Chandrasekar. The film, made on a shoestring budget of ₹1- 5 crore, surprised the box-office by collecting a ₹12.31 crore India net collection. There were no major releases that week.  

Kannada cinema
A recent entrant to this list is the Kannada romantic comedy, “Premada Oorali,” which released on September 25. The film’s cast comprises actors like Rangayana Raghu, Shree Raam, Thapaswini Poonacha and Ramika Shivu. National Award-winning director Manoj Kumar directed it; he won the Best Feature Film award for his debut Kannada film, “Akshi.” His new film, “Premada Oorali,” was made on a budget of ₹1 crore, and its current India Net Collection stands at ₹7.07 crore.