The teaser and trailer of Roaring Star Sriimurali’s Bagheera had created a good buzz, and yet, hours after advance bookings for the October 31 release were opened, the response has been slow. According to industry tracker Karnataka Talkies, Bagheera has close to 388 shows in Bengaluru, with just over three thousand tickets sold, as of early October 30.

Sivakarthikeyan’s Amaran, which has 376 shows in the city, has clocked in over ten thousand ticket sales. In fact, Bagheera’s Telugu version is set for a better opening in Hyderabad, based on early reports on October 30. The makers have also chosen against opening the film with early morning shows (EMS), which tend to do well.

Bagheera bookings to pick up based on FDFS word-of-mouth?

The expectation is that bookings will pick up in the course of the day and by the weekend, based on the response to the first-day-first show, once the major Deepavali festivities are over. Netizens reckon that there may be a direct impact owing to the poor show of the big Dasara release, Martin, which made some money, but was panned widely across languages. Also, the fact that Bagheera comes after 2 failures for Sriimurali – Bharaate and Madhagaja –does not help the actor’s cause, they add.

The trailer of Bagheera very clearly states that it is an action-packed film, but director Dr Suri is categoric that there is an intensely emotional drama at play as well. The film is an origin story for the vigilante Bagheera, an honest, law-abiding police officer, who, under certain circumstances is forced to step outside the framework of the law to serve justice.

The film has been written by Dr Suri, based on a plot thread by KGF maker Prashant Neel. Sriimurali is paired with Sapta Sagaradaache Ello-fame Rukmini Vasanth, while the cast also includes Garuda Ram, Prakash Raj, Sudharani, Rangayana Raghu, and Achyuth Kumar.

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