Pushpa 2 Still Top Opener Post Kantara 1 / After Deepika, Alia says NO

On BookMyShow, Pushpa 2 still holds the record with 107K tickets booked per hour at its peak. Kantara Chapter 1 entered the same zone with 74K tickets per hour earlier in the day, which is an impressive feat for Rishab Shetty’s film. Despite the buzz, Pushpa 2’s dominance remains untouched. Few films in Indian cinema look capable of challenging its booking record. Only future titles like Salaar 2 or Kalki 2 appear likely to come close, but Pushpa 2 remains safe for now. Breaking the Allu Arjun starrer’s record will take extraordinary numbers. For the moment, Pushpa 2 continues to lead as the benchmark for advance bookings in India, and audiences now wait to see which film will dare to topple it. Franchise films like Baahubali 2, KGF 2, LCU film Leo, and Mohanlal’s Empuraan did very well at the Kerala box office, but Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2 failed to meet expectations and became a big failure. Apart from Allu Arjun’s highly anticipated sequel, all the films listed above debuted with record-breaking numbers and achieved massive success over time in Kerala. Now Kantara Chapter 1 has also exceeded trade’s expectations, and despite not having much pre-release jump and multiple films running in theaters, it still sees a 6 Cr opening, which is one of the biggest openings in Kerala.

Last November Alia Bhatt was in talks to headline filmmaker Nag Ashwin’s yet-untitled woman-led film. But 11 months is a long time for things to change. Ashwin, whose Kalki 2 is now undergoing a round of casting following Deepika Padukone’s exit, is reportedly considering focusing on his woman-centric film in the interim. However, that clashes with Bhatt, who is said to have given bulk dates to Maddock Films’ Chamunda from March 2026. In the latest development, industry chatter suggests that the filmmaker has resumed talks with Sai Pallavi, who has long been his choice to lead the action drama. A source close to the production revealed, “Nag didn’t let go of the idea of the woman-led film. It was simmering on the backburner through most of 2025. With the developments in Kalki 2, bringing the other project forward is a possibility.” Pallavi, however, can allot her dates only after the two-part Ramayana is complete. The source adds, “She is expected to wrap up the second instalment of Ramayana by mid-2026. If the dates align, she could step into Nag’s film before he moves to Kalki 2.” Insiders, however, insist that schedules and casting could shift, given the dynamic nature of the projects in question.