Raj Nidimoru says ‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’ opening day collections are a wake-up call for those who doubted Samantha Ruth Prabhu: 'She can pull crowds massively'

Director BV Nandini Reddy’s action drama ‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’ has emerged as a major box-office winner, surpassing industry expectations and registering the biggest opening ever for a solo-led Samantha Ruth Prabhu film.

The achievement carries added significance as the film was written by Raj Nidimoru and jointly produced by Samantha and Raj, making it a deeply personal project for the duo.The film has enjoyed a remarkable run across markets, collecting Rs 46.04 crore worldwide.

Strong audience support and positive reception helped the film establish itself as one of the most successful female-led commercial entertainers in recent times.Raj Nidimoru addresses industry perceptionReflecting on the pre-release conversations surrounding the film, Raj Nidimoru revealed that many trade observers had underestimated Samantha’s ability to attract audiences to theatres on her own.Talking to Variety India, he shared, "somebody was saying that, one of our producers, was asking someone a few days before the release, what do you think about the buzz for the film? And how is it going? And he was like, what buzz? I mean, of course it's coming.

Female-led films don't have buzz.

They pick up once the word of mouth starts.

So that's how it is.

And so it was a harsh reality at that point.

And even we were thinking, that's how it is.

But then when the numbers opened on the very first day is when we realised, it should be, film should be a film, male or female-led.

And quite surprised and pleasantly surprised and gently reminded again that she can pull crowds massively."According to Raj, the opening-day performance served as proof that audiences are willing to support a film regardless of whether it is led by a male or female star.Samantha Ruth Prabhu took time to embrace the successWhile fans celebrated the film's performance with enthusiasm, Samantha remained measured in her reaction.

Raj shared that the actress generally prefers to wait before declaring a project successful and likes to observe audience response over a longer period."She usually doesn't accept immediately that it's a success.

So it takes her a bit.

So it's not like the very first day she'd be like, 'Yeah, we did it.' So but thankfully, this time, by like, I don't know, Saturday, Sunday or something, she said, 'I think it's working.'"He noted that Samantha acknowledged the film's strong reception only after witnessing its consistent growth over the weekend.Even as ‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’ continues its successful theatrical run, Raj says his celebrations have been balanced between enjoying audience reactions and focusing on future creative pursuits."My celebration has been going with our team to different theatres and is enjoying these moments.

And, you know, filming them and just, you know, soaking in this excitement.

And then there's also the boring side of me.

That's a slightly boring way, which is come back and go to my room and start writing a new story."‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’ strong weekend push drives collections‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’ opened with Rs 5.35 crore net in India on Friday and witnessed impressive growth over the weekend.

The collections climbed to Rs 7.65 crore on Saturday before touching Rs 10.10 crore on Sunday.

The momentum did not slow down once the workweek began, as the film added another Rs 4.10 crore net on Monday.With a four-day domestic total of Rs 27.20 crore, the film has challenged long-held assumptions about the market potential of women-centric commercial films.

The sustained footfall indicates that audiences embraced the story from the very first day rather than waiting solely for word-of-mouth recommendations.Read the latest Entertainment News and Celebrity updates.

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