Anupama Parmeswaran’s ‘Paradha’ struggles at the box office with Rs 48 lakh collection in opening weekend

Anupama Parameswaran’s latest outing, Paradha, opened in cinemas last Friday amid modest expectations. The bilingual drama, released in both Telugu and Malayalam, has unfortunately not managed to leave a mark at the ticket counters. Over its opening weekend, the film could only collect Rs 48 lakh, reflecting a weak start despite the lead actor’s popularity down South.The majority of Paradha’s business has come from its Telugu version, which contributed Rs 39 lakh over three days. The film opened on Friday with a lukewarm Rs 12 lakh showed a slight growth on Saturday with Rs 14 lakh, and dipped on Sunday with Rs 13 lakh.The numbers indicate that the film failed to capitalise on the weekend footfalls, staying largely flat throughout.For a film led by Anupama Parameswaran, who enjoys a decent following among Telugu audiences, these figures are disappointing. In recent years, even mid-scale releases have managed to secure stronger opening weekends in the Telugu states. The performance of Paradha suggests that the content failed to excite its target audience or lacked the buzz to pull in crowds.In Kerala, Paradha performed on an even smaller scale, adding just Rs 9 lakh in its opening weekend. The film earned Rs 6 lakh on Day 1, but dropped to Rs 2 lakh on Saturday before almost flattening at Rs 1 lakh on Sunday. This sharp decline over the weekend signals poor word-of-mouth and a quick run-out from theatres.Combining both languages, Paradha ended its first weekend with Rs 48 lakh net in India. With Paradha struggling to cross even the Rs 1 crore mark in its opening frame, the film is looking at a very short theatrical run. Unless there is a miraculous turnaround with strong word-of-mouth during the weekdays, Paradha will go down as one of the weakest performers in Anupama Parameswaran’s career. The film’s fate now rests almost entirely on its digital and satellite sales to recover investments.Paradha has been directed by Praveen Kandregula and also stars Darshana Rajendran and Sangeetha Krish.