With L2: Empuraan gaining increasing traction by the day, it is expected to have a bigger-than-imagined release in Telugu on March 27th. Potentially, there is a Sankranthi-like clash at the box office between this film and two other outings.
MAD Square and Robinhood are going to be released on March 28th, just a day after L2. If L2 receives positive 'word of mouth' in Telugu, the film won't be vacating its screens for MAD Square and Robinhood. That will make the early Summer competition between the three films extremely tight.
The theme of 'local vs non-local' crops up in this context. L2 is a Mollywood movie, while MAD Square and Robinhood are Tollywood products. So, will a local film have to be given preference in theatre allocation over a non-local movie?
Dil Raju has handled the question in his own style. He said that cinema has become global these days. He also assured that MAD Square and Robinhood can take care of themselves because they are backed by big players. Sithara Entertainments and Mythri Movie Makers, respectively, are bankrolling them.
Prithviraj Sukumaran, the director of L2, emphasized that he was proud to distribute Salaar and KGF 2 in Kerala. The two non-Malayalam movies received his unconditional support, he suggested. Actor Mohanlal urged the Telugu audience to support L2. Their tone was that they deserve the reciprocal love of the Telugu audience.
Thus, the trio of Dil Raju, Prithviraj and Mohanlal laid the emotive issue to rest for now. It is another matter that the 'local vs non-local' debate will continue to rage on whenever the Kannada and Tamil film industries strike a discordant note against popular Telugu films.
