Mammootty has an uphill task

Malayalam superstar Mammootty would be testing his luck in T-town with his upcoming film ‘Yatra’. “Mammootty has to draw in openings for his film and prove that he is star material in the two Telugu states,” says distributor Bharat Bhushan, who claims that the biopic of the late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy which is valued at around Rs 12 crore including publicity by trade circles.

“The first look and trailers evoked a good response and showcased traces of Mammootty’s acting brilliance. No doubt, his performance will get applauded, but he needs to attract crowds at ticket windows to give himself a footing in T-town,” adds Bhushan. Incidentally, Mohan Lal’s debut film ‘Manamantha’ couldn’t spin box office magic, but he bounced back with blockbuster ‘Janatha Garage’, albeit Jr NTR was the main crowd puller. 

“Mammootty has to carry the film on his well-built shoulders. With biopics not taking great openings these days, Mammootty has to break the jinx,” concludes Bhushan.  Interestingly, his son and actor Dulquer Salmaan tasted success by reprising the role of Gemini Ganesh in the biopic ‘Mahanati’. Can the father surpass his son? That remains to be seen.