Bengaluru, September 29 - Actor and filmmaker Rishab Shetty's Kantara: Chapter 1 has generated massive excitement in Karnataka, where advance bookings are surging with several shows already sold out. However, things in the Hindi market look gloomy, unlike the social media notion.

Despite the cult status of the original Kantara –” which stunned the trade by becoming a sleeper blockbuster across India –” the prequel is not replicating that momentum in the Hindi belt. Trade expectations were high that Kantara: Chapter 1 would score big advances and even challenge the dominance of other South Indian blockbusters with big starts in the Hindi market.

It is not that South Indian films solely depend on Hindi markets to get success status, but over the last decade, many South Indian films performed exceptionally in the Hindi belt, which eventually became the highlight of their box office status.

Early chatter suggested Kantara 2 would score big advances on par with other Pan-India blockbusters in Hindi, aided by the goodwill of the first instalment. Yet, so far, the response is muted. As per the current status, the Hindi version of the period action drama has managed to sell tickets worth around 50 lakh for the opening day.

While this is a decent start for a dubbed Kannada film, it falls significantly short of the lofty expectations set before advance bookings opened. This eventually shows that the hype, which seemed very good on social media, is not on the ground among the general audience.

With just a few days left for release, the film's Hindi prospects hinge on a late surge in bookings. If the momentum doesn't pick up, Kantara: Chapter 1 may struggle to breach the double-digit opening mark in the Hindi market. Much will depend on word of mouth, last-minute ticketing rush, and how effectively the makers push promotions in North Indian circuits before release.

Stay tuned...