The Sankranthi 2026 festive season will witness a crowded box-office battle, with five Telugu films and two dubbed releases competing for audience attention. The first major release of the season will be Prabhas’ “The Raja Saab,” hitting screens on January 9. With just 20 days to go, the promotional momentum across films appears uneven, resulting in an inconsistent buzz.
“The Raja Saab” has already unveiled its teaser, trailer, and two songs, while promotions are being carried out at an intermittent pace. A full-fledged promotional blitz is expected to begin after January 1. Given Prabhas’ star power, strong openings are a given. However, the film requires an extra push as it is not a conventional mass action entertainer, but a horror-comedy, making sustained promotions crucial.
Chiranjeevi’s “Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu” has so far released two songs, with only “Meesala Pilla” managing to go viral. Beyond that, the film needs more promotional material and visibility to build anticipation ahead of release.
Ravi Teja’s “Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi” is following a softer promotional strategy. Since the film is positioned as a family entertainer, the makers appear keen on reaching regular audiences rather than hardcore fans, opting for measured publicity.
Low buzz
The remaining two Telugu films, “Anaganaga Oka Raju” and “Nari Nari Naduma Murari,” are clearly lagging behind in promotions. While Naveen Polishetty is expected to go on an extensive promotional run closer to release, Sharwanand’s film seems to be suffering from a directionless publicity campaign, resulting in near-zero visibility. Among the Sankranthi releases, it currently has the least buzz.
As for the dubbed films, Vijay’s “Jana Nayakudu” and Sivakarthikeyan’s “Parasakthi,” there appears to be minimal focus on the Telugu market, further limiting their impact during the festive season.
With Sankranthi traditionally being the biggest box-office window for Telugu cinema, the coming weeks will be crucial. Whether these films can course-correct their promotional strategies will determine who truly capitalises on the festive advantage.
