Kishan’s Mazaka struggles at theatres despite festival release

Sundeep Kishan and Ritu Varma’s latest film Mazaka, released on February 26 on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, has turned out to be a major box-office disappointment. Directed by Nakkina Trinadha Rao and produced by Razesh Danda, the film was expected to open well due to the festival release. However, to everyone’s surprise, theaters remained largely empty.
Adding to the woes, Mazaka had an unusual midweek release on a Wednesday, which further impacted collections on Thursday and Friday. Even the weekend failed to revive its prospects, with audiences outright rejecting the film.
Despite a strong supporting cast, including Rao Ramesh and the return of Anshu Sagar (Manmadhudu fame), the film had several shortcomings. The poorly received songs and last-minute trailer release failed to generate buzz. While Rao Ramesh’s performance was appreciated, the film suffered from a weak script by Bezawada Prasanna Kumar, especially in the emotionally disconnected second half. Trade analysts believe the father-son comedy track also did not work, leading to the film’s failure. Despite the theatrical failure, the producer has managed to recover costs through OTT and satellite rights, with Zee Studios securing the film for a good price.
Following the massive success of Dhamaka, the underperformance of Mazaka raises concerns about the future of the Nakkina-Prasanna collaboration. Fans are now eagerly waiting to see how they redeem themselves with their next project.