The Collaboration:
Director Bobby, who waited for a big break, achieved it with the blockbuster success of Waltair Veerayya. Meanwhile, Nandamuri Balakrishna, who is riding high on back-to-back hits with Akhanda and Veera Simha Reddy, has teamed up with Bobby for a new film under the Sithara Entertainments banner, with Thaman as the music director.
The official pooja ceremony took place on Balakrishna’s birthday, June 10, 2023. With the addition of Bollywood stars Bobby Deol and Urvashi Rautela, initially, there were rumors that Dulquer Salmaan was playing a role in the film. With all this buzz, the movie had strong anticipation right from the start.
The Initial Plans:
The movie shoot started on November 8, 2023, in Hyderabad. The team initially planned a continuous schedule targeting a 2024 summer release. However, due to Balakrishna’s political activities for the 2024 elections, the shoot was delayed. Additionally, there were reports of changes to the originally planned script, along with some reshoots. With all these developments, the movie remained on sets until the end of 2024, even as the release date approached. The film was released on January 12, 2025
The Pre-Release Business and Buzz:
While the title and glimpse created a good buzz for the film, the songs did not help elevate it further. The first trailer received a decent response, while the release trailer garnered a better reaction. Overall, the film carried a mid-range buzz before release, not as high as Veera Simha Reddy or Akhanda but not as low as Bhagavanth Kesari.
With over ₹80 crore in theatrical business and strong non-theatrical rights, the film became the biggest pre-release business venture in Balakrishna’s career.
Movie Review:
Daaku Maharaaj is a good commercial film. The first half goes on a very high note with terrific shots, high moments, and Thaman’s thumping music. After watching the 1st half, it feels like a huge blockbuster is loading for Balakrishna. The 2nd half did not match the 1st half range, but it is not completely a flat one. Balakrishna’s terrific screen presence and some high moments continuously engage, but weak villain characterizations and an abrupt climax give us an overall decent-to-good commercial entertainer.
Daaku Maharaaj Box Office:
Daaku Maharaaj opened with positive reviews, which helped the film achieve the biggest opening for Balakrishna. After seeing the huge rush for the second shows on the first day, everyone definitely expected it to achieve the much-awaited 100 crore share film for Balakrishna. At that time, it had the advantage of Game Changer getting below-par word of mouth and reviews.
But after Sankranthiki Vasthunnam, the scenario changed as families completely turned up for the film. With that, Daaku Maharaaj was able to achieve decent box office success with more than 80 Cr share worldwide but didn’t reach the bigger range or the 100 crore club as anticipated on release day. Everyone feels the film deserved much more at the box office and could have been a big success if it had been a solo release.
Daaku Maharaaj Roars In Netflix
A few days back, Daaku Maharaaj was released on Netflix. After its arrival, it finally received the deserved appreciation not only from Telugu audiences but also from audiences of all languages. The film sees a big viewership of 2.4M and trends top in 13 countries, listed at 5th position globally also. The film continues to trend on the No. 1 position on Netflix in India.
Daaku Maharaaj’s Final Word: Balakrishna rises to another level
Bobby definitely delivers on his promise, and the producers spent big on the film, which clearly shows on screen. With this, Balakrishna steps into another level, and that impact will surely be witnessed in his upcoming films. A better climax and a well-planned release date could have pushed the film to a much bigger and more deserving range at the box office.
If you haven’t watched the film yet, catch it on Netflix — it’s a must-watch, and you definitely won’t be disappointed!
