In the Tier 2 hero space, there has always been a running rivalry between Nani and Vijay Deverakonda. Back in 2018, Vijay Deverakonda delivered a massive blockbuster with Geetha Govindam, crossing ₹130 Cr Plus worldwide, a number that neither Nani nor Vijay Deverakonda himself managed to beat in the years since.
A Record That Finally Falls
That changes now. With The Paradise closing in on ₹135 Cr gross by its opening weekend itself, the film becomes Nani’s biggest grosser ever, and in the same breath, crosses Vijay Deverakonda’s own career-best, Geetha Govindam, a record that had stood untouched for seven years.
This number comes purely from the opening weekend. With the kind of lead The Paradise has built, the film is set to add several more crores through its ongoing theatrical run, pushing this gap even further by the time its full run wraps up.
With this milestone, the ball is now in Vijay Deverakonda’s court. His next film, Ranabaali, is scheduled for release on October 16, and it will decide whether he can reclaim the lead in this rivalry, or whether Nani continues to hold the advantage from here on.
