Kiran Abbavaram’s Question… Mythri Ravi’s Response

Recently, actor Kiran Abbavaram made headlines in an interview where he expressed disappointment that while Tamil actor Pradeep Ranganathan’s films get screens in Telugu states, Telugu movies struggle to get theatres in Tamil Nadu. He said Tamil distributors don’t allot enough screens, and his frustration became a hot topic on social media. Even though Kiran didn’t mention the movie name, everyone guessed he was referring to Dude. Since his film is clashing with K Ramp, his remarks sparked widespread debate.

At the Dude trailer launch event, producer Mythri Ravi Shankar responded to Kiran’s comments. He stated that if the content is strong, any movie can become a blockbuster. He added that if other films are better than Dude, they are ready to share and allocate their shows willingly. However, he clarified that it’s not right to make the number of theatres an issue. The real reason, he said, is that Tamil Nadu simply has fewer screens compared to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — not because of deliberate bias. He concluded by saying, “If a film is a hit, the number of shows automatically increases.”

With this clarification coming from a top producer, it remains to be seen how others will analyze the situation. The response sounds fair, but Telugu filmmakers must decide what kind of films can create a solid market in neighboring states. Movies like Baahubali, KGF, RRR, and Pushpa succeeded there, but medium-budget films have rarely performed well in Tamil Nadu.

This “theatre war” seems endless, so everyone might as well go with the flow. As Ravi Shankar said, we’ll soon find out who the Diwali winner will be.