The Paradise directed by Srikanth Odela and fronted by Telugu star Nani, stormed into Indian cinemas on Thursday with a paid premiere the night before. The opening day delivered the largest ever debut for Nani, eclipsing his previous highs and generating headlines across the sub-continent. Audiences flocked to multiplexes in major cities, and the film’s initial earnings hinted at a potential crossing of the coveted Rs 100 crore mark within the first weekend.
Yet the euphoria was short-lived. By Friday, the box-office trajectory flattened dramatically, a trend analysts linked to a chorus of lukewarm critiques from both professional reviewers and everyday moviegoers. Social feeds were awash with comments pointing to narrative gaps, pacing issues, and a story that struggled to resonate despite its 1980s tribal backdrop. The sudden dip sparked speculation about whether the film’s ambitious premise could sustain its early momentum.
Box-office momentum stalls as mixed reviews surface
The initial surge was impressive: ticket-selling platforms reported that The Paradise secured a record-breaking opening for Nani, with collections soaring across Tier-1 and Tier-2 markets alike. However, the second-day figures revealed a sharp contraction, a pattern typical when a film fails to win over the broader audience after the hype. Industry trackers noted that the film’s earnings fell by a sizable percentage, pulling it away from the projected Rs 100 crore milestone and prompting distributors to reconsider their confidence in the film’s staying power.
Critics highlighted the film’s uneven pacing and an underdeveloped central conflict between the Savaari tribe and the feudal overlord, which many felt diluted the intended social message. While performances from the supporting cast—Mohan Babu, Kayadu Lohar, Sonali Kulkarni, and Raghav Juyal—earned occasional praise, the consensus converged on a perception that the screenplay did not fully exploit its historical setting. This critical chorus appeared to influence audience sentiment, accelerating the sharp fall in daily grosses.
BookMyShow disables ratings and reviews amid controversy
Amid the box-office wobble, another development caught the industry’s attention: BookMyShow, India’s leading ticketing platform, replaced the film’s public rating and review widgets with a stark “Rating & Review Disabled” notice. The change appeared almost overnight, and no official statement clarified the timing or rationale. Similar actions have been observed for other recent releases such as Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups and Ustaad Bhagat Singh where producers argued that the move shields films from coordinated review bombing by bots rather than silencing authentic audience voices.
Producers typically contend that fake accounts can flood rating systems with maliciously low scores, jeopardizing a film’s commercial prospects. In the case of The Paradise, the decision coincided with a flurry of social-media chatter questioning whether a recent court order—granted by a Bengaluru court to restrict “defamatory” content about the film—might also be influencing the platform’s policy. While BookMyShow has not publicly addressed the specific trigger for The Paradise, the pattern suggests a growing industry trend to pre-emptively curb potentially damaging online feedback.
Legal backdrop and Nani’s public response
Just days before the release, a Bengaluru court issued an injunction that bars the publication or circulation of material deemed defamatory toward The Paradise. The order, filed by the film’s producers, argued that the massive financial outlay on production, marketing, and distribution could suffer irreversible harm from unfounded allegations. Critics on social platforms wondered whether the decree could also suppress legitimate criticism, prompting a heated debate about free speech versus protection of commercial interests.
Addressing the swirling speculation, Nani took to X (formerly Twitter) to reassure fans that the legal measure was not aimed at genuine reviews. He posted, “It does not target genuine reviews,” while promoting the film in Mumbai. Later, he acknowledged the mixed reception, thanking audiences for both the love and the “hilarious trolls.” Nani’s candid note underscored the actor’s awareness of the film’s flaws and his appreciation for the audience’s ownership of the conversation, even as the industry grapples with the balance between protecting a project and preserving open dialogue.
