South India's biggest flop film lost Rs 170 crore, led to tragic suicide, director went in hiding, didn't work again
The biggest flop film in south cinema history not only lost Rs 170 crore, but also led to a tragic death. This article contains description of self harm.
Since the pandemic, the four film industries of the south – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam – have upped the game in terms of scale. Many of the biggest budget films in India are now made down south instead of in Bollyood. This also means that often times, one of those films can go wrong and lose money. In fact, very recently, one mega budget film became the biggest box office flop in south cinema history, losing over Rs 170 crore at the box office
The biggest flop film from south India
In 2022, Prabhas starred in the romantic drama Radhe Shyam, which had Pooja Hegde opposite her. Billed as a pan-India film, the movie had a massive budget of Rs 300 crore. It was marketed across India and had a wide release too. And yet, it underperformed massively at the box office. Despite a good start at the box office, Radhe Shyam sank, netting a little more than Rs 125 crore at the box office worldwide. Trade analysts estimate that the film lost over Rs 170 crore at the market, causing severe financial strain on the makers.
How Radhe Shyam’s reception led to a fan’s death
It wasn’t just the box office underperformance that hurt Radhe Shyam. The critics slammed it too, criticising its bloated length and lack of connect. The negative reviews led to a massive backlash against the film and its lead star Prabhas online. Days after the film’s release, a fan of Prabhas allegedly died by suicide, perturbed by the reception the film was getting. India Today reported that Ravi Teja, a fan of the actor from Tilak Nagar in Andhra Pradesh died by suicide as he was upset the trolling his favourite star was getting.
How director Radha Krishna Kumar faced trolling after Radhe Shyam
Radhe Shyam’s failure was compounded after films like Sita Ramam worked. The romantic drama was considered by fans as everything Radhe Shyam should have been as it came out just months after the latter’s failure. This led to a new wave of trolling for the filmmakers, chiefly director Radha Krishna Kumar. Prabhas fans targeted the filmmaker for ‘ruining’ their star’s film. The director maintained a stoic silence and stopped public appearances for a while till it all blew over. He has not made a new film since.