The Telugu speaking states are all set to witness one of the biggest box office clashes of all times this Sankranti week with not one, or two, but four films releasing at the same time. While Guntur Kaaram will clash with HanuMan on January 12, other Telugu films starring OGs like Nagarjuna and Venkatesh Daggubati in films Naa Saami Ranga and Saindhav, respectively will also hit the screens on January 13 and 14. With all the films releasing at the same time, the topic of discussion is whether this is a smart move by the makers or suicidal. Here's what experts have to say.

Are movie clashes beneficial in terms of individual film business?

While there is no fair competition between these films in terms of screen count, budget as well as stardom, still releasing at the same time can result in dividing the footfall at the theaters, be it single screen or multiplexes.

While its a sure thing that the Mahesh Babu starrer has an upper hand in all ways, Nagarjuna and Venkatesh Daggubati too have certain fan following in the states. The film that's going to more or less struggle at the box office at bringing people will be Teja Sajja starrer HanuMan, a relatively lesser known actor and moderately small budget film compared to the Mahesh Babu starrer Guntur Kaaram.

Keeping these factors in mind, the question that prompts here is whether or not this is a smart move by the makers of the film.

Sumit Kadel, Film Trade Analyst, believes clashes are suicidal. He says, “I think clashes should not happen at all. Because eventually it will hamper the box office collections.”

“Shows will get divided, screens will get divided, audience footfalls will get divided. And when three to four films are clashing at the box office, the bigger film will always have an upper hand. For instance, a film like Guntur Karam starring Superstar Mahesh Babu, majority of the exhibitors will prefer giving more shows to this film because they are assured that it will get huge opening and majority of the audience, Mahesh Babu's fans and other cinema lovers will opt for a bigger film and a smaller film like Hanuman and other films which are releasing along with Guntur Karam will face the heat because they will struggle to get shows at premium single screens and multiplexes”, added Kadel.

He noted clashes are always suicidal, especially for smaller films. According to Kadel, "Bigger films will always lead no matter what."

Giving an example of the recently released Dunki and Salaar, Kadel said, "We have seen with Dunki and Salaar, Dunki suffered a huge loss in Hindi Heartland because of Salaar and Salaar faced huge loss because of Dunki at bigger centres and bigger multiplexes. Eventually, both films lost approximately 82 crore business in their total run."

Kadel also noted that the filmmakers should always avoid clashing with other films at the box office and opt for solo release.

However, Film Industry Tracker Manobala Vijayabalan begs to differ and believes, "Clash is a good move for small films, because they get more reach by clashing with big star films. Normally, if a person doesn't get ticket for big star film, they would go for available small star movie, because of Pongal festival people would flow to theatres for entertainment with their family members. Depending on the word of mouth, and if content clicks, then it would be a jackpot."

Guntur Kaaram, HanuMan buzz dominates Saindhav, Naa Saami Ranga

While the good or bad impact of Guntur Kaaram's clash with HanuMan will be revealed after the films hit the big screen, one way that the clash has benefitted the Teja Sajja starrer is in terms of publicity. Taking the risk of releasing alongside Mahesh Babu starrer has put the film in the spotlight. According to experts, HanuMan's release timing coinciding with Ayodhya's Ram Mandir ceremony will most likely hit the right chord with the audience and open to at least Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore on its first day in all languages.

Meanwhile, Saindhav and Naa Saami Ranga, mostly being limited to the Telugu speaking states are neither a threat to the Mahesh Babu starrer or the Teja Sajja film as they have their own loyal following and will open to Rs 10 crore each, according to experts.

It needs to be seen which film mints how much at the box office in the long run and if the clash does any good to the films individually.