Allu Sirish on how ‘Dhurandhar’ could have smashed more records with Telugu release: 'Makers of ‘Animal’ took the effort'

Ranveer Singh starrer ‘Dhurandhar 2’ is releasing in multiple languages, unlike the first installment. Although the film was only released in Hindi, it crossed the Rs 1000 crore mark with its long box office run. As the second part of the story arrives in theatres soon, actor Allu Sirish shared how Hindi filmmakers should understand the potential in dubbing their movies in South Indian languages.In a conversation with Variety, Allu Sirish, who comes from the prominent Allu Konidela family in the Telugu cinema, explained how the film could have benefited by drawing parallels with ‘Chhaava’ and ‘Animal’. He shared how well the films responded during their theatrical run. The newly married actor said he really enjoyed watching these films. He felt they had strong stories and deserved a bigger audience across India.“I loved ‘Dhurandhar.’ I loved ‘Chhaava’, and I loved ‘Animal.’ I think only the makers of ‘Animal’ took the effort of dubbing it in Telugu and reaching out to a wider audience. ‘Chhaava’, also, after we saw it, we initiated a conversation with the producers. My dad (Allu Aravind) felt the movie had to be seen, and after a month or something, we released it in Telugu. By then, some steam was lost,” he said.He also added that audiences today do not care about language barriers anymore. He believes people just want good films.Talking about ‘Dhurandhar’, Allu Sirish said the film could have reached many more people if it had a Telugu version during its original release. “I think Hindi filmmakers should put more focus on releasing their content here. ‘Dhurandhar’ not being dubbed into Telugu, I think, was a huge opportunity missed. Imagine how much more business it could have done and how many more eyeballs it could have reached had it released in Telugu also. I feel like the Hindi studios should be more proactive in releasing their content here and not treat it as a one-off activity,” he said. He further praised the makers of ‘Jawan’ and ‘Animal’ as he said, “I think they should learn a little from ‘Animal’s playbook, because the Telugu version here also collected a sizable amount. ‘Jawan’ did, and because of the hype, people here also watched it. Usually, I think around 15 to 18 per cent is South India’s contribution to the all-India net. But with ‘Jawan’ it was 28 to 31 per cent. So, I think filmmakers should invest more in dubbing their films in other languages.”On the personal front, Allu Sirish recently married his partner, Nayanika Reddy, on March 6. He was last seen in the 2024 film, ‘Buddy’.