Akhil Akkineni returned to the big screen after a three-year gap with Lenin, which released worldwide on Friday. Directed by Murali Kishor Abburu, the period action drama stars Bhagyashri Borse as the female lead and is jointly produced by Nagarjuna Akkineni's Manam Enterprises and Naga Vamsi's Sithara Entertainments.

The film opened to mixed reviews, but managed a decent start at the box office. On its opening day, Lenin collected Rs 9.73 crore gross worldwide, narrowly missing the Rs 10 crore mark.

According to trade estimates, the film grossed Rs 6.73 crore in India and another Rs 3 crore from overseas markets. In India, it collected Rs 5.90 crore net from around 2,028 shows, registering an overall occupancy of nearly 50 per cent on its opening day.

Set in the late 1990s, Lenin revolves around the village of Sriramapuram, where the annual Draupadi festival forms the backdrop. The story follows Lenin, who falls in love with Bharathi, before village politics, betrayal and revenge take centre stage.

The film is a crucial one for Akhil, who has been searching for a major commercial success since making his debut. Following the failure of Agent, the actor and his father Nagarjuna aggressively promoted Lenin across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in a bid to generate strong opening-day numbers.

While the opening collections are encouraging, the film's box-office prospects will largely depend on how it performs over the Saturday and Sunday weekend. Positive word of mouth will be crucial if Lenin is to maintain momentum in the coming days.

Apart from Akhil and Bhagyashri Borse, the film features Sivaji, Brahmaji, Sunil, Eswari Rao, Shatru, Getup Srinu, Praveen and Mahesh Achanta in important roles. Kannada actor Pramod Panju, who makes his Telugu debut as Vasanth, has also earned appreciation for his performance.