National Award winner Manoj Kumar's second directorial, Premada Oorali, is creating wonders at the box office and charting historic success in Kannada cinema with a surprise blockbuster run. According to trade sources, the film, mounted on a modest budget of ₹3.5 crore—has drawn audiences to theatres purely on the strength of word of mouth, emerging as the most profitable Kannada film of the year.
The record run saw the film breach ₹10 crore within just nine days of release. Factoring in its Day 10 collections on October 4, the total gross is set to comfortably surpass ₹13 crore. With houseful screenings across most centres, trade insiders project the film’s earnings to reach ₹30 crore over the next two weeks.
A touching tale of a father-son bond steeped in rural charm, the film has struck a chord with audiences thanks to a moving performance by Rangayana Raghu alongside Shree Ram, Ramika Shivu, and Thapaswini Poonacha. On the heels of its success in Karnataka, the content-driven drama has generated strong demand across other states. With the original Kannada release already performing well in Andhra Pradesh, the makers have finalized plans to roll out dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi.
Speaking at a recent press conference, director Manoj Kumar shared his delight:
"There is widespread demand for our film in other languages. Talks are already underway with prominent distribution houses for the Tamil and Malayalam versions, while discussions are ongoing with Anil Thadani for the Hindi release."
Leading industry banners have stepped forward to widen the film's theatrical footprint: Jayanna Combines is spearheading the release across Karnataka, while KRG Studios is managing distribution across the rest of India and overseas markets.
The film's triumph also earned high praise from Kantara star-director Rishab Shetty, who lauded the team and celebrated the audience's enthusiasm:
"Our people have once again proven that whenever a genuinely good film arrives, audiences never let it down—they ensure it wins. Premada Oorali is an outstanding example of that. Watching the film filled me with immense pride to see Kannada cinema receive such deep love and support after a long time. Heartfelt thanks to the people of Karnataka, and my warmest congratulations to the entire team."
The film features a musical score by Sunaad Gowtham and marks the debut of cinematographer Rajkanth SK.
