Released on January 10, Sudha Kongara and Sivakarthikeyan's Parasakthi has firmly emerged as the biggest Pongal winner at the box office. The film has collected an estimated Rs 46.1 crore India net in eight days, significantly outperforming fellow releases Vaa Vaathiyaar and Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil.
The film opened to a massive Rs 12.5 crore on its first Saturday and followed it up with Rs 10.1 crore on Sunday. While collections dipped sharply on weekdays, dropping to Rs 3 crore on Monday and hovering around the Rs 2.5 crore mark midweek, the film bounced back strongly on Day 6 with Rs 5.5 crore, driven by the extended holiday period.
Even in its second week, Parasakthi has remained resilient, collecting Rs 5 crore on Friday and an estimated Rs 4.85 crore on the second Saturday. The ability to pull in strong numbers well beyond the opening weekend sets it apart from the other Pongal releases.
In comparison, Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil has shown impressive growth trends but remains far behind in absolute numbers, with Rs 8.7 crore in three days. Vaa Vaathiyaar, despite an earlier release and star power, stands at Rs 6.95 crore after four days, highlighting the wide gap between Parasakthi and the rest of the field.
An excerpt from our CE review of Parasakthi reads, "If the film gets one thing inarguably right, it is how it dismisses the most recurring slander against the movement: it is not against Hindi or Hindi speakers but against the administrative imposition of the language. We hear it repeated more than thrice throughout various points in the film. Director Sudha Kongara takes great pains to make sure that the film does not villainise any language or community. A commendable task. If only a fraction of that effort and nuance also went into portraying the inner world of those who fought for language rights, Parasakthi would have been impactful.
Parasakthi also stars Ravi Mohan, Sreeleela in her Tamil debut and Atharvaa in leading roles. The film's extended cast includes Kulappulli Leela, Prakash Belawadi, Dev Ramnath, Prithvi Rajan, Guru Somasundaram and Chetan, with cameo appearances from Rana Daggubati and Basil Joseph.