Akhil Akkineni-starrer Lenin, which hit the screens on Friday, has shown good growth at the box office despite opening to mixed reviews. Directed by Murali Kishor Abburu, the period rural drama stars Bhagyashri Borse as the female lead and is jointly produced by Nagarjuna Akkineni's Manam Enterprises and Naga Vamsi's Sithara Entertainments. Kannada actor Pramod Panju made his Telugu debut with the film.
On its second day, Lenin collected Rs 8.15 crore net in India from 2,099 shows, registering nearly a 14 per cent increase over its opening-day collections. With this, the film's two-day India net collections have reached Rs 15.30 crore.
The film also maintained a decent run overseas, collecting Rs 2.50 crore gross on Saturday. Its total overseas gross now stands at Rs 5.80 crore, while the worldwide gross for two days has touched Rs 23.40 crore. The overall occupancy on Day 2 improved to 57 per cent, indicating positive weekend momentum.
Produced by Nagarjuna Akkineni and Naga Vamsi, Lenin marks Akhil's comeback after a three-year gap. Set against the backdrop of the fictional village of Sriramapuram in Chittoor district, the story revolves around the annual Draupadi festival before unfolding into a revenge drama.
The film is considered crucial for Akhil, who has been searching for a major commercial success since his debut. After experimenting with different genres over the years, Lenin appears to have struck a chord with audiences, with positive word of mouth helping its box-office performance.
The film is also the second directorial venture of Murali Kishor Abburu after Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha, which was also set in the Chittoor region.
For Bhagyashri Borse, Lenin marks her first major success in Telugu. At the film's success meet held on Saturday, the actress turned emotional while thanking the audience for their support. Calling Hyderabad her "Karmabhoomi", she expressed gratitude for the love she has received from Telugu audiences.
