‘Don’t Kill New Releases With Re-Releases’

Actor Manchu Manoj, who recently made his comeback with Bhairavam, expressed his concerns about the increasing trend of re-releasing old Telugu films. Speaking at the film’s success meet, he pointed out how current factors like IPL, the shrinking OTT window, and competition from big festival releases already make it tough for new films to get a strong opening.

“In this situation, even re-releases are now taking over weekends. These films already have a loyal fan following, so releasing them during weekdays would be more reasonable,” Manoj said. “Right now, it feels like we’re killing one Telugu film with another,” he added.

His comments follow the re-release of Mahesh Babu’s Khaleja, which received a strong response and, according to Manoj, impacted the performance of Bhairavam to some extent. While he welcomed the celebration of classic films, he suggested that the timing of these re-releases needs better planning.

Manoj also urged industry decision-makers to consider regulating re-release schedules just like they do for big festival slots. “If those dates can be reserved, the same approach can be applied here too,” he suggested.

Bhairavam, which marks Manoj’s return to the silver screen after eight years, opened to decent numbers at the box office. The film also features Bellamkonda Sreenivas and Nara Rohith in key roles.