Bellamkonda Sreenivas feels releasing Chatrapathi a week after The Kerala Story affected its box office collection

Young Telugu star Bellamkonda Sreenivas talks about his Hindi debut Chatrapathi, and why the film didn’t receive expected response at the box office.

Best known for his work in Telugu films, Bellamkonda Sreenivas recently made his Hindi film debut with Chatrapathi, however the project didn’t elicit expected response. And the actor blames it on the timing of the film, and says that releasing it the week after the much anticipated The Kerala Story was a wrong move.

Bellamkonda Sreenivas made his Hindi debut with Chatrapathi

“When we released in on May 12, The Kerala Story was really strong at the box office. All the attention was on that film. Had we not released alongside The Kerala Story, things would have been very different. Not only that, things would have been different if it was released before the Covid-19 pandemic,” confesses the actor, who starred alongside Nussrat Bharucha in Chatrapathi, the official Hindi remake of the 2005 hit Telugu film of the same name, which was directed by SS Rajamouli and starred Prabhas.

The actor reveals that he had signed the film before the pandemic struck and the shoot got pushed because of the Covid-19 crisis. “And now, times have changed. The content which people want is very different, audiences have evolved. They want projects high on content. It reminds us that we have to pull up our socks and put in more effort,” says Srinivas, who made his acting debut in the 2014 action comedy Alludu Seenu with Samantha.

However, he is happy that audiences lauded his performance was noticed, and he is being approached for more roles in Bollywood projects. “I understand the film wasn’t a success but it did mark my debut in the Hindi film industry, and that is good enough for me. I’m still in the early stage of my career,” says the 30-year-old, adding, “The feedback has been good. My performance in the film was noticed, and it is helping me get more opportunities. People have seen my talent and got an idea about my capabilities. Now, I have to pick the right Hindi film and not disappoint my fans.”