Chiranjeevi on Acharya box office failure: ‘Ram Charan and I returned 80 percent of remuneration, have no guilt’

Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan returned 80 percent of their remuneration to the producer after their Telugu film Acharya failed to perform well at the box office.

Actor Chiranjeevi on Thursday opened up about the box office failure of his recent film Acharya, which ended up as a disaster at the box office. In a recent media interaction, Chiranjeevi said that he takes full responsibility when a film of his fails. Quoting the example of Acharya, he said that he as well as actor-son Ram Charan returned 80 percent of their remuneration for the movie to the producer after the film’s failure. Chiranjeevi also said that he has no guilt regarding their film Acharya.

Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan in a still from their film Acharya.

Telegu film Acharya, directed by Koratala Siva, is based on a middle-aged social reformer, who launches a fight against the Endowments Department over misappropriation and embezzlement of temple funds and donations. This was the first time Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan were seen sharing screen space in full-length roles.

Talking about the failure of Acharya, Chiranjeevi said at a recent event, “I take full responsibility when a film fails and I take the failure of Acharya in my stride. I have no guilt feeling about doing the film. In fact, both Ram Charan and I returned 80 percent of our remuneration to the producer.”

Despite grossing Rs. 73 crore in the first three days of release, the film ended up as a failure. Box office tracking portal Andhra Box Office had described Acharya as a ‘double disaster’. As per their report, the theatrical value of Acharya was pegged at Rs. 140 crore. At the end of its theatrical run, the film could not break even at the ticket windows. The portal also tweeted, “Acharya is literally dead at the box office on its first Monday. Fourth day gross numbers are abysmally low and share is negligible.”

Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi’s latest release GodFather has grossed over Rs. 100 crore at the box office. Directed by Mohan Raja, GodFather is an action-drama, which also stars Salman Khan in an extended cameo. The film also features Nayanthara, Satyadev, and Murali Sharma, among others in key roles.