How 70-year-old Chiranjeevi beat Prabhas in Sankranti clash; earned 300% more than The Raja Saab at the box office

Chiranjeevi's Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu has comprehensively beaten Prabhas' The Raja Saab at the box office.

Prabhas is arguably the biggest draw in Telugu cinema right now, alongside Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun, probably. His stature rose after Baahubali, transforming him into a pan-India star, as they call it. That he has given ₹100-crore openings for his films since speaks volumes about his star power. So most actors are averse to clashing with a Prabhas film, and that too, on Sankranti, considered the biggest release window for Telugu films. Yet, Chiranjeevi - the OG superstar - did just that this year. And somehow, managed to end up victorious too.

Mana Shankara Varaprasad Garu stars Chiranjeevi in the lead role.

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu vs The Raja Saab box office clash

Prabhas’ The Raja Saab was the first mega release of 2026. Hitting the screens on January 9, the horror comedy set the bar high, collecting ₹64 crore net in India, and a neat ₹100 crore worldwide on day 1. It was less than what some of Prabhas’ other films have opened at recently, but still one of the best openings for an Indian film in the last couple of years. But the negative word of mouth took hold after that, and the film crashed hard. Drops of 50% and 30% over the next three days meant The Raja Saab was collecting under ₹5 crore net by Tuesday.

On the other hand, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, starring Chiranjeevi, released on Monday, opening at ₹41 crore net in India and ₹65 crore worldwide. And unlike The Raja Saab, this film held its own during the Sankranti holidays.

After its opening day mania subsided, over the next three days of Sankranti holidays, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu collected ₹60 crore net in India and ₹85 crore gross worldwide. During the same period, The Raja Saab’s collections were just over ₹15 crore net in India and ₹30 crore gross worldwide. In India, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu collected 300% more than The Raja Saab during the Sankranti holidays, a clear victory.

What worked for Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu

Both The Raja Saab and Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu had been promoted as their respective stars returning to their ‘vintage’ avatars. For Prabhas, it was a return from Rebel Star to Darling as he adopted a softer side, doing comedy and romance and not just mass action. For Chiranjeevi, it was a return to the good old days of the 90s when he danced as well as he beat goons up. But the results show that only one film really connected with the masses, and only one ‘vintage turn’ worked. Chiranjeevi had the advantage of a better, simpler film. The Raja Saab floundered as it never knew what it wanted to be - a simple horror comedy or a star-led film mounted in ₹350 crore. Somewhere in between this identity crisis, it lost its way, and the audience found it out in no time. Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu was not perfect, but it delivered what it promised: entertainment and stardom.