Sonali Kulkarni celebrates The Paradise crossing ₹100 crore, cuts cake with paparazzi despite 'extreme' reactions to Nani's film

The Paradise featured Sonali Kulkarni and Nani as they portrayed a mother-son duo fighting for the Savaari tribe's recognition against a feudal lord's family.

Despite facing criticism and receiving mixed reviews from critics and audiences, Nani’s The Paradise has made a strong impact at the box office, crossing the ₹100 crore mark within a week of its release. Amid the film’s box-office success, Sonali Kulkarni, who plays Nani’s mother in the film, was seen celebrating the milestone with the paparazzi. The actor expressed her happiness as The Paradise entered the ₹100 crore club.

Sonali Kulkarni celebrates The Paradise's ₹100 crore success

Sonali Kulkarni celebrates The Paradise box office success.

On Thursday, Sonali was seen celebrating The Paradise crossing the ₹100 crore mark. In videos shared by the paparazzi on social media, Sonali was seen cutting a chocolate cake to mark the milestone. She also expressed her happiness, saying, “Super happy. Cheers on ₹100 crores, cheers on The Paradise and cheers on my song Sammakka. Thank you everyone. Thank you so much. The Paradise is doing really great.”

Directed by Srikanth Odela, the film is backed by Sudhakar Cherukuri and Ishan Saksena under the banners of Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Cinemas and IVY Entertainment. The cast features Nani, Mohan Babu, Kayadu Lohar, Sonali Kulkarni and Raghav Juyal in key roles. Set in the 1980s, the story centres on the Savaari tribe and their struggle to gain legal citizenship.

Sonali Kulkarni portrays Sammakka, the community’s leader, while Nani plays her son, Jadal. Mohan Babu essays the role of Shikanja Malik, a powerful feudal lord, with Raghav Juyal playing his son, Vikram Malik. The narrative follows Sammakka and Jadal as they take on the Malik family and challenge a system that denies the Savaari tribe legal recognition despite their contribution to society. The film drew criticism for its writing and execution.

Nani has also reacted to the extreme reactions from audiences, saying it was the first time in his 18-year career that he had experienced such a strong response to one of his films. Speaking to Srikanth Odela after the film’s release, he said, “Out of 33 films I made in my 18 years of career, this is the first time I am experiencing something like this. But even when someone says they didn’t like the film, there is a passion behind that response, an aggressive honesty. When someone says ‘this didn’t work for me’ with that kind of intensity, it tells you something. That is also positive in a way.”