Pan-India Power Report 2025: Kantara Ch 1 Mints 223 Cr in Hindi; A Reality Check for Southern Dubs in 2025
2025 has been the year of the Pan India Reality Check. The Hindi audience has become ruthless embracing authentic rooted stories like Kantara with open arms while coldly rejecting generic mass actioners, even those starring heavyweights like Pawan Kalyan and Kamal Haasan. While Rishab Shetty emerged as the undisputed king of the Hindi box office this year, other highly anticipated projects like Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie and Suriya's Retro posted numbers that fell short of their astronomical pre release hype.From folklore to gangster dramas, here is the ultimate report card of how South Indian films performed in the Hindi belt this year.
Movie
Industry
Hindi Net Collection
Kantara: Chapter 1
Sandalwood
₹223.79 Cr
Coolie
Kollywood
₹37.23 Cr
Game Changer
Tollywood
₹32.93 Cr
Mirai
Tollywood
₹16.86 Cr
Baahubali: The Epic
Animation
₹6.94 Cr
HIT: The Third Case
Tollywood
₹4.11 Cr
Kannappa
Tollywood
₹3.98 Cr
Lokah: Chapter 1
Mollywood
₹3.78 Cr
They Call Him OG
Tollywood
₹3.36 Cr
L2: Empuraan
Mollywood
₹2.59 Cr
Thug Life
Kollywood
₹1.70 Cr
The Girlfriend
Tollywood
₹ 0.60 Cr
Madharasi
Kollywood
₹0.50 Cr
Retro
Kollywood
₹ 0.49 Cr
Daaku Maharaaj
Tollywood
₹ 0.40 Cr
Hari Hara Veera Mallu
Tollywood
₹ 0.33 Cr
Bad Girl
Kollywood
₹0.06 Cr
1. Kantara:Chapter 1
Industry:Sandalwood (Kannada)
Director:Rishab Shetty
Star Cast:Rishab Shetty,Rukmini Vasanth
The prequel to the 2022 divine blockbuster Kantara shattered ceilings. Delving deeper into the origins of the Panjurli Daiva during the Kadamba era, the film offered a visual spectacle that was both raw and grandiose. The Divine climax once again became a cultural talking point, driving repeat audiences in Maharashtra and the Hindi belt. It stands as the only true All Time Blockbuster from the South in Hindi this year.
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2. Coolie
Industry:Kollywood (Tamil)
Director:Lokesh Kanagaraj
Star Cast:Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Soubin Shahir.
The union of Thalaivar Rajinikanth and director Lokesh Kanagaraj was expected to set the screens on fire. A stylish gangster drama involving a gold-smuggling syndicate, the film had massive hype. However, the Hindi numbers (₹ 37.23 Cr) suggest it played more to the gallery of existing fans rather than breaking out to the neutral Hindi audience like Vikram or Jailer.
3.Game Changer
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:S. Shankar
Star Cast:Ram Charan, Kiara Advani.
Coming off the global high of RRR, Ram Charan teamed up with the showman Shankar. While the film's political theme resonated in the South, the Hindi audience found the narrative slightly dated. ₹ 32.93 Cr is a respectable total but falls short of the expectations set for a Ram Charan and Shankar collaboration.
4.Mirai
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:Karthik Ghattamaneni
Star Cast:Teja Sajja, Ritika Nayak.
The surprise package of the year. After HanuMan, Teja Sajja cemented his position with Mirai. Based on the legend of Ashoka's 9 secret books, this Super Yodha film connected well with kids and families, earning nearly ₹ 17 Cr purely on concept strength without a Tier-1 star.
5. Baahubali:The Epic
Industry:Pan India (Re-release/Edit)
Director:S.S. Rajamouli
Star Cast:Prabhas,Anushka Shetty
To celebrate the franchise's legacy, the makers released a special Single Film edit of the two part saga with remastered visuals.While die hard fans turned up, the ₹ 6.95 Cr collection proves that the audience prefers new content over nostalgia trips in theaters.
6. HIT:The Third Case
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:Sailesh Kolanu
Star Cast:Nani, Srinidhi Shetty.
Nani entered the HIT universe as Arjun Sarkar. While the film was a critical success in Telugu, the dark, gritty thriller genre has a limited ceiling in the Hindi dubbed market unless backed by massive marketing, reflected in its niche ₹ 4.11 Cr collection.
7. Kannappa
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:Mukesh Kumar Singh
Star Cast:Vishnu Manchu,Preity Mukhundhan (Cameos: Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal).
Despite a star-studded lineup of cameos including Prabhas and Akshay Kumar, this mythological drama starring Vishnu Manchu failed to generate buzz in the Hindi belt, collecting a meager ₹ 3.98 Cr.
8. Lokah:Chapter 1 - Chandra
Industry:Mollywood(Malayalam)
Director:Dominic Arun
Star Cast:Kalyani Priyadarshan, Naslen, Sandy.
Malayalam cinema's ambitious entry into the superhero genre! Starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, the film was praised for its VFX and unique world-building. For a Malayalam film without a traditional Mass Hero, earning ₹ 3.78 Cr in Hindi is a positive sign of growth.
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9.They Call Him OG
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:Sujeeth
Star Cast:Pawan Kalyan, Priyanka Mohan.
The biggest shocker of the list. Pawan Kalyan's gangster drama, despite featuring Emraan Hashmi as the antagonist, crashed in Hindi with just ₹ 3.36 Cr. It highlights that Pawan Kalyan's stardom is still strictly regional compared to peers like Prabhas or Allu Arjun.
10. L2:Empuraan
Industry:Mollywood (Malayalam)
Director:Prithviraj Sukumaran
Star Cast:Mohanlal, Manju Warrier,Prithviraj.
The sequel to Lucifer. While a massive blockbuster in Kerala, the complex political drama of Empuraan proved too dense for the mass Hindi audience, collecting just ₹ 2.59 Cr.
11. Thug Life
Industry:Kollywood (Tamil)
Director:Mani Ratnam
Star Cast:Kamal Haasan, Trisha Krishnan,Silambarasan TR.
The reunion of legends Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan after decades was a cinematic event, but sadly, only for Tamil Nadu. The Hindi version was a non-starter (₹ 1.7 Cr), proving that Class Classics rarely translate to Mass Hindi Box Office.
12.The Girlfriend
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:Rahul Ravindran
Star Cast:Rashmika Mandanna, Dheekshith Shetty.
A solo lead thriller by Rashmika Mandanna. While she is a National Crush, the film's niche subject matter restricted its appeal, leading to a washout in the Hindi dubbed version.
13.Madharasi
Director:A.R.Murugadoss
Star Cast:Sivakarthikeyan, Vidyut Jammwal.
Despite being directed by A.R.Murugadoss (known for Ghajini) and starring Vidyut Jammwal (a known face in Hindi), this film was a disaster in Hindi. It seems the audience has moved past the 2000s style of commercial filmmaking.
14.Retro
Industry:Kollywood (Tamil)
Director:Karthik Subbaraj
Star Cast:Suriya, Pooja Hegde.
Also known as Suriya 44, this stylish actioner by Karthik Subbaraj was expected to be Suriya's big theatrical comeback in Hindi. The shocking collection of less than ₹ 50 Lakhs indicates a complete failure in marketing or release strategy in the North.
15.Daaku Maharaaj
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:Bobby Kolli
Star Cast:Nandamuri Balakrishna, Bobby Deol
Even the presence of Bobby Deol (fresh off Animal fame) couldn't save this Balakrishna mass entertainer in Hindi. The over the top action style of NBK clearly has zero takers in the Hindi belt in 2025.
16. Hari Hara Veera Mallu
Industry:Tollywood (Telugu)
Director:Krish Jagarlamudi,Jyoti Krishna
Star Cast:Pawan Kalyan, Bobby Deol.
A delayed period drama that felt stale upon arrival. With collections of just ₹33 Lakhs, it stands as a significant commercial underperformer for a star of Pawan Kalyan's stature.
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17.Bad Girl
Industry:Kollywood (Tamil)
Director:Varsha Bharath
Star Cast:Anjali Sivaraman.
A small budget coming of age drama produced by heavyweights like Vetrimaaran. While critically acclaimed in festivals, it was virtually non-existent at the Hindi box office.
Ultimately, 2025 will be remembered as the year the Hindi market transitioned from being a star reliant territory to a landscape defined by audience discernment. The staggering gap between Kantara (₹223 Cr) and generic mass entertainers highlights a significant shift in viewer preferences. When highly anticipated projects featuring legends struggle to gain traction while a rooted folklore thriller creates history, the trend is undeniable.The era of blind loyalty to formulaic tropes is fading, making way for a new chapter of content supremacy.
Box Office
