The Paradise Gives Nani the Biggest Opening of His Career Despite Mixed Talk

Nani has scored the biggest opening of his career with The Paradise, his second film with Dasara director Srikanth Odela. The film reached theatres on Thursday, September 24, after paid premieres on Wednesday. It went out without a theatrical trailer, and early box office figures still place it far ahead of anything the actor has delivered before.

Early trends put Thursday's India net collection at around Rs 34 to 35 crore. The premieres added roughly Rs 11.6 crore, so the combined India net stands at about Rs 46 crore. Worldwide, estimates place the opening at around Rs 75 crore gross including premieres, the highest ever for a Nani film.

The jump over his earlier releases is huge. Dasara opened at about Rs 23.20 crore net, HIT 3 at around Rs 21 crore and Saripodhaa Sanivaaram at roughly Rs 9 crore, so The Paradise has almost doubled his previous best. It is reportedly the third biggest Telugu opener of 2026 so far, ahead of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu. Reports also say the film did especially well in the Telangana region.

Word of mouth, however, is split. Some viewers have praised the songs, the interval sequence, the performances and the film's Telangana roots. Others have criticised the narrative, the love track and the long oppression episodes, and a few compared it to KGF and Salaar. Some reports go further, saying the second half falls apart and the violence goes too far.

Produced by Sudhakar Cherukuri, the film has Mohan Babu in a key role and music by Anirudh Ravichander. It is reportedly the most expensive film of Nani's career, with worldwide theatrical business of around Rs 96.3 crore and a break-even target of about Rs 97 crore share. Friday and the weekend will show whether the record start can hold up against the mixed talk.