It's not just the gross collection that makes a film a hit, but the ROI (Return Of Investment) the producer makes should be underlined.
The films in this list were selected based on the budget invested and the final Return Of Investment.
Surprisingly, the top two films of this year in this category happen to be the films made with smaller budgets than that of the films of big heroes whose huge remuneration raised the investment.
1. Uppena: This is the film that pulled the attention of the audience with the song 'nee kannu neelisamudram..". The song rang in the ears of many for many months and finally the film did hit the screens in March 2021 much to the excitement of many youngsters.
The unique concept in the climax touched the audience though it proved to be a shocker for many. The topic became a discussion and eventually everything worked towards the success of the film.
The important aspect to be underlined here is, this film was directed by the newcomer Sana Bucchibabu, a protégé of Sukumar.
The film scored big and finally ended up making a gross collection of about Rs 108 Cr. This is really big for the kind of budget incurred in making this film.
A movie with a new director and a debutante hero scoring this success is indeed a big thing. Vaishnav Tej who debuted with this film from mega camp has emerged as one of the most promising young heroes.
Debutante heroine Krithi Shetty also made her mark in the industry with the success of this film. Uppena grabs the top seat among the hits of this year.
2. Jathi Ratnalu: This is the big surprise hit of the year in the comedy genre. Naveen Polishetty's performance kept this film on the top of all. The young audience were the big patrons of this film.
Faria Abdulla became popular with her character Chitti and the farce comedy really worked a big way on a whole.
The film could make a huge gross collection of over Rs 70 Cr which is a fantastic feat by the film of this size. Priyadarshi and Rahul Ramakrishna also have their part in the success of this film.
The film is a big hit in theaters and a bigger hit on the OTT platform eventually. This is the second big hit of the year in making the huge ROI.
3. Vakeel Saab: The film released in April 2021 just a couple of weeks before the eruption of the second wave of the pandemic. This stood up as the first big mass film of the year.
The collections were overwhelming for this film where the benefit shows were screened in big numbers throughout the Telugu states.
Amidst huge fanfare and the hype the film became the highest grosser and the figure touched Rs 138 Cr gross. Though touted to be the remake of Amitabh's 'Pink', many changes were made to this Telugu version to suit the mass image of Pawan Kalyan.
The songs of the film were also the most heard in this year and 'maguva maguva' still makes its echo. This is the 3rd in this list with regard to ROI.
4. Pushpa-The Rise: The film directed by Sukumar with Allu Arjun in the main lead pumped in a lot of expectations for the audience.
All the earlier films in this combination were hits at the box office and Sukumar's last film "Rangasthalam '' and Allu Arjun's "Ala Vaikuntha Puramu Lo '' were blockbusters in 2018 and 2020 respectively. So, obviously, the hype surrounding "Pushpa-The Rise '' has been very big.
Adding to that this was made as a pan-Indian film targeting five language audiences. Surprisingly all the songs from this film in all the languages became the most heard songs of the season.
As a final nail on the wall of fame, the song 'oo antava mama' that was released before the release of the film, kept it on the top of everything.
The openings were thumping with almost all the tickets getting sold out many days before the actual release of the film.
The film made a gross collection of Rs 220 Cr and stood as the highest grosser of the year 2021. But in terms of ROI, the film stood in his place due to the over budget and over selling.
The film ran well in Hindi belt, but couldn;t make any big ROI in Telangana or overseas. Trade circles say that it could garner a profit of Rs 2 Cr from the Malayalam version.
Owing to the ticket prices and raids on the theaters, the ROI was far from the finishing line in Andhra Pradesh.
5. Akhanda: This Boyapati- Balakrishna combination was released amidst hype and hoopla. A section of audience and Balakrishna fans especially have taken this film as a prestige issue and toiled a lot to make this the good hit of the season.
The attempts were purely genuine out of their admiration for Balakrishna. Initially the bulk shows were booked to generate the heat and give a color of blockbuster and eventually the formula worked.
The audience made the film a good hit with their patronage amidst many odds. Though the ticket prices are low in Andhra Pradesh, the film managed to run well in some parts though failed to perform in many centers.
The double role of Balakrishna is liked by many of the audience and the intense characterization given to Akhanda impressed the majority.
The worldwide gross of the film is more than Rs 122 Cr and kept this film in fifth position with regard to the investment and gross collection.