Nandamuri Balakrishna (NBK) has struck gold with his latest release, Daaku Maharaaj, which opened significantly stronger than his previous film, Bhagavanth Kesari.
However, the Bobby Koli-directed film fell short of matching the opening day collections of NBK's last Sankranti blockbuster, Veera Simha Reddy.
Back in 2024, Bhagavanth Kesari managed a modest opening day collection of â¹16.6 crore. In stark contrast, Daaku Maharaaj debuted with an impressive â¹22 crore on Sunday, January 12, marking a remarkable 35% growth over the actor's last theatrical release.
However, NBK's previous Sankranti outing, Veera Simha Reddy (released on January 12, 2023), set a much higher benchmark with a whopping â¹33.6 crore opening, a significant â¹10 crore higher than his 2025 Sankranti release.
Interestingly, Daaku Maharaaj opened 80% higher than the last Sankranti success from Tollywood, HanuMan.
Teja Sajja's supernatural sci-fi drama, which debuted at â¹12.5 crore, went on to achieve a lifetime collection of â¹201 crore—a milestone that will be challenging for NBK to surpass.
Despite its strong start, Daaku Maharaaj couldn't outperform the opening day numbers of Mahesh Babu’s 2024 Sankranti hit, Guntur Kaaram. The latter raked in â¹42 crore on its first day and concluded its run with â¹127 crore in lifetime earnings.
With the extended Sankranti holiday season ahead, it remains to be seen whether Daaku Maharaaj can sustain its momentum and achieve significant box office growth.