Director Keerthiswaran’s directorial debut, Dude, starring the popular duo Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju, hit theaters this Friday. Following a promising opening day, the film saw a slight decrease in its box office collections on Saturday.
According to reports from Sacnilk, Dude earned approximately ₹7.66 crore on its second day, contributing to a total collection of around ₹17.41 crore. While there was a dip from the first day’s earnings, the film is expected to benefit from the ongoing Diwali festivities and draw more audiences over the weekend.
The movie maintained a solid occupancy rate, with an overall 51.18% on Saturday in Tamil Nadu. The film’s opening day collection was robust, raking in ₹9.75 crore (₹6.5 crore from Tamil and ₹3.25 crore from Telugu). This opening surpasses that of Pradeep Ranganathan’s previous hits like ‘Love Today’ and ‘Dragon’.
Mamitha Baiju’s other release, ‘Premalu’, also opened well, earning ₹90 lakh. Both films are expected to see continued growth based on positive word-of-mouth.
Upon its release, Dude garnered mixed reactions on social media. While some audiences appreciated the film’s youthful energy and the performances of its lead cast, others felt that the narrative lost its charm after the first half. The film also features supporting roles from Sarathkumar, Sai Abhyankkar, and Hridhu Haroon.
About Dude:
Directed by Keerthiswaran, ‘Dude’ is a coming-of-age romantic comedy aimed at the digital generation. It explores themes of love, friendship, and self-discovery in contemporary Chennai, featuring music by Sai Abhyankkar. The film attempts to capture the essence of Gen-Z romance.
Hindustan Times review noted: “The film’s primary drawback is that the first half quickly establishes everything, leaving the second half to wonder what plot twists are left. While the lead characters address a relevant real-world issue, the progression becomes repetitive, and the emotional aspect, though attempted, sometimes borders on melodrama. The concluding twist also doesn’t quite land as intended.”