Nani is having a moment. The Natural Star’s latest, The Paradise, has stormed past the Rs 100 crore mark at the India box office — and it has done so despite mixed reviews, powered by a phenomenal opening week that now ranks as Tollywood’s fourth biggest ever.
According to trade tracking, the film crossed Rs 100 crore in India within its first six days of release. By the end of Day 7, the India net collection stood at approximately Rs 104 crore — a remarkable achievement for a film that divided critics on release, and a clear sign that audiences had made up their own minds.
Tollywood’s 4th biggest opening week
The headline statistic is the opening week. The Paradise has registered Tollywood’s fourth biggest opening week of all time, per Koimoi — placing Nani’s film in truly elite company alongside the biggest blockbusters in Telugu cinema history. For an industry that measures stardom in opening-week numbers, this is a career-defining commercial performance for the actor.
What makes it sweeter is that the film achieved this despite mixed reviews. While critics were divided on the film’s craft and storytelling, audiences turned up in force through the opening weekend and beyond — proof, once again, that the box office writes its own reviews.
Day 9: Rs 2.80 crore and still going strong
The film is showing impressive legs. On its second Friday — Day 9 — The Paradise minted Rs 2.80 crore, according to NDTV’s box-office tracking. A strong second-Friday hold like this is the hallmark of a film that has genuinely connected with its core audience, and it suggests The Paradise could enjoy a long and healthy lifetime run well beyond the Rs 100 crore milestone.
Winning the Thursday clash
The film’s commercial muscle was on full display on Thursday, when it outperformed both Hanuman Ansh and the Avengers: Endgame Encore re-release, as reported by Telegraph India. Beating a Hollywood re-release of one of the biggest films ever made — on the very same day — underlines just how strong The Paradise‘s pull has been with Telugu audiences.
Audiences over critics: the people’s verdict
The Paradise story is the latest reminder of a truth the trade has known for decades: in the crucial opening weeks, audience enthusiasm can overpower critical consensus. While reviewers debated the film’s merits, families and young viewers packed theatres through the first week, and the second-weekend hold suggests the word-of-mouth among fans has been far warmer than the reviews indicated.
This disconnect isn’t new for Nani. The actor built his “Natural Star” brand on films that connect directly with viewers, often outperforming modest expectations. The Paradise, however, operates on a different scale entirely — and its success signals that Nani’s stardom has entered a new commercial league.
Sonali Kulkarni celebrates the milestone
The Rs 100 crore milestone has given the film’s team plenty to cheer about. Actor Sonali Kulkarni was among those celebrating the film crossing Rs 100 crore in India, sharing in the joy of a box-office triumph that few predicted at this scale when the first reviews landed.
What the numbers mean for Nani
For Nani, The Paradise‘s commercial explosion marks a new chapter. It proves his box-office pull can now match his critical acclaim, and it sets a new benchmark for what his films can achieve. With Tollywood’s fourth biggest opening week in the bag, Rs 100 crore crossed, and strong second-week holds, The Paradise is already one of the defining Telugu releases of the year — and a defining moment in Nani’s career.
