Pawan Kalyan's Katamarayudu vs Puneeth Rajkumar's Raajakumara in Bengaluru
Pawan Kalyan's Katamarayudu vs Puneeth Rajkumar's Raajakumara in Bengaluru.PR Handout

Pawan Kalyan's Katamarayudu is releasing big not only in Telugu-speaking states but also in Karnataka. In fact, the Telugu film has got more number of screens than Sandalwood biggie Raajakumara in Bengaluru, the capital of the Kannada-speaking state. Both the movies are releasing on Friday, March 24.

Going by the Bookmy Show numbers, Katamarayudu is releasing in over 60 screens (BKT region 100+) in Bengaluru alone. The Telugu movie has above 275 shows in the Garden City on the opening day. On the other hand, Raajakumara is releasing in about 55 screens and has above 230 shows on the opening day in the Silicon Valley of India.

It is interesting to see a Telugu film getting more number of screens than a Kannada film in its own territory. "Telugu movies have a big market in Bengaluru. In fact, Kannada-speaking viewers to watch the Tollywood films in big numbers. Hence, it is not surprising to see Katamarayudu dominating screens in Bengaluru," a trade expert told International Business Times.

However, Raajakumara has overpowered Katamarayudu in other parts of Karnataka. The Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer is releasing in over 300 screens in Karnataka, while Pawan Kalyan-starrer is being released in about 180-200 screens. 

Katamarayudu, which is the remake of Tamil movie Veeram, is being distributed by Gokul Films in Bengaluru. It has reported that they acquired the Telugu rights for Rs 7.5 crore. The Tollywood flick, directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani, has Shruti Haasan in the female lead.

On the other hand, Raajakumara is being distributed by producer and distributor K Jayanna. The Kannada film is written and directed by Santhosh Ananddram.

Both the movies are expected to do a rocking business at the box office on the opening day and the advance booking gives an indication of it.