Producer Lakshman Chadalavada has opened up on how the poor opening of superstar Mahesh Babu's "Brahmotsavam" paved way for "Bichagadu" to rock at the box office.

"Bichagadu" is the dubbed version of actor Vijay Antony's hit Tamil movie "Pichaikkaran." Lakshman Chadalavada acquired its dubbing rights and released the movie under his banner Sri Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Films. The movie was released in over 50 cinema halls across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on May 13. Not many in these states were aware of its release.

Some trade experts felt that "Bichagadu" might do well at the box office in its opening week, but it would not stand the wave of "Brahmotsavam." But the movie emerged as one of the big hits of 2016. However, none, including producer Lakshman Chadalavada, imagined that the film would become such a big hit at the box office.

Lakshman Chadalavada bought the rights of "Bichagadu" for Rs 50 lakh. Initially he wanted to remake the film in Telugu, but he changed his mind after he realised that it is difficult to recreate the same scenes. Later, he spent around Rs 1.5 crore for its marketing. The movie has grossed Rs. 13 crore at the box office and earned approximately Rs. 10 crore as his share.

"We initially released the film in just 50 to 60 screens in the first week. After the second day of Brahmotsavam, our film replaced it in many theatres. I can't say whether it was because of the negative buzz about Brahmotsavam. I feel that my film's content is good," Lakshman told Deccan Chronicle, when quizzed whether negative talk for "Brahmotsavam" of the success "Bichagadu."

Lakshman Chadalavada was aware of the risk of releasing "Bichagadu" a week before "Brahmotsavam." "We know that it was a risk to compete with a big film, but we were prepared for it. Many exhibitors wanted to replace Brahmotsavam with our film and it definitely helped us to get more screens," the producer added.