How Jr NTR's Devara shattered the 'Rajamouli curse' narrative in Telugu cinema?

Telugu superstar Jr NTR’s latest movie Devara: Part 1 is making waves at the box office, setting the stage for record-breaking figures by the end of its opening weekend. While the film’s ability to sustain its momentum during the weekdays remains to be seen, it’s safe to say that Jr NTR has managed to break the notorious "Rajamouli Curse."

The "Rajamouli Curse" is a term humorously used by fans and media to describe the career struggles that many actors face after working in a film directed by SS Rajamouli. The phenomenon is based on the observation that while actors achieve tremendous success during Rajamouli’s films (like Baahubali and RRR), their subsequent projects often fail to live up to the sky-high expectations.

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For instance, even Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi addressed this notion during the pre-release event of Acharya—which co-starred Ram Charan and was released soon after Rajamouli's RRR took the world by storm. Chiranjeevi joked about the “Rajamouli Curse” on stage, expressing hope that Acharya would break the pattern. However, Acharya, written and directed by Koratala Siva, ended up as a major commercial failure, adding to the belief that actors who work with Rajamouli struggle with their next films.

But Jr NTR, who was one of the leads of RRR, has defied this trend with Devara: Part 1, which was also written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film has become the biggest opener in Jr NTR’s solo career, reportedly grossing over Rs 157 crore globally on its first day. In the Telugu states alone, Devara earned more than Rs 82 crore, and its total Indian earnings on day one were pegged at over Rs 109 crore.

By the second day, Devara’s global collections had surged past Rs 243 crore, marking it as the biggest non-RRR hit of Jr NTR’s career. This box office triumph has shattered the "Rajamouli Curse" narrative, proving that a film’s success ultimately depends on the right combination of script, cast, direction, and promotions—not on a superstition tied to Rajamouli’s past blockbusters.

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