After his magnum opus Baahubali, SS Rajamouli is back with RRR, a multi-starrer starring Jr NTR and Ram Charan. While both Prabhas and Anushka Shetty were pretty much unknown in Bollywood at the time, Rajamouli has a minor advantage this time around because he has cast Alia and Ajay Devgn, both of whom are well-known in Hindi.

Despite aggressively promoting RRR across the country, the Hindi version of RRR is not as popular as the Telugu version. The advance bookings in telugu have begun, and the Telugu film tickets are selling like hotcakes.

Advance bookings are relatively low in the Hindi belt. Advance bookings are low in Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

What distinguishes the Hindi market from the Telugu market? In Hindi, the premise/background of the film draws the most attention and creates the most buzz. Whether it's 83, Kashmir Files, or Pushpa, each has a backstory and setup. It was a period battle picture with mythology, even in Baahubali. Even before the film's release, the visuals and CG were the buzz of the town.

RRR, on the other hand, has both friendship and patriotic origins. Friendship and patriotic themes were used a dozen times each. This is undoubtedly difficult for Rajamouli. He is banking on the bromance of NTR and Ram Charan which is crucial for Hindi audiences to connect first.

While this is an instant hit in Tollywood because both actors are big stars and their bromance and chemistry works, it is a litmus test for Rajamouli. The Kashmir Files is still running well in theatres.

Kashmir Files, which was released as an underdog, surprised the industry. It remains to be seen how RRR performs at the theater. Given Rajamouli's aggressive promotion, which included everything from traditional interviews to events and media interactions, the Hindi belt result is critical for such a big-budget RRR film.