Actor Suriya's latest box office release, Retro, hit the cinemas this Thursday. The action drama appears to have grossed less than Rs 3 Cr on Day 1 in Telugu. It goes without saying that Retro is underperforming.
The critical reactions to the Karthik Subbaraj directorial have been quite contrasting. A section of audiences and critics feel that Retro will make much more sense when you watch it as a drama that has a subtext of its own. Others feel that Retro is just old wine in a new bottle.
Whatever it is, Retro is not working for most of the Telugu audience. Last year, Suriya tasted an unexpected disaster in the form of Kanguva.
Regardless of the weak performance of Suriya's recent movies in the Telugu States, he continues to be admired by many Telugus. Had Aakasam Nee Haddhu Ra been a theatrical release in 2020, it would have been a big hit. Jai Bhim, too, might have become a hit in Telugu. Both were OTT releases, unfortunately.
Suriya now stands a great chance to make a thorough comeback with Venky Atluri's movie, to be produced by S Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya. The project was made official recently. Venky Atluri, thanks to SIR and Lucky Baskhar, has been on a roll. He is on a hat-trick and he knows how to present Suriya. Year 2026 will most likely see Suriya scoring a hit in both Telugu and Tamil at once.
