Prabhas' Salaar Garners Disappointing TRPs With Its World Premiere On Star Maa

Salaar ended with the announcement of the sequel.

Prabhas faced a dry spell at the box office after the success of the Baahubali movies. He became the next big thing in Indian cinema with the two SS Rajamouli films and expectations were soaring high. But the next three films that followed, Saaho, Radhe Shyam and Adipurush met with a lackluster response. Prabhas was gradually sliding down the pedestal he had been awarded with Baahubali but he soon reclaimed the spot with Prashanh Neel’s Salaar.

Salaar was a big commercial success earning more than Rs 700 crore on a Rs 250 crore budget. However, the success of its theatrical release has not translated to satellite TV as well.

Last month, Salaar made its world premiere on Star Maa. There were huge TRP expectations from Salaar and Prabhas fans were optimistic that it would break the record set by Allu Arjun’s Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo which had the highest TRP record for a Telugu film with a 29.4 rating. However, unexpectedly, Salaar could not manage even half of it, earning a TRP rating of just 6.5. The general belief is that OTT streaming services have surpassed satellite TV in popularity and since most movies are already streaming on these sites, there is diminished interest for movies on channels.

Meanwhile, after Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, the highest TRP rating positions are held by Sarileru Neekevvaru (23.5), Baahubali 2 (22.7), Srimanthudu (22.5) and Pushpa: The Rise (22.5).

Salaar ended with the announcement of the sequel titled Salaar: Part 2: Shouryaanga Parvam. The latest buzz is that filming for the sequel will start sometime this month. However, Prabhas will not join the first schedule as of yet as he is busy with other projects. The actors who will be joining the first schedule of the shoot include Shruti Haasan, Bobby Simha and Sriya Reddy. Prabhas is expected to join the shoot of the film in July after he has finished with his other commitments.