The film's success and its controversy exist in the same moment
In the opening days of its theatrical run, the Telugu action film Peddi has crossed Rs 233 crore worldwide, drawing large audiences to witness the first on-screen pairing of Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor — a meeting that carries its own generational resonance, given their parents' shared cinematic history. Yet the film's commercial momentum has been met with a parallel reckoning: critics and viewers raised pointed objections to scenes they felt reduced Kapoor's character to an object, prompting director Buchi Babu Sana to apologize publicly and commit to editing the offending material from prints still in theaters. The moment asks an enduring question of popular culture — whether the crowd's willingness to attend constitutes an endorsement of everything they are shown.
- Peddi surged to Rs 157 crore in India and Rs 233 crore worldwide by its fourth day, with nearly 9,000 screens and a 10.6 percent single-day jump signaling genuine audience appetite.
- Within days of release, specific scenes — including a non-consensual kiss and objectifying camerawork — drew sharp, targeted criticism from viewers and critics who felt Janhvi Kapoor's character was stripped of agency.
- Director Buchi Babu Sana did not retreat into silence or defensiveness; he issued a public apology and pledged to actively edit the controversial scenes out of theatrical prints currently in circulation.
- The film now exists in an unusual state — commercially thriving while being physically altered in response to ethical objections, its final form still unsettled as it plays across cinemas.
Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor's action film Peddi has crossed Rs 233 crore at the worldwide box office, reaching Rs 157 crore in net Indian collections by its fourth day. On that day alone, the film earned Rs 31.90 crore domestically — a 10.6 percent rise from the previous day — across nearly 9,000 screens, with overseas markets contributing an additional Rs 46 crore in total.
The pairing carried its own weight before a single frame was screened. Charan and Kapoor had never appeared together on film before, and their union carried a quiet generational echo: their parents, Chiranjeevi and the late Sridevi, had shared the screen across several films decades earlier. Directed by Buchi Babu Sana and featuring Shiva Rajkumar, Divyendu Sharma, and Jagapathi Babu, the film arrived with considerable anticipation.
But the box office story has been shadowed by a serious one. Viewers and critics raised specific objections to the film's treatment of Kapoor's character, Achiyamma — pointing to particular camera choices and a scene depicting a non-consensual kiss as moments that reduced her to an object rather than a person. The criticism was precise and persistent.
Director Buchi Babu Sana responded with more than words. He issued a public apology, acknowledged that the scenes caused harm, and committed to having the production team edit and remove the controversial portions from prints currently playing in theaters. It is a rare posture — not a defense of artistic intent, but a promise to alter the work itself.
What remains is an unresolved picture: a film drawing crowds while being actively revised in response to ethical objections, leaving open the question of whether audiences will notice the changes, and whether the industry will take note of the moment at all.
Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor's action film Peddi has crossed 233 crore rupees at the worldwide box office, a milestone that arrives amid both commercial momentum and serious questions about how the film treats its female lead.
By its fourth day in theaters, Peddi had accumulated 157.15 crore rupees in net collections across India, with another 46 crore coming from international markets. On that fourth day alone, the film earned 31.90 crore rupees domestically—a 10.6 percent jump from Saturday's take of 28.85 crore—playing across nearly 9,000 screens nationwide. The overseas market added 4 crore on the same day. These are the numbers of a film that audiences are showing up to see.
The pairing itself was a draw. This marks the first time Charan and Kapoor have appeared together on screen, a fact that generated genuine excitement among fans. There is a symmetry worth noting: their parents, Chiranjeevi and the late Sridevi, had worked together in multiple films decades earlier—Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, SP Parasuram, and Kadhal Devathai among them. The film was directed and written by Buchi Babu Sana and features an ensemble that includes Shiva Rajkumar, Divyendu Sharma, and Jagapathi Babu.
But the box office success has been shadowed by controversy. Within days of release, viewers and critics raised serious objections to how the film portrays Janhvi Kapoor's character, Achiyamma. The complaints centered on specific camera work and a scene depicting a non-consensual kiss—moments that many felt reduced the character to an object rather than treating her as a person with agency. The criticism was direct and specific, not vague hand-wringing about "representation."
In response, director Buchi Babu Sana issued a public apology, stating that disrespecting women was never the intention. More concretely, he committed to having the production team actively edit and remove the controversial portions from the theatrical prints. This is not a statement of regret issued and then forgotten. It is a promise to alter the film itself as it plays in cinemas.
What emerges is a peculiar moment in Indian cinema: a film drawing large audiences while simultaneously being criticized for how it frames its female actor, with the filmmaker responding not by defending the work but by acknowledging the harm and moving to correct it. The box office numbers suggest audiences are willing to buy tickets. The controversy suggests that willingness does not mean the film's treatment of women goes unexamined or unchallenged. How theaters implement the promised edits, and whether audiences notice or care about the changes, remains to be seen.
Notable Quotes
It was never their intention to disrespect women, and the production team would actively modify and edit out the controversial portions in the theatres— Director Buchi Babu Sana, in response to objectification criticism
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
A film crosses 233 crore rupees worldwide and simultaneously faces accusations of objectifying its female lead. How do those two things coexist?
Because box office success and critical failure aren't mutually exclusive. People go to see a film for many reasons—the star power, the action sequences, the spectacle. That doesn't mean every frame of it is defensible.
But the director apologized and promised to edit the film. That's unusual, isn't it?
It is. Most filmmakers defend their work or stay silent. Buchi Babu Sana chose a third path: acknowledge the harm, apologize publicly, and commit to changing the actual product in theaters. Whether that's genuine accountability or damage control is a question each viewer will answer differently.
Does the apology matter if the film has already been seen by millions?
It matters symbolically. It signals that objectification isn't inevitable, that it can be named and corrected. But you're right to point out the limitation—the damage, if we call it that, has already been distributed. The edits are a gesture toward future audiences, not a fix for what's already been watched.
What does it say about the industry that this had to happen at all?
That the industry is still learning, or being forced to learn, that how you frame a woman on screen carries weight. The fact that the criticism came quickly and loudly suggests audiences are paying attention in a way they might not have ten years ago.