“Bigger Than Arjun Reddy And Animal”: Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Claims Prabhas’ ‘Spirit’ Will Earn Rs 150 Crore On Opening Day
Sandeep Reddy Vanga has made a big claim, saying ‘Spirit’, starring Prabhas, will be “bigger than both Arjun Reddy and Animal”.
Indian director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, whose films often spark conversations and debates owing to his willingness to explore dark and complex themes, has delivered a hat-trick at the box office. Sandeep Reddy Vanga has only helmed three movies so far – ‘Arjun Reddy’, its Hindi remake ‘Kabir Singh’ and ‘Animal’. All the three films have been massive commercial successes, despite hardly receiving any critical acclaim. Sandeep Reddy Vanga is now working on his next directorial venture ‘Spirit’, starring Prabhas in the lead role. Top of Form
In a recent interview, Sandeep Reddy Vanga opened up about ‘Spirit’ and confidently claimed that the film would mint Rs 150 crore on its opening day. Sandeep Reddy Vanga is riding high on the phenomenal success of ‘Animal’, which went on to make over Rs 500 crore in India and Rs 900 crore globally, despite being heavily criticised.
In an interaction with Baradwaj Rangan for Galatta Plus’ YouTube channel, Sandeep Reddy Vanga shared that he is currently busy working on the script of ‘Spirit’ as he has to start shooting the film in November or December 2024.
The filmmaker told Baradwaj Rangan, “I have completed 60 per cent of the script, and I have to start the film by November or December. I think the process will be fast as I had the thought 2.5 years ago and I have been marinating on it for a while. But compared to the other two films, it will be a faster process.”
When asked about the expectation from his upcoming film, Sandeep Reddy Vanga said, “Frankly, I am not thinking about that. I never thought about it for Animal either. I worry about my writing and how I am going to execute it. That’s the most painful process. If you take pressure, you will end up doing what you have already done. That won’t work also.”
Sandeep Reddy Vanga also said, “The pressure is a made-up thing. Yes, Spirit is going to be bigger than both Arjun Reddy and Animal. The producer is going to put Rs 300+ crore. That is there. I always look into how the producer is going to recover that money. I make sure the producer makes money and then makes another film.”
When asked if the Rs 300 crore budget is a viable business today, Sandeep Reddy Vanga said, “It depends upon the star. I think for Prabhas garu, it is a valid budget.”
He confidently also said that ‘Spirit’ will recover the money, adding it will make Rs 150 crore on its opening day.
Sandeep Reddy Vanga said, “I think because the kind of budget they are putting, I feel the producer is safe. With Prabhas and my combination, the expectation, the digital and satellite rights, the producer is going to recover the money. If everything goes well with the teaser, trailer, songs, and posters… whatever we do to grab the audience, if it all goes well, the film will collect Rs 150 crore on the opening day. That’s a trade calculation. Easily, it should do Rs 150 crore.”
Sandeep made his directorial debut with the Telugu romance-drama ‘Arjun Reddy’ (2017) starring Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey.
He later made his Bollywood directorial debut with ‘Kabir Singh’ (2019) starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani. In 2023, he delivered the biggest hit of his career in the form of ‘Animal’, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Triptii Dimri and others.
Apart from working on ‘Spirit’, Sandeep Reddy Vanga is also planning a sequel to his 2023 blockbuster ‘Animal’. The upcoming movie is titled ‘Animal Park’.
