The excitement around ‘War 2’ was palpable especially in Telugu states where fans eagerly awaited Hindi debut of Jr NTR. Before the movie hit the screens, producer Naga Vamsi, who distributed the film in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, made bold claims. At a Hyderabad promotional event, he encouraged Telugu audiences to make the dubbed version even bigger than the original Hindi release. “Telugu fans will make this a record-breaking hit,” he confidently said.
But reality had other plans. When ‘War 2’ finally premiered on August 14, the Telugu version struggled to keep pace with its Hindi counterpart. On opening day, the Hindi version earned Rs 29 crore while the Telugu dubbed version managed just Rs 22.75 crore.
Over its five-week run, the Hindi version grossed Rs 177.59 crore, but the Telugu version could only collect Rs 56.74 crore, less than a third of the Hindi earnings. Social media quickly noticed the disparity and Vamsi became the target of widespread trolling.
Now months later, Vamsi has opened up about the flop. Speaking on Sithara Entertainment’s YouTube channel, he said with a laugh, “The mistake is on their side, but we faced the heat. We didn’t make the film, so I’m happy that the trolling wasn’t for a film produced by us.” He added, “Mistakes happen. Everyone makes mistakes at some point. Aditya Chopra garu is the biggest producer in Indian cinema. NTR anna and I trusted YRF blindly, but it misfired.”
The film, directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films, was a high-stakes venture. Made on a budget reportedly over Rs 400 crore, it stars Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, and Kiara Advani in lead roles, with Ashutosh Rana and Anil Kapoor in pivotal parts. The story follows Kabir Dhaliwal. He is a former RAW agent who goes rogue and becomes a major threat to national security. Another character Vikram Chelapathi is a special units officer tasked with neutralizing him.
Also Read: ‘War 2’ Review: X (Twitter) reactions range from thrilled to disappointed
Despite the star power and massive production values, ‘War 2’ received mixed-to-negative reviews. Critics praised the performances especially the action sequences and cinematography. But they pointed out flaws in the story, screenplay, direction, and visual effects. Box-office returns mirrored the reviews. Worldwide, the film earned around Rs 364.35 crore falling short of its budget and failing to become the mega-hit many had expected.
Yet the film did achieve some milestones. It emerged as the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025 and the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of the year.
However, the hype that surrounded the Telugu version failed to translate into box-office numbers.
Looking back, Vamsi seems philosophical about the whole episode. “We trusted the makers and hoped for the best. Sometimes, even with all the planning, things don’t go as expected. That’s cinema,” he said.