Mango Pachcha, the debut venture of Sanchith Sanjeev, the nephew of Kannada star Kiccha Sudeep, released in theatres on June 5. The film by debutante director Viveka was earlier meant to be a Sankranti release, but was then pushed ahead, reportedly, owing to delays in post-production. However, subsequently, it was said that portions of the film were being re-shot under Sudeep’s guidance and the final product was brought to theatres once it became clear that Yash’s Toxic would not make it to its last announced date either.
In doing so, Mango Pachcha headed into a box office clash with Ram Charan’s Telugu biggie Peddi, which had a day’s head-start with a June 4 outing. Between January and its eventual release, there was barely any promotion for Mango Pachcha, and when they finally began marketing it, it was centred on the producers – Priya Sudeep from Supriyanvi and Karthik Gowda and Yogi G Raj from KRG Studios. The team, including director Viveka and leading man Sanchith were kept away from pre-release promotions.
It remains unclear if this promotional strategy backfired, but when Mango Pachcha hit theatres, the going was tough from the word go. Several morning shows were cancelled after failing to draw even minimum attendance (between 8-10 members). Although relatively positive reviews trickled in from those who saw the film, it didn’t help its cause and bookings did not pick up over Day 2 either. Day 3 isn’t looking good either and the show count has already fallen drastically for the film.
Sudeep’s long-term association with Colors Kannada, as the host of Bigg Boss Kannada, meant that the film hit theatres comfortable in the knowledge that the deal on satellite and digital rights were closed already. Mango Pachcha will be JioHotstar after its theatrical run, and if the current is anything to go by, it can be expected on the platform in the first week of July. TV rights are with Colors Kannada.
Mango Pachcha, meanwhile, had Sanchith in the role of Prashantha, a Mysurean running a thriving DVD rental store, the mainstay of which is pirated copies of the latest theatrical releases. How he then graduates to selling marijuana and establishing an empire, while also dealing with sibling rivalry, among others, forms the crux of the film. It also stars Harini Sreekanth, Ugramm Manju, Mayur Patel, Kajal Kunder, Jai Gopinath, among others.
