Venkat Prabhu Faces Backlash Over Telugu Audience Criticism After ‘The Goat’ Underperforms

The latest film starring Kollywood star hero Vijay, titled ‘The Goat’ (The Greatest Of All Time), released on September 5 and has been a massive hit in Tamil Nadu, even crossing the Rs. 300 crore mark with impressive overseas collections. However, the film seems to be facing strong resistance in the Telugu and Hindi markets. In this context, the film’s director Venkat Prabhu responded, sparking a heated debate on social media.

‘That’s Why They Didn’t Like It’

In Telugu and Hindi, ‘The Goat’ (The Greatest Of All Time) did not meet the expected levels of success. Mythri Movie Makers, a prominent production company, purchased the film for Rs. 22 crores in Telugu, but so far, it has only grossed Rs. 10 crores. Current circumstances suggest that even breaking even may be difficult. Against this backdrop, director Venkat Prabhu took to social media to express his views. He suggested that scenes related to Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni, which were highlights, did not resonate well with Telugu and Hindi audiences, which might be why the film underperformed in these regions. He also accused fans of the IPL teams from Mumbai and Bangalore of excessively trolling his film, attributing this to his known fandom of Chennai Super Kings. Venkat Prabhu’s comments have become a hot topic on social media.

Telugu Audience Fires Back..!

Telugu audiences are strongly criticizing Venkat Prabhu’s recent comments. They are posting online that there are other reasons for ‘The Goat’s disaster performance in Telugu. Comments suggest that if the content is good, they support films irrespective of the industry. They remind the director of the massive success his previous film ‘Maanaadu’ had in Telugu, indicating that MS Dhoni also has a huge fanbase in the Telugu states, with stadiums filling up in yellow jerseys whenever a CSK match is played in Hyderabad. They are requesting that the actual reasons for ‘The Goat’s failure be investigated.

Reasons for the Flop in Telugu Are These!

Director Venkat Prabhu made ‘The Goat’ with a routine story where Vijay played dual roles as father and son. Despite the terrorism backdrop, it lacked the twists typically seen in agent films. There were no twists or turns in the story, and even the operations conducted by the hero lacked thrill. Additionally, unnecessary songs and Yogi Babu’s comedy track tested the patience of the Telugu audience. However, the action sequences and the IPL track in the climax managed to generate some excitement.

Dhoni Said No!

‘The Goat’ featured many cameo roles. Sivakarthikeyan and Trisha appeared as guests, and India’s former cricket captain MS Dhoni was also shown during the climax using IPL visuals. Director Venkat Prabhu originally intended to have a scene with Dhoni in the film, but since Dhoni did not agree, they had to resort to using IPL visuals. The 20-minute climax episode captivated cricket lovers immensely.

Furious Over Negative Reviews

Director Venkat Prabhu responded to the negative reviews of ‘The Goat.’ “People don’t talk about the effort we put into making the film. Some intentionally post negative comments. We included references in the film not found in any other movie, all to celebrate every hero fan. The film wasn’t made just for the guest appearances but was crafted to include everything audiences desire. We made this film for the audience, not the reviewers,” he stated.