This Friday, three notable films locked horns at the box office. Anushka Shetty’s long delayed gritty action drama Ghaati headlined the clash along with Tamil dubbed film Madharasi and small budgeted youthful entertainer Little Hearts. Surprisingly, Little Hearts emerged as the dark horse of the clash and poised to turn as a clear cut winner at the box office.

By the end of first day, the mouth talk and reviews of all three films indicate that Little Hearts is going to dominate the two big-ticket films in the first weekend. Made on a shoestring budget, the comedy caper garnered decent reports from the paid premieres due to its hilarious content and relatable characters. Small screen actor Mouli once again tickled the funny bone of audiences with his comic timing and performance. The film registered good occupancies during the evening and night shows and set to collect promising revenues in the first weekend.

Anushka’s Ghaati, which was postponed several times, finally hit the screens amid strong expectations because of the intense and power-packed teasers and trailers. Director Krish expressed confidence on the output and trade circles expected a solid start at the box office because of Anushka’s impressive track record with female centric films. Unfortunately, the openings are very lukewarm due to poor word of mouth and underwhelming reviews.

Tamil dubbing film Madharasi, starring Siva Karthikeya, failed to evoke even moderate response from Telugu moviegoers due to director Murugadoss’ flop streak. Despite coming with a distinctive characterization for the lead protagonist, the director failed to convince the audiences because of his flat narration and unnecessary action sequences.