Nithiin’s Thammudu was expected to be a decent commercial entertainer, but it turned into a complete debacle — both critically and at the box office.
Unlike most flops that at least manage a decent opening weekend, Thammudu flopped right out of the gate.
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The response was so disastrous that Dil Raju’s production team went completely silent post-release, skipping the usual promotional rituals like post-release interviews or a success meet.
Apart from a couple of generic tweets, there was zero attempt at damage control — a rarity in today’s publicity-driven industry playbook.
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The shockwaves from Thammudu’s failure are now being felt by the banner’s next ambitious project: Yellamma, which also stars Nithiin.
Directed by Balagam fame Venu Yeldandi, the film is still in its pre-production stage. It was initially slated to go on floors in June after months of development.
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Interestingly, the script was first offered to Nani, who reportedly appreciated it but opted out due to scheduling conflicts.
The project then went to Nithiin, with the team hopeful that Thammudu would perform well and pave the way for Yellamma to proceed without financial concerns.
But that plan has now hit a roadblock. Following Thammudu’s poor performance, the producers are reportedly reblockessing Yellamma from the ground up.
A full script review is currently underway, with serious discussions about trimming the budget, streamlining the scale, and even exploring direct-to-OTT release options.
The film is said to be a rural period drama in the emotional space of Balagam. Keerthy Suresh is being considered for the female lead, though there’s been no official confirmation yet.
Keerthy Suresh herself is going through a rough patch, with a series of flops like Bholaa Shankar, Baby John, Siren, Raghu Thatha, and her latest OTT release Uppu Kappurambu. She, too, needs Yellamma to work in a big way to revive her career momentum.
For Nithiin, Yellamma now stands as a make-or-break moment. After the success of Bheeshma, he has delivered a string of back-to-back flops — Check, Macherla Niyojakavargam, Extra – Ordinary Man, Robinhood, and now Thammudu.
Industry insiders believe that if Yellamma fails, it could completely collapse his standing as a bankable lead.
With no major projects currently lined up, this might be the closest Nithiin has come to a do-or-die moment in his career.
