Vijay Sethupathi may be a Tamil actor by industry, but he enjoys a massive following across other languages too, especially in Telugu. Even before he acted in straight Telugu films, Telugu audiences embraced him as one of their own. His performances in films like Sye Raa and Uppena were widely appreciated here. He truly earned a loyal fan base that treated him like a homegrown star.
Last year, Sethupathi starred in Maharaja, a film that initially released in Telugu with minimal buzz. But post-release, it gained tremendous popularity. Both in theatres and on OTT platforms, the film become super hit. That success solidified Sethupathi’s image as a dependable performer.
However, it now looks like the makers of his new film Ace tried to ride that wave of goodwill. Without any solid promotions or buzz, Ace hit the theatres quietly yesterday. But unlike Maharaja, this one failed to impress. The story lacks grip, the narrative feels dull, and it’s clear that the film is simply banking on Sethupathi’s star power to pull through. Director Arumugakumar doesn’t offer anything fresh, just a formulaic story told in a flat, disengaging way.
At a time when the Telugu box office is already going through a slump, this kind of underwhelming content is the last thing audiences want. As a result, Ace saw poor occupancy and even had some shows cancelled on day one. Wherever it did release, the talk was negative, and Telugu reviewers reflected that with low ratings and blunt reviews.
