Sankranthi 2026: A Festive Film Frenzy with 5 Telugu and 2 Tamil Releases Amid Overcrowding Concerns
The Sankranthi festival season 2026 is shaping up to be a highly competitive and overcrowded period for Telugu cinema, reminiscent of the chaotic Sankranthi 2024 when multiple big-ticket films clashed at the box office. Despite the debacle two years ago, the Telugu film industry appears to have repeated the same mistake, with no less than five Telugu films and two Tamil dubbed films set to release around the festival.
The Overcrowded Line-up of Sankranthi 2026
Traditionally a key festive window for big film releases, Sankranthi 2026 has attracted a crowded slate:
Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu by Anil Ravipudi, featuring Telugu superstars Chiranjeevi and Nayanthara, is aiming for a Sankranthi release; the official date is yet to be announced.
The Raja Saab, a long-delayed horror comedy starring Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, and Riddhi Kumar, is confirmed for January 9.
A yet-untitled film by Kishore Tirumala with Ravi Teja is also targeting Sankranthi, awaiting an official release date.
Maari (Anaganaga Oka Raju), directed by Kalyan Shankar and starring Naveen Polishetty and Meenakshi Chaudhary, is scheduled for January 14.
Adding to the crowd, Ram Abbaraju’s film starring Sharwanand, Sakshi Vaidya, and Samyuktha, titled Nari Nari Naduma Murari, has joined the Sankranthi race.
Besides these Telugu titles, two Tamil dubbed films are set to release during the same period:
Jana Nayagan, a Vijay-starrer directed by H Vinoth, is releasing on January 9.
Parasakthi, starring Sivakarthikeyan and directed by Sudha Kongara, is scheduled for January 12.
Lessons Unlearned from Sankranthi 2024
The 2024 Sankranthi season had an even more crowded list, including Telugu hits like HanuMan (Teja Sajja), Guntur Kaaram (Mahesh Babu), Naa Saami Ranga (Nagarjuna), Saindhav (Venkatesh), and Eagle (Ravi). Tamil films were also in the fray, with titles like Captain Miller (Dhanush), Ayalaan (Sivakarthikeyan), Merry Christmas (Vijay Sethupathi-Katrina Kaif), and Mission: Chapter 1 (Arun Vijay).
Despite pressures and competition, Teja Sajja’s HanuMan emerged victorious, grossing a worldwide ₹295 crore, outperforming Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram which made ₹180.5 crore. Other films like Saindhav and Naa Saami Ranga underperformed or did average business.
The overcrowding and competition led to theatre allotment controversies and frustration among producers and fans alike.
Sankranthi 2025 and Current Scenario
Sankranthi 2025 saw a relatively calmer competition, with fewer film clashes—key releases included Ram Charan’s Game Changer, Balakrishna’s Daaku Maharaaj, and Anil Ravipudi’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam, along with a couple of Tamil films.
However, Sankranthi 2026 looks like the industry is reverting to its overcrowded ways, risking box office clashes and theatre allocation problems once again.
This pattern indicates a need for better coordination and scheduling among Telugu filmmakers to avoid hurting their own commercial prospects and audience satisfaction during major festivities like Sankranthi.
The festival remains a lucrative and prestigious slot in the Telugu film calendar, but overcrowding risks diluting box office collections for all involved.