Star actress Anushka Shetty’s comeback film “Ghaati” has turned out to be a huge letdown at the box office. Directed by Krish Jagarlamudi, the movie released last Friday amidst high expectations but opened to poor collections and negative reviews. With no signs of recovery, it is heading toward being declared a flop.

One of the major criticisms directed at the team is their promotional strategy. Anushka chose to promote the film through audio messages, avoiding physical events. While this approach created some buzz on social media, it failed to reach her core fanbase — family audiences and household viewers who aren’t active online. Trade experts believe this misstep contributed heavily to the film’s disappointing openings.

Fans usually expect Anushka to deliver a power-packed performance, and “Ghaati” promised her in a never-before-seen action avatar. Unfortunately, both her performance and the action episodes fell flat, with audiences pointing out that the weak writing and lack of a “wow factor” were the movie’s biggest drawbacks. Even Anushka’s presence couldn’t salvage it.

This has reignited discussions about the importance of active participation in promotions. Viewers feel Anushka should attend events and engage directly with audiences instead of relying solely on voice promotions. Her previous film, Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty, succeeded despite her absence because Naveen Polishetty carried the promotions single-handedly and delivered an engaging performance in a feel-good story.

However, in the case of Ghaati, the lack of visibility and a weak product amplified the damage. With her next film, the Malayalam biggie Kathanar, scheduled for release later this year, all eyes are on Anushka to see whether she will finally step into promotions and reconnect with her fans.