Akshay Kumar, Rajinikanth, 2.0, 2 point 0
Here is a report on Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth's 2.0 first day business in Karnataka.YouTube screenshot

2.0 has opened to a decent start in Karnataka although the collection is lesser than usual standards of Rajinikanth's Kabali. The movie saw the light of the day in about 350 screens across the state on Thursday, November 29.

The mega-budget movie is being distributed by Lyca Productions through Nandini Entertainment and the distributor is happy with the opening. "It is a good opening for a movie a working day. It has met our expectations," distributor Sudheer told International Business Times, India.

When asked about the collection, he said, "The estimated net collection comes around Rs 5 crore." 2.0 has been released in three languages in Karnataka – Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. However, there is a demand for the film to be dubbed into Kannada.

When asked why it has not been dubbed into the local language, he claimed, "We are willing to dub 2.0 in Kannada, but there is opposition from a section of organisations. At the same time, someone from Kannada Rakshana Vedike called me asking to dub the film, but I told them that if they give me a formal letter I will have no issues releasing 2.0 in Kannada,"

Sandalwood has been against dubbing for decades and the unofficial ban was lifted a few years ago after the Kannada Grahaka Koota took the issue to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which passed the verdict in favour of dubbing while terming the ban "illegal."

In recent years, a few movies of Tamil actor Ajith have been dubbed although there has been opposition to it by Vatal Nagaraj.

Coming back to the business part of 2.0, Rajinikanth's previous movie Kaala had faced opposition from Kannada groups over his comment on Cauvery issue. Hence, the movie was released in limited screens and earned little over Rs 50 lakh in Karnataka. His movie Kabali had minted Rs 7.7 crore in 2016 on the opening day.

Considering the hype around 2.0 and trilingual release, the trade experts predicted 2.0 to do a far better business than Kabali.

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