Aadu 2 box office collection: How a flop turned into a cult and gave birth to stunning sequel

On 6^th February, 2015, when the Jayasurya-starrer Aadu Oru Bheekara Jeeviyanu was released, it received severe backlash on the online platforms. The movie was perhaps the first major victim of mass negative social media criticism that went viral soon after the premier show of the movie.

Soon, the movie was termed a box office bomb and left the theaters within no time. The negative reviews surrounding the movie were so stingy that they left its debutante director, Midhun Manuel Thomas, into a temporary oblivion. Even though some critics wrote that the young filmmaker was attempting to push the boundaries of slapstick comedy further, the general impression about the movie was disappointing.

Aadu Oru Bheekara Jeeviyanu introduced an array of cartoonish characters like Shaji Pappan (Jayasurya), S.I. Sarbath Shameer (Vijay Babu), Dude (Vinayakan), Satan Xavier (Sunny Wayne), and Arakkal Abu (Saiju Kurupu), and most interestingly, Pinky, the goat, at the center of the narration. Midhun Manuel Thomas left the conventional format of storytelling behind and went for a risky take to deliver an admiringly weird road movie.

But, the initial reactions from the box office were very hostile and the movie sank without a trace. However, it was not a dead end for the filmmaker and the movie. The viewers who rejected it mercilessly at box office embraced Aadu again when the DVD released. In an unprecedented manner, the movie went on to become viral through mouth publicity and social media groups.

Social media, which once sank the movie even before its take off, started praising it. The return of the movie was so unbelievable that the characters Shaji Pappan, SI  Sarbath Shameer, Dude, Satan Xavier, Arakkal Abu, and Pinky, the goat were elevated into cult status. A number of memes surfaced online, promoting the characters and dialogues from the movie. Aadu became a rage. As the popularity of the movie and its characters grew, the demand for a sequel arose from the viewers. The makers responded by bringing back Shaji Pappan and his menacing team in Aadu 2.

As Aadu 2 caught the second place on the hit chart of Christmas releases, just one step short of the Mammootty starrer Masterpiece, Jayasurya and Midhun Manuel Thomas are on cloud nine for holding an amazing record in Mollywood -- the unusual success of the sequel of a film which bombed at the box office and then went on to become a DVD super hit.   Shaji Pappan and his menacing team are flying high as Aadu 2 is flooding the releasing centers with fans. This is perhaps what they call box office justice!