Hansika Motwani with Vijay in 'Puli'
A still from Vijay's 'Puli' in which Hansika Motwani is also seen.Vijay Facebook Fans Page

The Telugu distribution rights of Vijay's "Puli" have reportedly been sold for Rs 8 crore, but the movie has failed to beat the records of the Telugu versions of "I" and "Lingaa".

SVR Media, which has earlier distributed Vijay's "Thuppakki" in Telugu, has acquired the theatrical rights of "Puli" for Rs 8 crore, reports India Glitz. The bosses of SVR Media are confident that Vijay's latest outing will recreate the magic of "Tupaki" at the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana box office.

The distribution rights of Telugu versions of Vikram's "I" and Rajinikanth's "Lingaa" were reportedly sold for Rs 30 crore each. The theatrical rights of "Rakshasudu", which was the Telugu version of Suriya's "Massu Engira Masilamani" fetched Rs 10 crore for its makers. The rights of "Yentha Vaadu Gannie", Telugu version of Ajith's "Yennai Arindhaal" was also sold for Rs 10 crore. The rights of Kamal Haasan's "Uttama Villain" have garnered over Rs 10 crore.

However, "Puli" has failed to beat these records.

Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Ajith Kumar and Vikram are among the most popular Tamil actors in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They have a huge fan following in these areas. Most of their movies have been dubbed in Telugu and released in the two States. They have proved successful at the box office.

There will always be a huge demand for the theatrical rights of these superstars' movies. "Puli" was not an exception to this trend. It is reported that several leading distribution houses were in race for its rights.

"Puli" is an action-adventure fantasy film, which has been written and directed by Chimbu Deven. Vijay is donning dual roles in the film that features an ensemble cast including Sudeep, Prabhu, Sridevi, Shruti Haasan, Hansika Motwani and Nandita. The film is expected to release in September 2015.

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