Rajinikanth's 'Lal Salaam' is a dud. It's a total washout in the Telugu States, with the share on Day 1 (February 9) being zero. At the Tamil box-office, the film might collect less than what a medium-range star hero's average movie would. This is despite Rajini's visuals being promoted prominently in the trailer and pre-release promotional material.
On the other hand, 'Bro' had a good run at the box-office when it was released in 2023. While the exact BO numbers are unknown, it is safe to say that the movie did far better in one language than what 'Lal Salaam' could in both languages put together.
The contrast has been used by a section of Pawan Kalyan's fans to say that Power Star's superstardom is greater than that of Rajini. Arriving at a conclusion like this is a bit silly. Rajini is in his early 70s. Not every film of his would do great, especially if it is not a full-fledged role. Pawan, on the other hand, is younger in comparison. He has no younger superstar to contend with. Rajini ceded some space to Thalapathy Vijay years ago.
In the minds of the audience, age matters more than what fans/media would like to believe. No matter how big Shah Rukh Khan is, he would have to do his best to outshine Ranbir Kapoor in some matters even though the latter could be a lesser star hero.
