Imagine a 12-year-old Tamil film, Madha Gaja Raja, which became a Pongal winner at the box office after a direct clash with director Shankar’s Game Changer starring global star Ram Charan. Long fantasy, right? But, Pongal 2025 saw the impossible as Tamil actor Vishal starrer Madha Gaja Raja turned out to be a blockbuster and is still running successfully in theatres.

It is rare in the field of cinema that a 12 year old movie Tasted success at the box office despite many adverse circumstances. In this excerpt, let’s see how director Sundar C and actor Vishal’s Madha Gaja Raja took the box office by storm.

When Madha Gaja Raja finally hits theaters

Madha Gaja Raja was announced in 2012 without any title. After several legal and financial troubles, the comedy entertainer hit the theaters during Pongal after Ajith Kumar’s Vidamuyarchi was pulled out of the race due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’. Madha Gaja Raja directed by Sundar C stars Vishal, Santhanam, Sonu Sood, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar and Anjali in lead roles.

When the release of Madha Gaja Raja was announced, no one believed that it would actually see the light of day. Fans have been waiting patiently for over a decade and are left disappointed whenever the release date is announced. By 2025. A premiere show was held on 11 January, a day before the film’s worldwide release.

Here is the trailer:

As soon as I attended the premiere show of Madha Gaja, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the entire theater was laughing again and again. This indicated that Madha Gaja Raja, despite a long delay of 12 years, could be a potential Pongal winner at the box office.

Madha Gaja Raja clashes at the box office with Ram Charan and director Shankar’s Game Changer and director Bala’s Vanangan in Tamil Nadu, both of which released in theaters on January 10.

Madha Gaja Raja outperforms Game Changer at the box office

As soon as Madha Gaja Raja released in theaters on January 12, it performed unimaginably. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike and performed well during the Pongal extended weekend. Speaking exclusively to India Today Digital, trade analyst Ramesh Bala said, “Being a family entertainer, the film Sundar Si made full use of the Pongal holidays. In Tamil Nadu, the film grossed Rs 50 crore, while Game Changer earned Rs 10-15 crore,

Madha Gaja Raja was released in the international market a week later. According to Bala, the film grossed Rs 60–65 crore worldwide. “Apart from Tamil Nadu, the film also performed well in Karnataka. Among the Pongal releases, Madha Gaja Raja is the only film that performed well in A, B and C centres. According to the data, Madha Gaja Raja is a huge Pongal winner. By miles,” Bala explained.

Watch the trailer of Game Changer here:

What happened in favor of Madha Gaj king?

The most interesting thing is the huge success of Madha Gaja Raja. The main difference between Madha Gaja Raja and Game Changer is that one is an old film and the other is a newly made film with old ideas.

Each of Sundar C’s films has its trademark elements – slapstick and situational comedy, glamorous heroines (who rarely have solid roles), an ensemble cast and a chaotic but fun climax. Madha Gaj Raja is no differentIt took everyone down memory lane and reminded us why cute comedies are the best in entertaining, attracting family audiences to theatres.

Here is a song by Madha Gaj Raja:

Although the film sexualises its heroines (a recurring problem in Sundar C’s films), Madha Gaja Raja entertains the audience. Bala said, “It’s been years since comedian Santhanam became a hero and said goodbye to playing comedy roles. With Santhanam coming to the big screen again as a comedian, fans were quite happy and curious at the same time. It featured the late veteran actor-director Manivannan and Manobala in prominent roles.”

At a time when action films have taken over Indian cinema, Madha Gaja Raja reminded everyone how a family entertainer with comedy elements can bring family audiences back to theatres.

Madha Gaja Raja is set for Telugu release on 31st December, the film is expected to break more records at the box office.