Naga Vamsi opens up on War 2 debacle; says, ‘I and Jr NTR trusted YRF completely but...'

Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR star in War 2

Telugu producer and distributor Naga Vamsi has spoken up about the underwhelming box office performance of War 2. In conversation with Gulte during promotions for his upcoming film Mass Jathara starring Ravi Teja, the producer admitted that his trust in Yash Raj Films (YRF) head Aditya Chopra proved costly.

“Everyone makes mistakes, and the same happened with War 2,” Vamsi said, addressing the controversy surrounding the film’s failure. “NTR garu and I trusted Aditya Chopra and Yash Raj Films. It didn’t work out, and I became the target after the film’s failure.”

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Naga Vamsi, who had acquired the Telugu distribution rights for War 2 for a significant sum, said he believed in YRF’s vision and track record. “Aditya Chopra is one of the biggest producers in the country, and we believed in his vision, but War 2 ended up being a misfire,” he added.

The producer also revealed that he faced immense trolling online after the movie failed to live up to its massive expectations. “I was trolled heavily, and I had to bear the brunt of it. The only silver lining is that I was trolled for a film I didn’t even produce,” he quipped.

At the time of release, Naga Vamsi had actively promoted the film’s Telugu version, appealing to fans of Jr NTR to help push its opening numbers beyond those of the Hindi version. However, despite strong pre-release hype and the combined star power of Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, and Kiara Advani, the Telugu dubbed version failed to make a mark at the box office.

While the Hindi version managed a moderately successful run, the Telugu version was labeled a commercial disaster. The film ultimately collected around Rs 360 crore gross worldwide, with Rs 214 crore from the Hindi markets and only Rs 63 crore from the Telugu version which far below trade expectations.