A noted producer has expressed concern over the declining success rate of Telugu films this year, saying that star power alone is no longer guaranteeing box-office success. He feels Tollywood needs to rethink its approach, particularly when it comes to escalating budgets and exorbitant star remunerations.
“Relying solely on a hero’s charisma is backfiring without a strong story. A series of disappointments, including The Raja Saab, Ustaad Bhagat Singh, The Paradise, Ranabali and Aadarsha Kutumbam, have failed to set the box office on fire. It is time for filmmakers to introspect,” he says.
With superstars such as Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, Jr NTR and Ram Charan reportedly charging anywhere between Rs 100 crore and Rs 150 crore per film, production budgets have spiralled, leaving producers under tremendous financial pressure.
“Telugu stars should follow the revenue-sharing model adopted by Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan, who opt for a share in the profits instead of insisting on huge upfront remunerations. This considerably reduces the burden on producers,” he adds.
He also blames inexperienced producers for disrupting the industry’s financial balance by offering inflated remunerations to stars and technicians to secure dates for their projects. “A few producers are already out of business due to mounting debts, while others are desperately announcing big projects back-to-back to stay afloat. This is not how a film industry should function,” he points out.
Citing the example of Tamil cinema, he says recent successes such as DC, Dorothy, Bison Kaalamaadan, Kara and Mandadi, along with Jailer 2, demonstrate the importance of keeping production costs under control. “Apart from films featuring established stars like Rajinikanth and Suriya, several Tamil films are made on budgets below Rs 25 crore, making them relatively safe bets. In contrast, even films featuring relatively young Telugu actors are being mounted on budgets exceeding Rs 60 crore. Such spending is financially imprudent and is pushing the industry into troubled waters,” he observes.
Producer Ravi Shankar Yellamanchili recently made a similar observation while discussing the success of several films. He pointed out that recent hits have stood out because of their distinct content, treatment and storytelling.
“Films like Maa Inti Bangaram, Lenin, Chennai Love Story and Irumudi have shown that Telugu audiences are discerning. They are choosing films that offer something different in terms of content, narration and making, and rewarding them at the box office. Our responsibility is to deliver unique content while also keeping ticket prices under check,” he added.
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