nenunanu Posted July 6, 2013 Report Posted July 6, 2013 [color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] It’s July and the right time for a quick look at how the Telugu industry fared during the first half and how it will do in the next six months.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] The success spree of films in 2012 has upped the success quotient for 2013. 2012 can be called termed the ‘golden year’ for the industry.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] All big budget films were hits at the box office and brought in lots of money. Even the flop films did not affect the makers much. The financial loss was marginal.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] The industry saw a surge in business after nearly a decade.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] The industry pundits had anticipated that this success would spill over into 2013. So, six months down the line, the million dollar question is if the industry is living up to the expectations? Has it done better or worse?[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] [b]Great show by openers[/b] The Tollywood has carved out a strategy where two big ticket films are not released in the same week. Both the critics and the trade analysts are of the opinion that it does not help the business of the parties involved. Releasing in as many theatres as possible is another trend that has caught up recently. So, the films are being planned in such a way that they don’t clash with each other and eat into the other’s business.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] But Sankranti is a time when two big films can make money. The long weekend during the festival time helps filmi collections. Hence, this year saw the release of ‘Nayak’ and ‘Seetamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu’ within a gap of two days. ‘Nayak’ can be slotted as the first big budget film for the year. It was directed by Vinayak and had Ram Charan in the lead. A routine, formula film, it had a decent comedy track coupled with the usual masala elements. The film once again proved the mass appeal that Cherry has. Despite being pitted against an equal rival, it managed to garner a cool Rs 40 crore for the makers.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] Multi-starrers were a thing of past till ‘Seetamma Vakitla Sirimalle Chettu’ came along. With two big stars and one top actress in the lead, the film went on to show what a multi-starrer can do at the BO. The presence of Venkatesh and Mahesh and the talk of being a clean family entertainer worked in the favour of the film. More than the local audience, the NRI audience encouraged the movie a lot and SVSC managed to get good collections.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] There were some trade pundits who felt at least a week’s gap would have increased the returns of both Nayak and SVSC. Despite the back to back release, they managed to do good business in month of January. Accordingly, no other big films were released in that month and they had a good three-week run.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] [b]Spicy Mirchi Magic[/b] Once the Sankranti frenzy dies down, no big ticket film’s release is planned till summer. February and March are considered to be dull months at the box office, as it the exams time. But breaking the norm, the makers of Prabhas- starrer Mirchi decided to go ahead with the release during the second week of February. Since the movie was complete, they saw no reason in delaying it any further. And lo and behold, it worked in their favour.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] The initial talk about Mirchi was that it was a quintessential potboiler. So, an estimate of Rs 35 crore business was made during the initial week. Koratala Siva carefully packaged all the necessary elements for a commercial success and Mirchi appealed to all segments of the audience. Siva too was compensated accordingly. The film did business beyond expectations and made a whopping Rs 45 crore. While the buyers of the Sankranti films made relatively small profits, the buyers of Mirchi made good money. Hence, Mirchi is the biggest hit till date, this year.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] Around the same time, two other films were released -- Ram’s Ongole Gitta and Siddharth-Samantha starrer Jabardasth. Though there were some expectations from both the films, they turned out to be box office disasters. Good friend Samantha’s presence did not help Siddharth and Ongole Gitta was quickly forgotten.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] [b]Swami Ra Ra: Small film becomes a big hit[/b] Despite the success of Mirchi, no big film makers dared to release their film in March. Where the big film-makers played cautious, the small film-makers decided to release their films during March. There were a slew of releases. First there was Sunil’s Pellikoduku which was a remake of the Hindi hit film Tanu Weds Manu. Since the film lacked the charm of the original and the humour associated with Sunil, it failed to strike a chord with the audience. Then came Gundello Godavari. In production for a very long time, the film finally managed to see the light. But the film’s story did not go too well with the audience. This was followed by films such as Aravind 2, Jaffa, Backbench Student, etc.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] Finally, defying all norms came Swami Ra Ra, a small budget film directed by Sudheer Varma. His picturisation and tackling of the subject was well-received by the audience. It got word of mouth publicity and turned out to be a surprise hit. It also proved that small films could turn into money churners. But for Swami Ra Ra, the month of March would have been a month of flops.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] [b]Badshaah loses, but GJG wins[/b] The film was flaunted as a blockbuster ever since its production began. The producer Bandla Ganesh referred to it as a blockbuster in all interviews prior to the release. So, Badshaah released amidst huge expectations. It was thought that the film would give NTR the blockbuster, he so craved for. Matching the expectations, the film opened on a grand scale. During the first 10 days, there was talk of the movie having a good comedy track, in keeping with the image of Srinu Vaitla. It even did good business in the overseas market. But the trouble began after those 10 days. As the film did not have NTR playing a macho role, it did not go down well with the audience.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] Another major drawback was the rates at which the movie was sold. Though it managed to hit the Rs 40 crore mark, some buyers had to incur losses as the movie did not do too well.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] Then came Nitin’s Gunde Jaari Gallantayyindi. The film managed to get a positive talk right from the first show. While Badshaah failed to be blockbuster, Nitin managed to have his first blockbuster. The film quickly outdid the collections of Ishq and reached the Rs 20 crore mark. The film showed how a total entertainer could work well with the audience. Given the fact that there were no good releases during that time worked in favour of GJG.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] At a time when the industry was hopeful as the big films were managing good returns, Meher Ramesh released his Shadow. Not only was the film a disaster just like his earlier film Shakti, it can be counted as the worst film in the career of Venkatesh. The film was made with a budget of around Rs 35 crore and the film’s dismal performance at the box office incurred huge losses to the producer and the buyers. Allu Sirish’s Gauvravam, Siddharth’s NH4 and Uday Kiran’s failed attempt with Jai Srirama failed to interest the audience.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] [b]Two heroes vs Iddarammayilu?[/b] It’s a safe bet to make a movie with two heroes than with two heroines – this point was proven by Tadaka. Puri Jagannadh once again directed a dud in Iddarammayilatho. Though Bunny put in his best, bad story line and equally bad picturisation by Puri ensured that the film failed at the BO. Crores were pumped in for the making of the movie, but its makers failed to break even, barring in a couple of centers. In all, Iddarammyilatho sank.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] It was completely reverse scenario for Tadaka. Though it started slow, the film managed to be in the ‘safe’ category towards the end. Naga Chaitanya and Sunil played brothers in the film that survived through word of mouth publicity and decent reviews.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] While the son had a good film, the father hero Nagarjuna failed to get a hit in Greeku Veerudu. The film was touted as a family entertainer and got compliments, but these did not translate into collections at the box office.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] [b]Good comedy means success at BO[/b] It’s a recent trend where a good comedy track can make or break a film. Audiences are looking for some good comedy in all kinds of films. One such small budget film that had the audience in splits was Prema Katha Chitram. It is what one can call a ‘comic thriller’. Made with a very small budget, it managed to get four times the initial amount spent. Since there were neither big films nor other good films, Prema Katha Chitram had a hit run.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] Towards the end of June, Balupu hit the theatres. It is what one would call a ‘typical’ Ravi Teja film. The film was planned with all the ingredients that the audience expects from a Ravi Teja film. Director Gopichand got his math right and the film is a huge success. It is being said that Balupu would be the biggest hit in Ravi Teja’s career. It indeed revived his career after six back-to-back flops.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] While comedy is a crowd puller, bad comedy can backfire. This was proven by Allari Naresh’ Action 3D. Making it in the 3D format did not help either.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] Just like last year, this year too has been bad for dubbed films. The audience has maintained its stand by avoiding dubbed films. In the coming six months, big ticket films such as Yevadu, Attarintiki Daaredi, Toofan, Ramayya Vastavayya, 1-Nenokkadine are lined up for release.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] If the big budget films match up to the expectations and the small films turn out be hits sporadically, the year 2013 will be another landmark year for the Telugu film industry. The trend is for big budget films with all the mass, masala entertainer elements coupled with some good comedy. With all the right elements, crossing the Rs 40 crore mark no longer seems unattainable. Calling a film average, hit, super hit and a blockbuster is also a thing of the past.[/size][/font][/color][color=#3F3F3F][font=georgia][size=4] More fun a film is, the better it will run. More the laughter, those many more crores in the kitty of the makers! [/size][/font][/color]
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