Telugu cinema surfs a success story
Y. SUNITA CHOWDHARY
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The smiles are back, the money is good and the string of hits has given Telugu film industry a new lease of life.
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The cut in ticket price, reduced interest in TV viewership, and the treatment of the films like Pokiri, Laxmi and Bommarillu has pulled audiences to the theatres in droves. `Dil' Raju
HOUSEFUL HIT: Still from Lakshmi
This is Telugu cinema's comeback year... Just count the hits over the past few months and you might well lose count: Devadasu, Style, Laxmi, Pokiri, Sri Ramadasu, Vikramarkudu, Andala Ramudu, Bommarillu, the list goes on.
The industry people are promising that this is no flash in the pan and the line up for the next few months is even more optimistic.
Motivated by the success, some of our main filmmakers are charting fresh themes like tsunami, Kargil conflict, dowry system, as well as the usual love stories blossoming in offices to a game among siblings.
Still from Pokiri
Young brigade
The series of hits has emboldened the young filmmakers to challenge the old order, while the other directors are preparing to showcase Telugu cinema's best and brightest.Even language and appearances no longer form a barrier.
While there is no immediate threat to co-existence for Telugu and Tamil cinema, the success of Pandem Kodi shows that people watch any film if the story is good.
"Yes," says Dil Raju a successful distributor. "People didn't bother about the cast. The same happened with Bommarillu. The script was very good and the point we dealt with was fresh. This year is far better than the previous one. The cut in ticket price, reduced interest in TV viewership, and the treatment of the films like Pokiri, Laxmi and Bommarillu has pulled audiences to the theatres in droves."
In the last decade, rising production costs, astronomical star fees, and other commercial imperatives had driven filmmakers into a corner where copied stories, and styles, have been the norm.
Now things have changed. Combine vision with grandeur, the latest technology in special effects with trendy music, a good cast and a storyline that appeals to the masses and directors whose very touch turns the film into a box-office hit.
Another lucky turn have been the powerful performances, music that's like poetry, the effortless comedyand the filming style that showed technical finesse with simplicity.
Still from Style
This successful effort has naturally meant big bucks... The recent release Bommarillu... a film that moves you: it's larger than life, saying things with a broad sweep and hitting the high notes of emotion. Andaala Ramudu was like a breath of fresh air.
The releases in the first half: Devadasu, Style, Laxmi, Pokiri, Sri Ramadasu, Vikramarkudu have made the producers and distributors very happy.
The cost of production has not really come down but the rise in viewership has given cinema financial push that's more than average.
Still from Vikramarkudu.
Future looks bright
As far as exhibitors are concerned, the resurgence of film industry is a happy sign, and cause enough for a happier projection into the future.
The dumping of slab system in favour of taxation according to occupancy also has added to the cheer. Industry estimates show that, in the first six months of this year, net box office collections in the domestic market have gone up.
The growth of multiplexes has also helped in pushing up box office collections, as is the newer trend of pushing more prints in the market in the first week to reduce piracy.
In the latter half of 2006, by coincidence almost, every big actor has at least one release lined up -- films that will hopefully re-establish their iconic connection with the masses.
There's a great deal of hope, history and money riding on every big banner in town for the industry. Now, that's another story.
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