Telugu cinema: 2010 onwards
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Contents |
An overview
India Today, December 30, 2015
Suhani Singh
Regional cinema takes on the Bollywood behemoth, carves a niche for itself.
Before July 2015, Prabhas was a Telugu film actor who not many beyond south India would have recognised. But the 36-year-old actor became a star as the dhoti-clad, bare-chested Baahubali who transports a giant shivling on his muscular shoulder in one of the most popular images of 2015. Prabhas devoted three years to filmmaker SS Rajamouli's fantasy epic. His co-star Rana Daggubati put on more than 25 kg to be the beefy evil ruler, Bhallala Deva. Over 20,000 weapons were designed and a hundred acres of land in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad were used to shoot the hour-long battle sequence which is reminiscent of the ones seen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. "Baahubali was the most momentous milestone not just for the Telugu industry but perhaps all of Indian cinema this year," says Daggubati. It's not an overstatement. The technical marvel was made largely by an all-Indian crew, proof of how Indian cinema isn't short on grand vision and execution. Baahubali the Hindi version made Rs 110 crore, which is unprecedented for a dubbed film. With overall collections of Rs 600 crore, it was second only to Bajrangi Bhaijaan this year and third in all-time highest earners. "Baahubali is an outlier," said Kamal Gianchandani, President of PVR Pictures, "Its positioning is like that of Avatar in Hollywood. A movie like that comes once in five years." Rajamouli's fantastical superheroes may have taken Telugu cinema by storm but there was also a spate of small, independent films which stood out for not adhering to the formulaic and treating audiences to imperfect but relatable protagonists. They included Bhale Bhale Magadivoy, a comedy centred on a hero with an attention span problem and Size Zero about a girl with weight issues. They didn't make the kind of impression that Baahubali did but it's a sign that regional independent cinema is also growing.
Unusual themes
If Bollywood has Shah Rukh Khan, then Tollywood, the Bengali film industry, has Abir Chatterjee, the rising star who can carry off a white dhoti (as famous sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi in Har Har Byomkesh) as well as denims (a martial arts suspect in Ebar Shabor, the first hit of 2015). "This year has definitely been outstanding if not just for the hits or the profits but for the quality of stories," says Chatterjee. A fine embodiment of the above was Bela Seshe, which released in May, and is still running in a few cinemas in West Bengal. In fact, its premise-a patriarch announces that he will leave his wife of 49 years-resonated even with non-Bengalis. "Imagine a hall full of Gujarati, 800 of them to be exact, coming to watch a Bengali film in the city that doesn't even have subtitles," says co-director Shibhprosad Mukherjee talking about a show at Priya Cinema in Kolkata. Reuniting Soumitra Chattopadhyay with Swatilekha Sengupta, last seen together in Satyajit Ray's Ghare Baire, after 30 years, the film's impact was such that Gujarati magazine Hulchul put the film on its cover and Eros International stepped in to distribute the film outside West Bengal. With 13 hits in 15 months (September 2014 to December 2015), Rajkahini director Srijit Mukherji calls it "a purple patch" for Tollywood. It indeed is as evidenced by the super showing of the industry at the 2015 National Awards where it won Best First Feature (Aditya Vikram Sengupta's Asha Jaoar Majhe), Best Director and Screenplay (Mukherji for Chotushkone) and Best Audiography (Churni Ganguly's Nirbashito). No boundaries Audiences are now more willing to watch a good regional film even if it means focusing on subtitles throughout the film. The regional film industries are also keen to extend their reach with stories that resonate. The Mahesh Babu-starrer, Sreemanthudu, was one such film; its philanthropic hero was a lot like Shah Rukh Khan in Swades as he tries to improve the infrastructure of a village. The Telugu film made Rs 200 crore, indicating a reach beyond native Telegu speakers. In Kollywood, the Tamil film industry, apart from Baahubali there were 25 films which fared well even as the number of releases came down from 214 to 205 in 2014. G Dhananjayan, chief-South Business, Studios of Disney-UTV Motion Pictures sees it as an emphasis on quality over quantity and calls it a "good thing". The hits included Ajith-starrer Vedhalam, Shankar's Beauty and the Beast-inspired I, Kanchana 2 and director Ravi Arasu's Eetti.
The cash registers went ka-ching even in Kerala, where Malayalam cinema saw two of its contemporary leading stars in Prithviraj and Nivin Pauly do content-driven films such as Premam, Ennu Ninte Moideen, Amar Akbar Anthony and Oru Vadakkan Selfie which also won audiences approval. That all were films belonging to different genres-a romantic comedy, a tragic love story, a buddy comedy and a thriller-is proof of how audiences approve of filmmakers who go beyond conventional storytelling. The most encouraging sign is how multiplexes now have a spread of regional films to choose from every week. In 2015, PVR Pictures released films in 15 languages. They included Tulu film Charlie Polulu which is enjoying a run of 400 days in PVR cinemas in Mangalore. For an industry that doesn't make more than 10 films a year "that's not a small achievement", says Gianchandani. The Kannada industry had two hits in RangiTaranga and Mr and Mrs Ramachari, both of which enjoyed a theatrical run of over 150 days. Gujjubhai The Great and Chhello Devas made a strong case for Gujarati cinema by going beyond Gujarat and drawing audiences in Delhi and Mumbai. Bollywood beware Now more than ever regional films are no longer wary of clashing with the might of Bollywood which for long has enjoyed supreme status. Besh Korechi Prem Korechi, starring Jeet and Koel Mallick, took on Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and managed to hold its own. Meanwhile in Maharashtra, two films -Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2 and Katyar Kaljat Ghusli - released alongside Salman Khan-starrer Prem Ratan Dhan Payo on another sought-after festive date -Diwali. Both films were declared hits along with Timepass 2, Ravi Jadhav-directed sequel which became the second highest-grossing Marathi film with a collection of Rs 40 crore. With the period Indian classical musical Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, starring Shankar Mahadevan and Sachin Pilgaonkar, popular actor Subodh Bhave won over more fans demonstrating that he can direct too. Not all Marathi films are dependent on stars to headline their films. Many have gone beyond India to make their mark in international festivals abroad. Avinash Arun's children's film Killa won the Crystal Bear in Berlin and charmed even adults, while Chaitanya Tamhane's Court, a more realistic courtroom drama, was India's official entry to the Oscars. This capped another great year for the Marathi film industry which over the last few years has seen a creative resurgence as well as an increase in box office collections and number of productions. Whether regional cinema can repeat the splendid run of 2015 remains to be seen but one can be certain that audiences will be queueing up to watch the sequel Baahubali: The Conclusion. After all the nation wants to know: why did Katappa kill Baahubali?
The Telugu hits of the year
2010
Telugu Film Industry produced 115 Telugu films and another 40-odd dubbed films) in 2010. However, 2010 was one of the worst years that Tollywood ever saw.
The biggest disasters
Nagarjuna starrer Kedi
Allu Arjun starrer Varudu
Dil Raju-Varun Sandesh starrer Maro Charitra
Siddharth starrer Bava
Mahesh starrer Khaleja
Ram Charan’s Orange
Low Budget Winners
Actor Allari Naresh's Betting Bangarraju and Katti Kanta Rao
The Tamil remake, Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu turned out as unexpected success.
Critically-Acclaimed Films
Deva Katta- Sharwanand’s Prasthanam
Sharwanand starrer Andhari Bhandhuvaya
multi-starrer Vedam.
Sekhar kammula's Leader which showed the dark reality of modern day politics.
These critically praised films had decent run at B-O.
Dubbed Hits
The Telugu Film Industry faced heavy competition from Tamil films dubbed into Telugu
Rajini Kanth’s Robo,
Kamal’s Manmadha Banam,
Karthi’s Awara,
Suriya’s Yamudu
The fate of the major films of 2010
Super Hit
Simha Bala Krishna, Nayantara, Sneha Ullal, Namitha
Hits
Adhurs Jr.NTR, Sheela, Nayantara
Darling Prabhas, Kajal Agarwal
Maryada Ramanna Sunil, Saloni
Brindavanam Jr.NTR, Kajal Agarwal, Samantha
Above Average
Bindaas Manchu Manoj, Sheena Shahabadi
Leader Daggubati Rana, Richa Gangopadhyay, Priya Anand
Ye Maya Chesave Naga Chaitanya, Samantha
Betting Bangarraju Allari Naresh, Nidhi
Vedam Allu Arjun, Manchu Manoj, Deeksha Seth,Anushka
Jhummandi Nadam Manchu Manoj, Tapsee
Katti Kanta Rao Allari Naresh, Kamna Jethmalani
Ragada Nagarjuna, Priyamani, Anushka
Average
Namo Venkatesa Venkatesh, Trisha
Prasthanam Sharwanad, Sai Kumar, Ruby Parihar
Andari Bhanduvayya Sharwanand, Padma Priya
Rama Rama Krishna Krishna Ram, Priya Anand, Bindu Madhavi
Golimaar Gopichand, Priyamani
Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu Nani, Saranya Mohan
Snehagheetam Sandeep Kishan,Venky,Chaitanya,Suhani,
Don Seenu Ravi Teja, Shriya Saran, Anjana Sukhani
Yemaindi Ee Vela Varun Sandesh, Nisha Agarwal
Nagavalli Venkatesh, Richa, Shraddha Das, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Anushka
Below Average
Shambo Shiva Shambo Ravi Teja, Siva Balaji, Allari Naresh, Priyamani
Seetha Ramula Kalyanam Nitin, Hansika
Kalavar King Nikhil, Swetha Basu Prasad
Sadhyam Jagapathi Babu, Priyamani, Keerti Chawla
Buridi Aryan Rajesh, Aishwarya
Panchakshari Anushka, Vijay Samrat
Subhapradam Allari Naresh, Manjari
Brahmalokam to Yamalokam Via Bhulokam Rajendra Prasad, Sivaji, Kalyani
Happy Happyga Varun Sandesh, Saranya Mohan, Vega
Gaayam 2 Jagapathi Babu, Vimala Raman
Takita Takita Harsh Vardhan Rane, Haripriya, Vijay Samrat
Saradaga Kasepu Allari Naresh, Madhurima, Srinivas Avasarala
Khaleja Mahesh Babu', Anushka
Kalyanram Katti Kalyan Ram, Saranya Mohan, Sana Khan
Karma Shesh Adavi, Jade Tailor
Orange Ram Charan Tej, Genelia, Shazahn Padamsee
Alasyam Amrutham Nikhil, Madalasa Sharma
Super flops
Om Shanti Kajal Agarwal, Navdeep, Nikhil, Bindu Madhavi, Aditi Sharma
Kedi Nagarjuna, Mamta Mohandas
Taj Mahal Sivaji, Shruti
Yagam Navdeep, Bhumika Chawla
Maro Charitra Varun Sandesh, Anitha
Varudu Allu Arjun, Bhanu Sree Mehra
Young India Dasari Narayan Rao, `
Sye Aata Charmi, Ajay
Chapter 6 Kalyani, Bala, Sonia Suri
Komaram Puli Pawan Kalyan, Nikeesh Patel
Bava Siddharth, Rajendra Prasad, Pranitha
2011
Blockbusters
Mr.Perfect Prabhas, Kajal Agarwal, Tapsee
Dookudu Mahesh Babu, Samantha
Hits
Mirapakaay Ravi Teja, Richa Gangopadhyay, Deeksha Seth
Ala Modalaindi Nani, Nithya Menon
100% Love Naga Chaitanya, Tamanna
Kandireega Ram, Hansika, Aksha, Sonu Sood
Above Average
Prema Kavali Aadi, Isha Chawla
Aha Naa Pellanta Allari Naresh, Ritu Barmecha
Pilla Zamindar Nani, Hari priya, Bindu Madhavi
Oh My Friend Siddharth, Shruti Haasan, Navadeep, Hansika
Sri Rama Rajyam Bala Krishna, Nayanatara
Solo Nara Rohith, Nisha Agarwal
Average
Jai Bolo Telangana Jagapathi Babu,
Gaganam Nagarjuna, Prakash Raj
Seema Tapakai Allari Naresh, Poorna
Veera Ravi Teja, Kajal Agarwal, Tapsee
Badrinath Allu Arjun, Tamanna
Madatha Kaja Allari Naresh, Sneha Ullal
Nuvvila Ajay, Havish, Prasad, Yaami, Sarayu
Rajanna Nagarjuna, Baby Annie, Sneha
Below Average
Golconda High School Sumanth, Swathi
Kudirithe Kappu Coffee Varun Sandesh, Suma Bhattacharya
Dongala Mutha Ravi Teja, Charmi, Lakshmi Prasanna
Mangala Charmi, Pradeep Rawat, Chitram Sreenu
Teenmaar Pawan Kalyan, Trisha
Vykuntapali Krishnudu, Tashu Kaushik
180 Siddharth, Priya Anand, Nithya Menon
Virodhi Srikanth, Kamal Kamaraju, Ajay, Kamalinee Mukherjee
Brahmi Gadi Katha Varun Sandesh, Asmita Sood
Mugguru Navdeep, Rahul, Srinivas Avasarala, Shradda Das, Sanjjana, Soumya
Daggaraga Dooramga Sumanth, Vedika
Akasame Haddu Navadeep, Rajeev & Panchi Bora
Vankay Fry Sumit Arora, Anu Smriti
Oosaravelli Jr.NTR, Tamanna
Its My Love Story Aravind Krishna, Nikitha Narayan
Veedu Theda Nikhil, Pooja Bose
Panjaa Pawan Kalyan, Sarah Jane Dias, Anajali Lavania
Super flops
Parama Veera Charkra Bala Krishna, Ameesha Patel
Anaganaga Oka Dheerudu Siddharth, Shruti Haasan
Wanted Gopichand, Deeksha Seth
Vasthadu Naa Raju Manchu Vishnu, Tapsee
KSD Appalraju Sunil, Swathi, Sakshi Gulati
Raaj Sumanth, Priyamani
Chattam Jagapathi Babu, Vimala Raman
Nithya Pelli Koduku Posani krishna murali, Gowri pandit
Shakti Jr.NTR, Ileana
Nenu Naa Rakshasi Rana, Ileana
Manchivadu Tanish, Bhama
Lokame Kothaga Sivaji, Aditi Agarwal
Dussasana Srikanth, Posani Krishna Murali
Maaro Nithin, Meera Chopra
Nagaram Nidrapothuna Vela Jagapathi Babu, Charmi
Babloo Manotej, Aditi Sharma,
Key Jagapathi Babu, Swapna et al
Kodipunju Tanish, Anchal
Maayagadu Venu, Charmi
Sanchalanam Kamalakra, Sai Kumar, Supreet
Amayakudu Krishnudu, Poonam Singar, Ananya
Dhada Naga Chaitanya, Kajal Agarwal
Money Money More Money JD Chakravarthi, Bramanandam,Gajala,Tasha
Naku O Loverundi Krishnudu, Ritika
Varaprasad Potti Prasad Srinivas Avasarala, Vijay Sai, Karina Shah, Priya Ahuja
Telugammai Saloni Aswani, Shafi
Mogudu Gopichand, Tapsee
Bejawada Naga Chaitanya, Amala Paul
2012
According to CineJosh
1. Gabbar Singh Pawan, Shruthi Haasan
2. Rachcha Ram Charan, Tamannah
3. Eega Nani, Samantha
4. Julayi Allu Arjun, Ileana
5. Sudigadu Allari Naresh, Monal Gajjar
6. Eerojullo Srinivas, Reshma
7. Businessman Mahesh Babu, Kajal
8. Ishq Nitin, Nitya Menon
9. Bus Stop Prince, Sridivya
10. Poola Rangadu Sunil, Isha Chawla
11. Denikaina Ready Vishnu, Hansika
12. Lovely Aadi, Shanvi
13. Cgr/ Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu Pawan Kalyan, Tamannah
14. Kvj/ Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Rana, Nayantara
15. Avunu Harshavardhan, Poorna
16. Dammu Jr.Ntr, Trisha, Karthika
17. Love Failure Siddharth, Amala Paul
According to Way2 Movies
Super Hits
Businessman Mahesh Babu, Kajal
Ee Rojullo Srinivas, Reshma
Rachcha Ram Charan, Tamannah
Gabbar Singh Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Haasan
Eega Nani, Samantha
Julayi Allu Arjun, Ileana
Sudigadu Allari Naresh, Monal Gajjar
Hits
Poolarangadu Sunil, Isha Chawla
Ishq Nithin, Nithya Menon
Oka Romantic Crime Katha Nandam, Sai Anil, Gayatri, Divya Swapna
Avunu Ravi Babu, Poorna
Dhenikaina Ready Vishnu Manchu, Hansika
Bus Stop Prince, Sri Divya
Bodyguard Venkatesh, Trisha
Love Failure Siddharth, Amala Paul
Lovely Aadi, Shanvi
Dammu Jr.NTR, Trisha, Karthika
Adhinayakudu Bala Krishna, Lakshmi Rai
Shiridi Sai Nagarjuna
Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu Pawan Kalyan, Tamannah
Routine Love Story Sundeep Kishan, Regina
Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Rana Daggubati, Nayanatara
Yeto Vellipoindi Manasu Nani, Samantha
Midhunam SP Balasubrahmanyam, Lakshmi
Average
SMS Sudheer Babu, Regina
Mr.Nookayya Manchu Manoj, Sana Khan, Kriti Kharbanda
Mem Vayasaku Vacham Tanish, Neethi Taylor
Onamalu Rajendra Prasad, Kalyani
Life Is Beautiful Abhijeet, Sudhakar, Kaushik, Zara, Rashmi, Kavya, Shriya Saran, Anjala Zaveri, Amala Akkineni
Rebel Prabhas, Tamannah
Dhamarukam Nagarjuna, Anushka
Below Average
Dhoni Prakash Raj
Daruvu Ravi Teja, Tapsee
UKUP Manchu Manoj, Deeksha Seth
Andhala Rakshasi Lavanya Tripathi, Naveen, Chandra, Rahul
Srimannarayana Bala Krishna, Parvati Melton, Isha Chawla
Devaraya Srikanth, Vidisha, Meenaxi Dixit
Sarocharu Ravi Teja, Kajal, Richa
Super flops
Nandeeswarudu Tarakaratna, Sheena Shahabadi
Nippu Ravi Teja, Deeksha Seth
Nuvva Nena Allari Naresh, Sharwanand, Shriya Saran
Naa Ishtam Rana Daggubati, Genelia
Neeku Naaku Prince, Nanditha
Disco Nikhil, Pooja Bose
Endhukante Premanta Ram, Tamannah
All The Best Srikanth, JD Chakravarthy,
Tuneega Tuneega Sumantha Ashwin, Rhea Chakraborthy
Devudu Chesina Manushulu Ravi Teja, Ileana
Vennela 1½ Chaitanya Krishna,Monal Gajjar
Yamaho Yama Sai Ram Shankar, Parvati Melton
2023
Artistes lost in Jan 23
February 4, 2023: The Times of India
For the past few months, the Telugu film industry has seen a shadow of sadness, due to the deaths of several prominent personalities. 2022 was a difficult year for the film industry, with many beloved celebrities passing away. Unfortunately, 2023 saw the passing of several prominent figures in the film industry and that has a significant impact on the world. These individuals were all influential in their roles, and their passing has been a great loss to the world. Here is a list of celebrities who passed away in the recent times in Tollywood.
Vani Jairam
Veteran playback singer Vani Jairam has sung over 10,000 songs in various languages, passed away on February 4. She was 78 years old. A popular entertainment outlet reported that the singer was found dead at her residence in Nungambakkam, Chennai. In his five-decade-long career, the singer, born in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, worked with the biggest names in the music industry, such as AR Rahman, KV Mahadevan, Ilaiyaraaja, K. Bhagyaraj, JV Raghavulu and MS Viswanathan, among others. Vani Jairam is known for songs like "Pranati Pranati", "Oka Brundavanam", "Andela Ravamidhi", "Sri Suryanarayana", "Minneti Sooridu Vachenamma" among others.
K Viswanath
Legendary Telugu filmmaker K Viswanath, who also acted in some films, has passed away on February 2. He was 92. Viswanath breathed his last at a hospital in Hyderabad late Thursday. He is survived by two sons and a daughter. The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee and five-time national award winner was suffering from age-related ailments. He was cremated on Friday, February 3. Viswanath became a national phenomenon with his award-winning classic Telugu film 'Sankarabharanam' (1980), which proved a huge hit and is still considered to be one of his best works.
Jamuna
Veteran actress Jamuna passed away on January 17 after a brief illness. She was 86. She breathed her last at her residence in Hyderabad. Jamuna, who acted in about 200 movies in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi, is survived by a son and a daughter. Jamuna, whose real name was Jana Bai, made her acting debut at the age of 16 with Puttillu (1953) directed by Garikapari Rajarao. Jamuna also starred in 11 Hindi films. She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rajahmundry in 1989, but quit politics after the defeat in 1991.
Srinivasa Murthy
Popular Telugu dubbing artist, A Srinivasa Murthy passed away on January 27 in Chennai due to health issues. The son of veteran playback singer AVN Murthy, Srinivasa started his dubbing career in Tollywood in the early 1990s and apart from dubbing for some of the biggest superstars down south, has also dubbed in Telugu for several Bollywood films. He is also well known for giving his voice to prominent Tamil actors like Ajith and Chiyaan Vikram. He provided Telugu dubbing for Kannada star Upendra and Malayalam actor Mohan Lal, respectively. The late dubbing artist has also given his voice to Hrithik Roshan starrers 'Bang Bang', 'Krrish', 'Krrish3', 'Kaabil' and 'Dhoom 2'.
Vidyasagar Reddy
Popular Telugu director 'Vidyasagar Reddy' passed away at his residence in Chennai on February 2. He had been suffering from health issues for some time and breathed his last on Thursday. Vidyasagar, who was born on March 1, 1952 in a village called Nidamarru near Mangalagiri, passed away at the age of 70. He directed almost 30 films in his 40-year film career. Vidyasagar who made his debut as a director with the movie 'Rakasi Loya' starring Naresh and Vijayashanthi, was a superhit.
Sudheer Varma
Young Tollywood actor Sudheer Varma has committed suicide at his residence in Visakhapatnam on January 23. The reasons for Sudher's suicide are yet to be known. He is known for his 2016 film Kundanapu Bomma, which was presented by K Raghavendra Rao. Sudhakar Komakula of Life is Beautiful fame, and Chandini Chowdary played other lead roles in this movie. He has also starred in films like Second Hand and Shootout at Alair. Shootout at Alair is a web series produced by Chiranjeevi's daughter Sushmita Konidela.
RRR
Singers
Sushil Rao, March 14, 2023: The Times of India
Oscar luck must be written in the stars. Or else how do you explain a 33-year-old from the Old City of Hyderabad wowing the Oscar stage when he wasn’t even supposed to have originally recorded the song that has taken the film world by storm? Rahul Sipligunj’s musical journey began in the lanes of Dhoolpet when he was barely out of his teens. And now he has not only seen Naatu Naatu bag Oscar glory but also got to perform the song along with co-singer Kaala Bhairava on arguably the film world’s biggest stage.
Rahul began by posting song videos on YouTube before he got to sing for the film ‘College Bullodu’ in 2009 and earned rave reviews with ‘Ranga Ranga Rangasthalana’ from the Sukumar-directed ‘Rangasthalam’. He would go on to find fame with his victory in the Telugu ‘Bigg Boss’ and also sing for several music directors.
But when the makers were ready with Naatu Naatu, Rahul was asked if he would sing only the track for the song, which is a sort of a trial version to confirm that everything is right musically. The music director thereafter gets the song sung by a singer of his choice. But MM Keeravani decided he would get the song sung by Rahul himself. The rest is the stuff of magic.
Some of the Oscar glitter also lends a different sheen to Dhoolpet — a locality known for artisans sculpting Ganesha idols in multiple hues that had achieved notoriety due to dealers of arrack and ganja. Now, it finds itself on the movie map thanks to its very own ‘gully boy’.
Before the show, Rahul tweeted in typical Hyderabadi style, “Today is going to be my big dayyyyy! Bless me chichaasss. Love you all. ” Later, posting a photo with Keeravani, he wrote, “Congratulations to my guru Shri M M Keeravani sir on winning the Oscar. He believed in me and made me hold the prestigious award. ”
Campaign for Oscars
March 14, 2023: The Times of India
Director S S Rajamouli had his eyes set on an Oscar for RRR from the word go. From the casting to the promotions, everything was meticulously planned. How he got Ram Charan Tej and Jr NTR, the reigning stars of Telugu cinema, to team up is quite a story.
He invited them home separately, without letting on that the other would be there. “I have a project in mind and I want to tell you that I would like to cast both of you in it. Let me know if you agree,” he told them. In the Telugu industry, unlike Bollywood, stars like to act only in solo hero films. So, the casting was Rajamouli’s ‘coup’.
Interestingly, ‘RRR’ was just a working title where the three ‘Rs’ stood for Rajamouli, Ram Charan Tej and Rama Rao. But the title stuck and was later expanded as ‘Roudram Ranam Rudhiram’ in Telugu and ‘Rise Roar Revolt’ in English. It was the film’s circuit of international film festivals that sparked the Oscar buzz. Starting December 2022, RRR travelled to more than 35 film festivals and won awards in several of them.
At the Hollywood Critics Association awards, RRR won five awards, including Best Original Song and Best International Film. It won the Critics Choice Movie awards for Best Song and Best Foreign Language Film. The Golden Globes, where Naatu Naatu bagged Best Original Song, was the biggest win and, thereby, a huge morale booster.
TNN
See also
•Telugu cinema •Telugu cinema: 2010 onwards •Telugu cinema: heroines •Telugu cinema: list of all-time hits •Telugu Filmfare Awards
