Siddhu Jonnalagadda raised his stock as a star with the massive successes of the “Tillu” franchise movies. While “DJ Tillu” was a surprise hit, its sequel, “Tillu Square,” was a giant blockbuster that established him as the star. The entire Telugu film industry is overjoyed with another young star proving that he has the potential to become a big star.
Trade pundits and producers believed that he has a giant fan following among the youth and can bring opening day collections irrespective of the director. But the shocking day 1 and day 2 collections of “Jack” made everyone rethink and reassess his stardom.
A star is someone who brings collections on opening weekend or the first day, regardless of the film’s merit. But this film didn’t even get decent collections on that first day. This came as a shock to many in the Telugu film industry. Reviews and word-of-mouth poured in late, but the film didn’t even open strong, which proves that Siddhu lacks a strong “pulling factor.”
Was the success of “Tillu Square” due to the Tillu brand, rather than Siddhu? Distributors and trade pundits pose this question.
Siddhu and other young heroes have been involved in every aspect of movies and productions, acting as de facto directors. But recently Vishwak Sen showed that he, too, can’t bring strong openings. Now, Siddhu’s stardom balloon has burst. Will he bounce back with his next film, Telusu Kada, which is being produced by struggling production house People Media Factory?
