The trend of ‘Business movies’ thrives in Telugu!

The Telugu cinema industry has emerged as the prime industry in India, nearly overshadowing Bollywood. Currently, the most successful blockbusters generating substantial revenue in the conventional Hindi market originate from the Telugu cinema industry. With “Kalki 2898 AD” achieving the status of the second biggest earning Indian film in North America, following “Baahubali 2,” Bollywood has effectively diminished in its preeminent standing, even in the USA.

This has motivated Telugu filmmakers to initiate the trend of “Pan-Indian Movies” and “Cinematic Universes” featuring patriotic themes and films with devotional and mythological elements to captivate broader audiences.

Top actors such as Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, and Pawan Kalyan, with upcoming talents like Teja Sajja and Kiran Abbavaram, are all engaged in these pan-Indian ventures. Most of the directors, such SS Rajamouli and Prasanth Varma, are producing similar content.

Even the sensible director Sekhar Kammula has embraced the trend of pan-Indian films with mythical themes. His latest film “Kubera,” featuring Dhanush and Nagarjuna, exemplifies this endeavor. Although the narrative unfolds in contemporary Mumbai, the title and premise resonate with the epic tale of Kubera and Kuchela.

It is evident that every actor and filmmaker in the Telugu film industry aspires to achieve a pan-Indian blockbuster. With this objective, they have chosen a straightforward approach of integrating fantasy elements derived from Hindu myths or patriotic sentiments for fictional historical dramas.

Prabhas – Hanu Raghavapudi’s film is a fictitious historical narrative that explores the Azad Hind Fauz and the Telangana Rajakar struggle. Trivikram is orchestrating a substantial pan-Indian mythological film featuring Allu Arjun. Nikhil Siddhartha is performing in “Swayambhu,” a devotional fantasy film, and “The India House,” a patriotic film.

Siddhu Jonnalagadda announced “Kohinoor,” a fictional historical drama. Chiranjeevi is doing the devotional fantasy film, Vishwambhara, while Pawan Kalyan is featured in the historical drama, Hara Hara Veera Mallu Part 1. The list continues.

At present, there is a lack of diversity in stories and genres within the Telugu film industry. All stories are homogenized. These are referred to as “business movies,” films produced primarily for massive business and collections rather than artistic fulfillment.