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RS Secretariat to screen ‘Bahubali: The Beginning’ on April 1

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Amid the controversy on the recently released film “The Kashmir Files”, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat Recreation Club has arranged a special screening of the Telugu film “Bahubali: The Beginning”, for all members on April 1 at the Films Division Auditorium, here in Mahadev Road.

According to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the move came after the suggestion from the Hindi Salahkar Samiti of the Upper House to encourage the linguistic exchange among the Hindi speaking and other language-speaking people and the Members have been requested to watch this movie. The subtitles of the film are in English.

In a parliamentary party meeting of the BJP held on March 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the MPs to watch the newly released film, The Kashmir Files.

“The Kashmir Files is a very good movie. All of you should watch it. More such movies should be made,” Modi said.

“The Kashmir Files” is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the Kashmir Valley in the 1990s, and endorsing the film, Modi said that there was an effort underway to prevent the truth from being told.

“History has to be presented in the right context. Just as books, poetry and literature play a role in this, films can do so too,” he said.

Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for their demand to make “The Kashmir Files” tax-free in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the BJP should ask the film’s director Vivek Agnihotri to upload it on YouTube, and everyone will see it for free.

The Delhi BJP MLAs on Wednesday demanded during the on-going assembly session to make “The Kashmir Files” tax-free.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Netflix brings a new team for Baahubali Before The Beginning

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After the super success of Baahubali franchise, Netflix decided to produce a web series Baahubali Before The Beginning. Deva Katta and Praveen Sattaru are on the board as directors but Netflix scrapped the project after 80 percent of the shoot got completed as they weren’t impressed with the content. Netflix formed a new team that reworked on the script and Baahubali Before The Beginning is all about the life story of Sivagami and her remarkable journey as the Queen of Mahishmathi.

The latest update is that Jannat fame Kunal Deshmukh and The Girl On the Train fame Ribhu Dasgupta are on board to direct Baahubali Before The Beginning. Mrunal Thakur is replaced with Wamiqa Gabbi to play Sivagami in this periodic film. The entire scriptwork of Baahubali Before The Beginning is completed and the shooting commences from September. A massive budget is allocated for Baahubali Before The Beginning and it will release in all the Indian and international languages.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Bahubali another rare record, but media missed facts

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Gone are the days when number of centers in which movie ran for 50 days and 100 days are counted are records. While India is becoming digital, the way success is measured by industry folks and film lovers also becoming increasing digital. Bahubali movie stands tall in all such digital records and it has added one more feather to its crown.

Bahubali 2 released on April 28, 2017. The movie’s song “Bhali bhali raa bhali, Saaho re Bahubali” is a big hit and in fact, Prabhas upcoming film “Saaho” gets it’s title from this song. The song has achieved a rare feat in YouTube. Till date it is viewed 100 million times i.e. the song got 10 crore views. Film’s unit released the poster for this grand success.

Though some of the mainstream media reporting that this is first south Indiansong to get such a rare record of 100 million views, it is actually incorrect. Kolaveri Di song reached 100 million view long back and currently at 142 million views. Among Bollywood videos, songs like Badri ki Dukhania title track got more than 363 million views. However, 100 million views is no small feat and Bahubali song deserves all the applause.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Prabhas : Arrival of a New South Indian Super Star ?

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Originally Published : July 26, 2015
Re-Published           : Oct 23, 2017
Re-Published : Aug 26, 2019

When Prabhas accepted Bahubali project years ago, everyone in the film industry were apparently startled as to why this Tollywood heartthrob had signed a bulk project that takes away three years of his peak career and offers comparatively lesser monetary benefit. Usually, this kind of bulk-date acceptance is done by heroes, who are past their prime or by those adventurists who wish to shot into fame or perish in one go. Still, Prabhas, who was at peak of his career, with Darling and Mirchi superhits, had given a nod for a humongous project called Bahubali. While Prabhas has taken this calculated risk, some rhetoric questions that often strike common peoples’ mind are – Why has he opted for Bahubali at the peak of his career? What if it fails? Even if it becomes moderate hit how would it help his career?

However, pushing all those questions to backseat, with smashing hit of Bahubali which has grossed over 430 crores so far worldwide , Prabhas is about to earn a cool 60 crore through direct remuneration plus share in Tamil distribution rights and in overall profits. Not only has he hit financial jackpot, but his career is also bound to undergo a dramatic transformation.

Telugu Hero Plays Big in Tamil?

So far we have seen Tamil heroes penetrating into Telugu film industry. If Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan or Suriya conquered the souls of Telugu fans, it’s solely because their films were dubbed into Telugu, which grossed well at box office. Rare were the Telugu movies and Telugu products that Tamils had gone crazy about.

Akkineni Nageshwar Rao’s Devadasu was an exception and may be a couple of other films fit the bill. Such great flicks are few and far between. Prabhas, from this generation, has broken the jinx. He successfully cruised to Tamil industry and Tamil audience with Baahubali. So, we now know what Prabhas crazed for.

Arrival of a New South India’s super star?

Not just Tamil, Prabhas’ tremors even touched Malayalam industry as well, which often reaps national awards with its off-beat movies. And coming to Karnataka, Telugu heroes are always welcome in Kannada land. Now Karnataka state is so captivated by Bahubali’s magic, the movie has become highest grosser ever for any language including their Kannada movies. So, it’s obvious that now a new super star is born in south whom all southern languages – Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam- can own up.

Within his own Telugu language states Prabhas may still needs to race up to couple of top stars but with his newly acquired Pan-South India,to an extent Pan-India visibility prabhas has scope for bigger market than others – only if he can tap into it properly. In long run, Prabhas movies might continue to sweep South India’s box offices.

What should Prabhas do to march forward?

1. Prabhas and his coterie have to sit up and assess post-Bahubali situation. If required they need to dump all the future scripts he agreed to do after Bahubali-2

2. Prabhas has to redesign his projects to enable himself to cater to all five southern states. As the budget, howsoever big it would be, may not be an issue for his movies as they are guaranteed of good dubbing rights offers from all southern states, at least for next 2-3 years. So,he has to increase the production budget to deliver technically brilliant movies

3. Last but not the least, Prabhas should not let this wildest dream like success go to his head ; should continue his current off-screen cool dude image

We,at Telugu360.com, wish Prabhas to make use of this post-Bahubali scenario to take a giant leap forward delivering highest quality movies and continue to resonate Telugu Pride.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Two years of ‘Bahubali’: Lessons its success taught the industry

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It’s been two years since the release of the first part of S.S. Rajamouli’s “Bahubali” franchise and there is so much to learn from its success, feel the next-gen filmmakers such as Chandoo Mondeti, Nag Ashwin and Sankalp Reddy.

The success of “Bahubali” as a franchise across the length and breadth of the country has proved language is a “superficial barrier”, says director Nag Ashwin.

“If Hollywood films can work in India, why can’t Telugu films work outside Telugu states? I think ‘Bahubali’ broke the language barrier and proved that great content can go beyond regional boundaries,” Ashwin told IANS.

“It was a very well planned franchise which got the marketing and packaging right,” he said.

“Bahubali: The Beginning” was the first dubbed Hindi film to have earned over Rs 100 crore at the box office. The second part in the franchise minted over Rs 500 crore in Hindi.

The Tamil version of both the parts minted over Rs 250 crore.

“Ghazi” director Sankalp feels “Baahubali” will happen once in a lifetime.

“It’s the product of a filmmaker who dared to dream and he dreamt big. There will always be one such film for every generation, just like how ‘Maya Bazaar’ and ‘Sankarabharanam’ were celebrated. But it’s very important to not get carried away by this success,” Sankalp said.

Putting it into perspective, Sankalp added: “Everybody can’t make a ‘Baahubali’. Rajamouli had a vision and he worked really hard for it. We can’t make a big film just because he made and succeeded.”

A Rajamouli fan, director Chandoo Mondeti says the success of “Bahubali” made him realise the importance of drama and emotions to connect with the masses.

“Irrespective of the size of the film you are making, it’s essential that it works on an emotional level. Every film of Rajamouli has worked because he gets the emotions right. His films work beyond regional boundaries because even non-Telugu speaking audiences can relate to the emotions,” Mondeti said.

He also added that Rajamouli has successfully widened his market with each film.

“It’s been a very strategic rise to the top. A case study can be made on his career. He didn’t straight away make a ‘Bahubali’. He kept pushing boundaries and expanding the market with each film. That growth as a filmmaker is very important,” he said.

On Monday, the second anniversary of the film, producer Shobu Yarlagadda remembered “Bahubali: The Beginning” as a “defining moment” in the careers of the entire team.

“We passed the biggest test of our careers! We lived to tell the tale,” he tweeted.

“Bahubali” franchise is the biggest grossing Indian film with combined earnings of over Rs 2000 crore.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Baahubali to use emerging platform for publicity

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Team Baahubali made waves when it released the magnum opus ‘Baahubali‘ without a single TV or Radio advertisement. Even in Hyderabad city, there was not even one single hoarding.

Instead, the team made optimum and clever use of social media for maximum impact. It used messaging tools like whatsapp for maximum contact with fans. Now for the second instalment, the team is getting ready to maximise the usage of a hot new platform and that is snapchat.

While the team used snapchat for promoting the first part as well, it was quite minimal. For the second instalment, the team will make use of this platform more extensively. Snapchat is currently the hottest emerging platform around the world among teenagers and young adults. Team Baahubali wants to maximise reach among this segment.

The film is set for a 2017 release and shooting is currently underway.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Baahubali to release in YouTube with 4k resolution

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Midas touch filmmaker SS Rajamouli‘s epic wonder Baahubali has set new benchmarks for Indian films at global level. The film has notched up more than 600 Crores worldwide and emerged as the highest grossing Indian film till date. The watertight screen play backed by stupendous performance by the entire cast and the eye catching visuals played a prominent role in the thumping success of the film.

The film has registered stunning TRP’s when it was screened in the leading channels in all languages. Now, the makers of the film decided to release it in online. According to the latest reports, Baahubali : The Beginning will be available online from tomorrow (December 2nd) in YouTube with 4K resolution. This is the first time an Indian movie is being uploaded with 4K resolution in YouTube.

In the meantime, the regular shooting of Baahubali : The Conclusion will commence from December 14th in Ramoji Film City. Arka Media Works banner is producing this magnum opus.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Why ‘Bahubali’ did not make it to Oscars

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India used to struggle to nominate films in Foreign Language category for the Oscars. Now, there is unprecedented competition for selection – a sign of good times for the creativity of Indian film-maker

One shouldn’t read too much into the fact that Bahubali got edged out in the race for making it as India’s official entry to the Best Foreign Language category of the 2016 Academy Awards. Not just Bahubali, many mainstream blockbusters like PK, Haider, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Mary Kom and even Piku got edged out in the decision of the Jury headed by noted film-maker Amol Palekar. Court, a critically acclaimed film by director Chaitanya Tamhane finally made it to the elite list of 62 films  long-listed across the globe that will eventually get short-listed for the Oscars.

Usually, Oscars go to the films that did very well commercially. For example, in 2009, two exceptional films – The Reader and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – were beaten hollow by an India-centric film which swept the box office – The Slumdog Millionaire. Throughout the history of the Academy Awards,  rarely did the  award go to off-beat films which didn’t click at the box office. With that backdrop, many thought Bahubali which became the toast of the world with a total gross of over Rs.500 crores would automatically pass the muster, but it didn’t. Reasons could be many.

Despite the bias of the Academy for box-office success, action epics either of the superhero series or the war epics based on fabled history never, never made it to the final cut. The only exception to this rule has been The Lord of the Rings series which swept the Oscars in the year of release of its first part. Bahubali is superb in technical aspects but it is not without frailties – there were too many loose ends in the narration of the film and they were bloopers well-highlighted in the media about various episodes in the film starting with the seduction scene of lead heroine Tamannah, to the inconsistent make-up for Rana and Anoushka. Technical and visual effects do not guarantee an Oscar nomination, especially in Foreign Language category. In fact, if you go by the recent history, most foreign language films which made it to the cut had powerful evocative themes, war-based stories with powerful human emotions without a message but with a strong sense of visual narrative and a story that resonates. Look at the films which got nominated and won the Oscars in this category from Iran, France, East Europe, Latin America etc. in recent years and you will know why they consistently won Oscar.

On that count, Bahubali was never in the race, it may have shaken up the box-office but it doesn’t have the enduring appeal of a story that warms your hearts. Films with strong visual effects suffer from this syndrome – the time-expiry syndrome. See the film after one year, after three years and after five years – it may not stand the test of time because then there will be other visual effects which would have aced up the circuit and make this film look outmoded. Similarly, films like PK and Piku or even Bangalore Days and Kaakaa Muttai may have had universal acceptance but that’s not enough for a Foreign Language film nomination whose criteria are very different and unique to sensibilities of a Western audience who are used to watching films more blandly and objectively than what Indians are used to.

In spite of this, and the disappointment over the misses of the big films in India making it to the race, we should not stop making films our way. Remember even Lagaan got edged out despite making it to the final cut and one can’t say Lagaan was anyway inferior to a film which bagged ten Oscars like The Slumdog Millionaire. The film which made it now –“Court” is a brilliant movie about the travesties of the Indian Judicial System and makes a point or two about how the judges see the trials, interpret and pass judgements. It is a telling commentary on the system and weaves the story through the eyes of an old folk singer who was charged with sedition. This is not the first time, however, that a Marathi film was nominated. With a strong theater and a vibrant society of playwrights, stage artists and technicians staying closer to the FTII, Pune, the Marathi film industry is the most-under-rated film industry in the country. And they will make more films like “Court” because the industry has outgrown the trappings of living in shadows of Bollywood for decades and is making the finest films in the country, arguably, which are spectacularly different than those we associated with in the past – the likes of Dada Kondke variety. Three cheers to India for selecting a good film. We hope it clears the final muster, still.

For over six and a half decades, India used to struggle to select films and even send nominations for the Foreign Language films. Today, that no longer seems the case. We are seeing an unprecedented competition for creativity as many compete for the honor of nomination. That is a good sign of the Indian film industry.

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Tollywood’s Golden Year

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[intro]After a long time, Tollywood has shown the way to anchor the audiences’ eyeballs and belt out massive hits, back-to-back.[/intro]

The satellite rights of “Bhale Bhale Mogadivoi” were bought by MAA TV for Rs.3.6 crores. That’s more than half as much as the producers would have incurred for the entire movie. The distribution rights of BBM were sold for Rs.50 lakhs in the USA but the Share has crossed 2.5 Crores ( Gross being 6 Crores) – a Return of Investment (RoI) of 500 per cent in USA ! Overall, the film is expected to do a total worldwide share of Rs.22-24 Crores(excluding satellite rights) which means an overall RoI of 400 pc! With such a runaway hit where the concept of “mind diversion” has found an instant rapport with the audience, the producers of the film will be encouraged to dub the movie in Tamil and also remake the film in Hindi – for which they have to find a suitable actor who can carry the film as well as Nani – say someone, like Ranvir Kapoor or Ranbir Singh or even Aamir Khan.

Infact, think about Aamir Khan teaming up with Geetha Arts, one of the producers of BBM – it may not be a bad idea to remake BBM as the sequel to Ghajini and name it as Ghajini-2. The success of BBM completes a golden quarter for Tollywood which wipes out a multi-year deficit of flops outnumbering hits. In a film industry which makes the second-highest or often, the highest number of films per year, the success ratio has gone below 4 per cent in recent years, but this season – two big-budget films – “Bahubali” and “Srimanthudu” and two small-budget films “Cinema Choopistha Maave” and “Bhale Bhale Mogadivoi” scored bumper hits though the RoI on these films varies largely. While BB may have given an RoI of 100 per cent or above (which includes the budget of second part and the interest cost), “Srimanthudu” gave an RoI of 200 pert cent (Rs. 80 crores on a budget of Rs.40 crores), CCM an RoI of 200 per cent (Rs.10 crores on Rs. 5 crores budget) and BBM an RoI of 400 per cent.

What is common to the success of the four films? Good story and starcast relevant to the content of the film. Excellent production values despite the different budget constraints. Entertainment that is enmeshed with the storyline. Absence of loud and iconic comedians like Brahmanandam who can inflate the budgets per day of shooting. Hit music and rich cinematography. Besides all the above factors, the marketing of all the four films was done brilliantly with small changes. In case of “Bahubali“, the marketing methods have already entered the hall of fame and will be talked about for long time. “Srimanthudu” which came after “Bahubali” made relevant noise with the teaser and music and publicity blitz which included pre-release interviews by the lead actors. “CCM” released a trailer with “Srimanthudu” and the promos of the film made it stand apart like a fun film to watch. “BBM” started airing promotional videos atleast four weeks before its release – an unprecedented move from a low-budget film.

In the end, all of these paid off big time, paving way for a golden year for Tollywood. If these four films could pull it off in a post-summer quarter, optimism is at a new high for film-makers as more releases are lined up for the upcoming busy festival season. Tollywood is on a new high and enjoying the highest visibility in the country with blockbuster hits like “Bahubali” and “Srimanthudu” and hits from low-budget films. Something that has become the envy of even Kollywood – which has had a bad year with a string of flops for all the leading superstars like Rajinikanth, Suriyaa, Vikram and Kamal Hassan. After a long time, Tollywood has shown the way to anchor the audiences’ eyeballs and belt out massive hits, back-to-back.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Lava Kush did Bahubali Long Back

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Bahubali’s record collection everywhere has triggered a debate if it was the first time a Telugu movie engulfed Bollywood like forest fire. It is not the first time, records say.

LAVA KUSH a Hindi dubbed version of the Telugu film Lava Kusha (1963 ) was released after 10 years in 1974. In Punjab the Hindi dubbed version was released in September 1975. Hindi prints were made on ‘Eastman Color’ positive,  where as the original was in ‘Geva Color’.

One can compare the collections of this dubbed version film with the Hindi Films and  Punjabi Films ‘Teri Meri Ik Jindri’ and  Mittar Pyare Noon’  released during that period in Punjab Circuit. The HIndi songs were also so popular. Radio Ceylon and Vividh Bharathi repeatedly broadcast the songs in 1974-75.

Lava Kusha was directed by CS Rao and C Pullayya and written by Samudrala Raghavacharya. The blockbuster film won National Film Award and Best Feature Film in Telugu for the year 1963. The film was also dubbed in to Kannada, Tamil and later into Hindi. It was the first South Indian movie to get the collection of ₹10 million, at a time when the average ticket price was just ₹0.25.

 

 

 

 

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Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Interactive Visual – Bahubali USA 1st week Box-Office

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Bahubali First week Interactive city-wise collections  from all of USA,Canada screens  ; This movie has collected $5.06 Million USD in its first week run from this territory. Hover on each bubble to know the Area/Amount

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

1st week 34 Cr in USA – Bahubali Box-office city wise data

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Bahubali movie’s unprecedented run at box-office needs no introduction. The movie has created all time records in Telugu states and also across India. Though a regional film, it has surpassed previous highest first week records of all bollywood movies in history in India.  In USA, Bahubali Telugu version has collected 31.5 crores($5.061M) from reported 161 screens and Tamil version has collected another 2.5 crores – a total of  34 crores gross in its first week.

To put it into perspective, Just in first week, Bahubali has collected 2.5 times of previous highest Telugu movie’s life time collection. Still Bahubali is doing great at USA Box-office and is expected to collect another 1 million in its subsequent run, thus minting a minimum of  40 crores gross in its full run. The tremors Bahubali has created in USA Indian movies market will be felt for years.

Keep following Telugu360.com for up to date USA collections for all movies.

Here we are providing City(/Screen)-wise data from only those collected more than $50,000 

Sl.No Theatre City Gross
1 Mcarthur market place Irving, TX  $275,000.00
2 New Brunswick IMAX New Brunswick, NJ  $235,000.00
3 Union City 25 San Fransisco  $175,000.00
4 Lincoln Square Cinema Seattle  $165,000.00
5 York Town Houston  $140,000.00
6 Fairfax Washington, DC  $110,000.00
7 Century at Pacific San Fransisco  $110,000.00
8 Emagine Detroit  $105,000.00
9 Carmike Muvico Rosement Chicago  $100,000.00
10 Carmike Movies Atlanta  $100,000.00
11 Centreville 12 Washington, DC  $88,000.00
12 Albion Cinemas Toronto, ON  $81,000.00
13 Columbia Park New York  $80,000.00
14 Carmike 15 Minneapolis  $80,000.00
15 Park Place Raleigh  $79,000.00
16 Carmike 12 Philadelphia  $77,000.00
17 Newport Center 11 New York  $75,000.00
18 Egyptian XD Baltimore  $72,000.00
19 Serra San Fransisco  $70,000.00
20 Tinseltown 20 Austin  $65,000.00
21 Hamilton 24 Philadelphia  $59,000.00
22 Poway 10 San Diego  $57,000.00
23 Movie Max Niles Chicago  $56,000.00
24 Buckland Hills Hartford $56,000.00
25 St Charles 18 St Louis  $54,000.00
26 Showcase Worcester Boston $54,000.00
27 Century Aurora Denver  $54,000.00
28 Showcase Lowell Boston  $54,000.00
29 Cinemark 16 Chicago  $53,000.00
30 Mountain View San Fransisco  $52,000.00
31 Cinemark 18 Los Angeles  $52,000.00
32 Ayrsley Grand Charlotte  $52,000.00

 

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Kalakeya’s Messenger Speaks About Bahubali

Teja Kakumanu worked in some inconsequential movies before bagging a traitor’s role in Bahubali. He is the man who is instrumental in sending a message to Kalakeyas to invade the Mahishmathi kingdom. An M.Phil and a Master of performing arts from Central University, he won a Nandi for his work in theatre too. Talking of his beginnings from a humble place from Tullur Mandal in Guntur, Teja quips, “There is no bus to reach Ambrajapuram, where I stay in Guntur. It is very remote. My brother is a chartered accountant and my father is an agriculturist. When I grew my hair two years back, people at my home place kept taunting and my father found it difficult to answer questions. When everyone were doing good jobs I was still struggling to find roles in movies.”

 

Teja says he was called for an audition but for one month there was no phone call from the direction department, he had almost given up as rest of the selected candidates were already into training. When they called him he was asked to send a video of him riding a horse and Teja feared he would be included as one amongst the army and get faded. But to his surprise he was given a meaningful and an important role. “First day first shot was with me in Kurnool at Uruvakonda. The shoot went on for three days there. My role was narrated  only on the day of the shoot and I was told that I would be playing the role of a betrayer, that I would be scared of the brothers and if caught by them I would be killed. Since they will kill me, my only option would be to jump to death. I learnt the strange language well, Kilikili language was written by Madan, son of Tamil writer Vairmuthu’s son. It was a variety script and I couldn’t understand initially. I took up the role when I was 26, now I am 28,” he laughs.

 

“There were some shots but they got chopped probably because of the length.  I am shown as a wicked and a cruel, jealous minister when the brothers test of strength takes place.  Since I am tempted by Kalakeyas for wealth I help them. The first day was the rope shot and there were no body doubles. We did single shots first, it shot by two cameras. First they showed me jumping and then Prabhas Anna jumped. It was so hot, ropes nalgipoyi chala ibbandhi paddam. It was so exciting, getting a chance in the film is something I waited for, why would I think of a risk, aakali tho unna to make it. Once the fighters did something wrong and the wire was loosened, I almost hit my head on the rock as I went in a reverse direction. Prabhas said jagrattha ga undu darling. My father is a happy man now as everyone is calling him and saying that I did a good job.”

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Bahubali is an offshoot of Rajamouli’s imagination

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We make movies to experience and I believe that original ideas also come from an inspiration. They don’t come from thin air. Even Avatar or Titanic must have come from an inspiration. So, when people complain that a particular director copied a particular scene, I have only thing to say. We see a great film and we want to make a greater film. So, everything is an inspiration and an expression from something else. It could be a book or a film or anything. [pullquote position=”right”]The only one reason why the film is successful is Rajamouli. People have belief in him and know that, no matter what if you visit the theatre that screens his story, they will not come out disappointed. [/pullquote]There is nothing to copy here and it is made from the director’s point of view, his perception. There might be many stories on kings and kingdoms, Rajamouli’s story is an offshoot of his imagination. How he wanted to create it.

I loved this movie and while I sit down to think, I feel there are multiple reasons why this film is making history and breaking records. The mood, the hype and imagination, proper publicity is pushing the people to the theatres. None of the people in this generation have seen a Mughal E Azam. They have been hearing from the past three years that it is a huge film being made with a mammoth budget. Subsequently, people had began enquiring as to when it will release. Those who haven’t seen a film for many years have made up their mind to check it out once it hits the screen. Also Rajamouli has not given any flop so far and his credentials has been impressive. There might be small disappointments but no major upsets. Prabhas on the other hand has allotted three years of his career for this film and that too created curiosity.

There is no story in the first half. There are only episodes that mount it to give an outline of the premise. The real story comes in the second part and what we saw was just the introduction of characters and how the emotions surrounding them have been elevated. The only one reason why the film is successful is Rajamouli. People have belief in him and know that, no matter what if you visit the theatre that screens his story, they will not come out disappointed. He had convinced an entire Indian population that a fly is capable of taking revenge on a villain. He earned that trust through the conviction and confidence with which he narrated the story.

Those who expect the routine format in a film and that it will turn out as per their expectations are disappointed. A film has a format and it did not end as per that format. Perhaps, that could be the reason why there is some criticism. It is a part story which is new to Telugu screen and people came out, not watching the climax; they could have in all probability thought they were not shown a complete film. Rajamouli had a dream and he showed it visually and arrested the viewers in the first few scenes itself. Not all graphics look natural but here, it did. You would find it difficult to say which is real and which isn’t. Most of the people who watch television and cinema at home have taken film makers for granted. They know that directors will not and are not capable of crossing a particular territory and they predict what will happen next. So, they stopped going to films. All those who are not completely happy will take time to digest the narration. There is some dissatisfaction amongst the educated audience, but even that is disappearing and people are thronging the theatres to watch it twice or thrice.

After watching the film, my wife remarked that Rajamouli had given a big one year interval. That shows the experience of a common man. [pullquote position=”left”]According to me, the best and the most beautiful scene is Satyaraj recognising Prabhas, dropping his sword and sliding towards him; it is an extraordinary experience and there is a folklore emotion that one spots in it.[/pullquote]The audience are not critics. They should talk about their feelings but not analyse. Everyone is talking about how it should be made and if you talk rules, it becomes regular cinema. Two brothers talking for limitless intervals is regular. Mother and son seeing each other and becoming over emotional is regular. What we have been treated to is just different and subtle. According to me, the best and the most beautiful scene is Satyaraj recognising Prabhas, dropping his sword and sliding towards him; it is an extraordinary experience and there is a folklore emotion that one spots in it. There are so many unanswered questions but he held it so fabulously in the given time. It is not easy for all elements to fall in place for a cinema and it did here, be it sets, locations or cinematography. Kudos to the producers for being so confident.

Director Raghavendra Rao had been confident too before the release. The director had narrated to them each and every minute detail of the film about the look on screen. When they saw the final rush, Raghavendra Rao said if people take a fascination to the first part, they will love the second part even more. Rajamouli had made the film far better than the manner in which he narrated. It feels so good when people connect with movies and bigwigs tweet such generous words about Bahubali. It makes us feel so proud. He has made a beautiful film with stars and arresting visuals and a lovely narration for a common man. What more can anyone ask for? The theatre owners everywhere are saying that crowds are thronging to see the film as if it is a wedding, irrespective of the age groups. When you show something as fabulous as this, people will respect you. If Prabhas has given three years to it, it means he had anticipated the result.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Bahubali 1st weekend 28 Cr in USA : City-wise Data

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Dreamrun for Bahubali at USA Box-office is continuing and has collected a staggering 28 crores ($4.4 M) in its first weekend from reported 159 screens.  Overseas distribution rights for this film were bought for anywhere between 9 to 9.5 crores . Now, as the things stand, Bahubali is turning out to be biggest money spinner for the overseas distributors,their local city partners and theaters.

Telugu360.com is bringing you exclusive city(/screen)-wise collection data for those screens which polled more than $50,000 USD in first weekend from Bahubali Screening

Bahubali Theatre wise collection in First weeekend in USA :

No. Theatre City Gross
1 Mcarthur market place Irving, TX  $242,000.00
2 New Brunswick IMAX New Brunswick, NJ  $ 209,000.00
3 Union City 25 San Fransisco  $ 165,000.00
4 Lincoln Square Cinema Seattle  $ 150,000.00
5 York Town Houston  $ 125,000.00
6 Fairfax Washington, DC  $ 100,000.00
7 Carmike Muvico Rosemont Chicago  $   94,000.00
8 Carmike Movies Atlanta  $   92,000.00
9 Emagine Detroit  $   90,000.00
10 Century at Pacific San Fransisco  $   75,000.00
11 Columbia Park New York  $   75,000.00
12 Albion Cinemas Toronto, ON  $   74,000.00
13 Centreville Washington, DC  $   70,000.00
14 Park Place Raleigh  $   70,000.00
15 Carmike 12 Philadelphia  $   69,000.00
16 Carmike 15 Minneapolis  $   69,000.00
17 Newport Center 11 New York  $   67,000.00
18 Egyptian XD Baltimore  $   65,000.00
19 Serra San Fransisco  $   65,000.00
20 Hamilton 24 Philadelphia  $   62,000.00
21 Tinseltown 20 Austin  $   60,000.00
22 Poway 10 San Diego  $   50,000.00
23 MovieMax Chicago  $   50,000.00
24 Buckland Hills 18 Hartford  $   50,000.00

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Imax Venkat is Bahubali’s Father

For all those people who have been visiting Prasads all these years, Venkat is a very familiar face. Programming Manager of Prasads Venkat completed working in 30 film so far. An avid movie buff and a free lance actor, he considers himself lucky to be a part of the magnum opus Bahubali. “I come in the first half and also in some parts in the second half. It is a proud moment for all of us that the film is faring so well at the box office. We went to Kerala and shot for ten days at Kerala. Athirapally waterfalls is very famous. We would travel forty five to fifty kilometres to go to the forests from the place where we stayed. We would leave by 5 am and return  by 7 pm.”

Venkat says there are so many senior artistes in the industry, they need not have picked me for the role and I consider myself really lucky to portray Bahubali’s father in the film. In his 13 years of his career he has never seen such unprecedented rush and pressure for tickets. There is 100 percent occupancy on weekdays too.”

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

When the world raised a toast to Bahubali — Part 1

“Bahubali” wave is sweeping the Indian film industry records and re-writing the rules of the game in a way that is turning heads even in Bollywood. After creating an unprecedented blitzkrieg of publicity and hype before the release, the makers and the producers are tasting victory at the box office across the markets.[pullquote position=”right”]After a long break of solitude and much-delayed release, “Bahubali” is smashing the box-office records world-wide. What are the lessons for South-based film-makers from this audacious team led by SS Rajamouli?[/pullquote]In the US, it has crossed $3.6 million on Saturday (beats “PK”‘s $3.1 million). In Bollywood, the Hindi dubbed version already crossed Rs.5.15 crores, beating the collections of previous films ofRajinikanth and Kamal Hassan (both “Robot” and “Vishwaroopam” collected Rs.4.1 crores together) – making it the biggest grosser among South-released Hindi versions in Bollywood. Overall, the film is expected to touch around Rs.100 crores (gross) in the first two days of release – way above the records created by films like “Doom 3”, “Happy New Year”, “Krish” and “Chennai Express”.

This is an eye-popping statistic for Tollywood which makes one of the highest number of films per annum but failed to get the world attention so far, except a few nationally-acclaimed films like “Sankarabharanam” and “Maya Bazaar”. The success of the film is surely drawing the attention of trade experts and students of Film Studies across the world but savor this moment of glory for now: “Bahubali” is rated 9.4/10 in the IMDB website – the highest rating earned by an Indian film. It is released in four official versions – Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi and so far all versions except Hindi are doing relatively well. Marketed as the most expensive Indian film ever (Rs.250 crores), its trailer crossed over 3 million views and earned plaudits from the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shekhar Kaptur and Karan Johar (who is distributing the Hindi version of the film) and the film got released on July 10 in over 4200 screens world-wide. The Telugu version collected over Rs.15 crores from the première screenings on Thursday and Friday which is another new record for Tollywood films – because fans of Rajamouli and Prabhas were waiting for 1000 days since the film was launched.

The spectacular success of “Bahubali” needs to be celebrated for many reasons.

One, it proves that with the right mix of content, high-caliber technicians and marketing Tollywood can grab the world eyeballs. The stars in “Bahubali” were not the monarchs of Bollywood – there was no Khan or Kapoor in it and no glamour diva like Deepika or Priyanka to pull the punches, no Rajinikanth or Kamal Hassan to rock the net with tens of thousands of fan clubs all over the world. [pullquote position=”left”] Bahubali proves that right mix of content and technicians can make a world class film without Khan’s or Kapoors. [/pullquote]There was just a starcast of Prabhas-Rana-Tamannaah-Anushka who blocked their dates for the duration of the making of the film- none of them and a technical team that was ready to collapse their trade-skills into a watchable biopic – Sabo Cyril designed the sets with impeccable detailing and diligence, Senthil Kumar drove the cinematography with a director’s eye for grand visuals and mesmerizing landscapes, Peter Hein created the most stylish and incredulous stunts in a period setting with resounding wolf-whistles, MM Keeravani re-imagined a music score that conveyed a panorama of emotions that struck a chord. So, it didn’t matter that the starpower was not well-known outside Tollywood – nobody knew the hero Prabhas and those who recognized Rana and Tamannah didn’t give them a half-chance. (But they turned out to be the proverbial dark horse in winning accolades for their performances).

(Contd…)

 

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Bahubali Live updates

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Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Is Piracy Threat Only for Big Movies?

Every time a blockbuster releases in Tollywood, the scene gets familiar. There is an extra buzz and vigilance about piracy. Fans are asked to organise themselves to ring-fence producers from losses arising out of piracy. And a special task-force is created from even police to deter the piracy-wave. But the hype around this is unprecedented for the blockbuster of the year  – “Bahubali”. Special police cells tracking piracy in single-screens, one-year moratorium on theatres partaking in piracy, huge punishments to the offenders uploading videos, the list is impressive and like-never-before.

[pullquote position=”right”]Shouldn’t anti-piracy measures apply not just for big budget movies but also for small-time producers? [/pullquote]
But the question to ask, why is the entire Tollywood reacting on such meticulous scale only now when there is a budget of Rs.200 crores at stake? In an industry which makes 18 per cent of the total films certified in India (higher than Bollywood’s 17 per cent), why is piracy a “bigger” offence only now? Piracy knows no color of money – whether it is a small-budget film or a big budget film. Even a producer who makes a film with life-savings of Rs.10 crore is impacted as much as the likes of K Raghavendra Rao, SS Rajamouli, and Dil Raju when a film is pirated. The move towards imposing such checks and balances against piracy  is a welcome step, but how do we institutionalise and broad-base it so that every producer in Tollywood can sleep well after his film is released, that the money accumulating in the bank is going up and that debts incurred toward the release are being paid down? In a country which has a population of 1.2 billion, a lot more needs to be done than just monitoring the theatres for the opening weekend because there are 2.4 billion eyes watching and many more who want to make easy money from somebody else’s hardwork. Watch this space for more on anti-piracy.

 

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

King Prabhas Fans – Unprecedented Hungama

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Tollywood King Prabhas’s baston town Bhimavaram is in festive mood on the occasion of Bahubali release.Reportedly a total of 9,000 Flexis and Cutouts  are set up in Bhimavaram town alone by King Prabhas darlings.  Above gallery showcases few of those flexis – Exclusive to Telugu360.com

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

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