Ravi Teja’s recent movie Krack is running towards becoming a blockbuster. As Ravi Teja tasted success after several flops, with the role of police officer, many movie analysts as well as audiences are wondering whether police officer role is the favourite role for Tollywood heroes when they want to comeback into track from the streak of flops. Details as below.

Police roles and comeback movies:

Pawan Kalyan, started a series of flop movies with Johnny in 2003. He faced flop after a flop for almost a decade until Gabbar Singh released in 2012, the movie in which he played police officer, lifted him out of those flops. Even though there were some average movies during that decade, it was Gabbar Singh that have him a genuine break.

The same goes with Mahesh Babu, who faced series of flops between 2006 and 2012 and he didn’t have a hit after Pokiri as he started series of flops with Sainikudu. It was Dookudu, in which he played the role of police officer , that brought him his past glory again.

Even Jr NTR also has tasted the similar experience. In his own words, he faced flops for one ‘Pushkaram’ I.e 12 years after Simhadri. It is ‘Temper’ movie in which he played as police officer, pulled him out of the flops. Most recently Ravi Teja also tasted success after four long years of failures with Krack movie, in which he too played police role.

But it is not always true:

As there are several examples like this in Tollywood, there’s an opinion among the makers as well Tollywood heroes that, police role is perfect r pole for comebacks. However, it is only partially true. There are several movies in which heroes played as police officers and yet faced another failure. For example, Pawan Kalyan’s much hyped Puli movie failed to pull him out of the flops. Even Ravi Teja’s flop movie “Touch Chesi Choodu” also has him in police officer role. Several other heroes like Rajasekhar etc have played roles of police officers in movies like Kalki and yet couldn’t end the streak of flops.

So, the key is:

The key seems to be right mix of entertainment and mass elements. Gabbar Singh, Temper, Dookudu and Krack have ample entertainment which was missing in movies like Puli and touch chesi choodu. As the police officer role has ample scope for action and mass elevations, if it is properly mixed with right dose of entertainment, the movie is bound to entertain wide range of audience provided it has some decent story line.

After the attack of the coronavirus pandemic, the entire film industry is shut. The shootings across the country resumed from October last year but none of the actors and filmmakers risked out for theatrical releases and most of them headed for a digital release. Tollywood is the only film industry that is now completely open and has a series of films lined up for release. Bollywood is still entirely shut and the exhibitors are screening the dubbing films from Telugu and Tamil to run the screens.

After the super success of Solo Brathuke So Better, Ravi Teja’s Krack created a splash across Telugu states. The film received positive response and the footfalls have been remarkable. Ram’s RED, Bellamkonda Sreenivas’ Alludu Adhurs are the straight Telugu films that will release during the season. The Tollywood audience are also getting ready to welcome Vijay’s upcoming movie Master and the advance sales are very good. Bollywood filmmakers are looking towards Tollywood and they are amazed with the footfalls, response the Telugu films are receiving. With the happenings in Tollywood, several other industries are expected to reopen soon.

Tamil film industry is opening with Vijay’s Master and Simbu’s Eeswaran too is gearing up for Sankranthi release.

After their current projects ending up as blockbusters and money-spinners, several filmmakers and actors love to cash the craze by working on the sequels. The success rate for the sequels is quite low as the expectations are huge. Tollywood entered into 2021 and here are six sequels that the Tollywood audience are eagerly waiting for:

KGF: Chapter 2: KGF: Chapter 1 is a sensation across the country and the sequel for the film is currently on. The shoot of KGF: Chapter 2 is wrapped up and the film is aimed for summer release in all the Indian languages. KGF: Chapter 2 features Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon in the lead roles. Prashanth Neel is the director and Hombale Films are the producers.

F3: Victory Venkatesh and Varun Tej are back to thrill the audience with their comic timing with F3. Successful director Anil Ravipudi is directing F3 and the film is aimed for summer release. The film is carrying huge expectations and Anil Ravipudi already hinted that the film will have a double dose of entertainment in the sequel. Dil Raju is the producer.

Goodachari 2: Adivi Sesh is one actor who delivered consistent hits with thrillers in the recent years. After the super success of Goodachari, the sequel for the film is on and is titled Goodachari 2. Rahul Pakala will direct the sequel which will be made on a big-budget and will be shot extensively in various countries. Adivi Sesh joins the sets of Goodachari 2 after he is done with the shoot of Major.

HIT: The Second Case: Natural Star Nani produced a content-based interesting film HIT and the film raked decent money at the box-office. The sequel for the film is on and it would be directed by Sailesh Kolanu. Adivi Sesh will replace Vishwak Sen in the sequel which will roll this year. Nani’s Wallposter Cinema will produce the sequel too which is aimed for Christmas 2021 release.

Karthikeya 2: Nikhil tasted a super hit with Karthikeya and after years, the sequel for Karthikeya is launched. The film would be made on a massive budget and will be extensively shot abroad. Chandu Mondeti is the director and People Media Factory are on board to bankroll the sequel. Nikhil plays the role of a medico in the sequel too and Anupama Parameshwaran is on the board as the leading lady.

D and D: After 13 years, the sequel for D is announced and it is titled D and D. Srinu Vaitla who is struggling for success will helm the project and Manchu Vishnu will reprise the role and he would produce the comic entertainer on 24 Frames Factory banner. The project starts rolling very soon and will release this year. Srinu Vaitla took ample time to work on the script and he is super confident on his comeback with D and D.

2020 started with a bang in Tollywood and the biggies Sarileru Neekevvaru, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo proved the stamina of Telugu films. The movies raked record money and ended up as huge money-spinners. All the actors and filmmakers are completely delighted with the performance of these films and predicted 2020 to be an exceptional year for Telugu cinema. Though a series of flops released post Sankranthi, Bheeshma and HIT made remarkable money in February. The theatres are shut since March and the shoots of all the films are put on hold.

2020 is completely wasted for Tollywood and the producers are left in huge financial stress because of the heaped up interests and delayed film releases. Despite of several attempts, most of the actors and actresses never reduced their paycheques. The exhibition industry is completely shattered and it takes years for them to return back to the track. Though some of the filmmakers are heading to release their films, there would be no support from the distributors for the next few months. Most of the risk lands completely on the producers.

On the whole, 2020 is a year that is utterly disappointing and wasted in the calendar of Telugu cinema.

The governments of both the Telugu states granted permission to reopen the theatres but the process doesn’t seem to be a smooth sail. There are several issues to be discussed before reopening the theatres after the attack of coronavirus pandemic. The government granted 50 percent occupancy rule which may not turn out to be profitable for everyone. Most of the filmmakers decided to wait for some more time to release their films.

All is not well between the producers and the exhibitors. Though a series of meetings took place recently, some of the issues are yet to be resolved. The exhibitors are not ready to share the VPF charges with the producers which range between Rs 2-5 per ticket. The VPF charges are collected by the theatres and the producers are demanding half of the share from the charges. A resolution is pending even after several sets of discussions.

Sai Dharam Tej’s Solo Brathuke So Better is announced for December 25th release. Hope the issues are resolved before the film hits the screens. There are talks that the single screens are expected to start screening films from December 18th if the demands are met.

There is no clarity on the Sankranthi releases though the permissions to reopen the theatres are given. Vakeel Saab, RED, Krack and Uppena are in the race as of now. With 50 percent occupancy, the filmmakers are hesitant to release these films for Sankranthi and there are a lot of speculations about the same. Several distributors are now mounting pressure on the producers to release these films to save the film industry. It has been over eight months since the theatres are shut and they are in deep financial crisis. Missing the Sankranthi festival season would double their stress.

The distributors are requesting the filmmakers to release the films at any cost for Sankranthi even if the 100 percent occupancy is not given. There is a chance to hike the ticket prices and the theatres can screen extra shows so that they can rake money during the season argued a top distributor. It would make no difference if there is a cap to increase the prices and for 50 percent occupancy, the theatre rents would remain low. Hence screening big films during the festival season would help the film industry and especially the exhibition industry. The producers are expected to take the final call soon.

The theatres across the Telugu states are all set to entertain the audience from December 11th. The multiplexes are open from today and will screen old films along with the Hollywood movie Tenet. Sai Dharam Tej’s Solo Brathuke So Better is the only new film that is announced for December release. This year after the closure of theatres, movies like V, Penguin, Orey Bujjiga, Miss India, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, Krishna and his Leela and other films released on digital platforms.

Now, most of these films will also have a theatrical release. All the streaming platforms which are holding the rights decided to release the films in theatres to mint money. Raj Tarun’s Orey Bujjiga is announced for January 1st 2021 release. Nani’s V will soon release in theatres and the date would be announced soon. A chart of new release dates is expected next week. Tollywood is now focused on the footfalls in December to announce the list of Sankranthi releases.

After a break of almost seven months, the shoots of Telugu films resumed. The Centre also granted permission to reopen the theatres with 50% occupancy. Most of the producers are confident that normalcy returns by January and the audience would return back to theatres to watch movies. The Telangana government is yet to give its nod to reopen the theatres in the state. There are talks that the theatres may reopen in December across the Telugu states. But most of the filmmakers are now tensed if the theatres would reopen in December and if the Sankranthi releases would rake money.

If the 50% occupancy continues to be implemented in January, it would be a huge dent for the revenues. Films like Vakeel Saab, Krack and RED are in the race currently. With 50% occupancy in January, the filmmakers will rethink about releasing their films. As of now, there is no clarity about the situations and the filmmakers are working to complete the work and they would be ready with their films. Telugu film celebrities are expected to meet Telangana Chief Minister KCR soon and discuss about the reopening of theatres.

The coronavirus pandemic wasted almost a year for Tollywood. All the shoots came to a halt and some of the films resumed shoot recently. Tollywood witnessed massive changes and the non-casting films are suffering badly. There has been a huge demand for stars and young actors in Telugu cinema. We have a few actors and more number of directors in Tollywood. Directors like Koratala Siva had to wait for two years to kick-start his next film Acharya. Such problems of long wait will be doubled or tripled in Tollywood in the coming years.

Top director Trivikram who scored a sensational hit with Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is idle for this year. He is in talks with several actors for his next. Harish Shankar narrated the complete script to Pawan Kalyan long ago and got his nod but the project may not start anytime soon. Harish will have to wait for the arrival of Pawan Kalyan for one more year. Though he has ample time to complete one more project, there is no actor available. Harish Shankar is working on web series and is busy penning scripts for his upcoming projects.

The actors would be in a huge stress and will have to work without breaks to complete their commitments and switch to new projects. The directors will have to wait and they will be forced to take enough breaks between films like never before.

The coronavirus pandemic spoiled the crucial 2020 in everyone’s life. The film industry is the most impacted and it takes months for normalcy to return back. Though the Centre granted permission to reopen the theatres, there is no clarity about when they would resume the operations. As per the update, the theatres may reopen from December 4th but the Tollywood audience will see some prominent releases from Sankranthi 2021. The season starts with Vakeel Saab on January 14th all over. Ram’s long-delayed film RED will have its release on January 15th.

Ravi Teja’s action entertainer Krack too will have its release for Sankranthi and the release date is yet to be decided. Rana Daggubati’s pan Indian film Aranya too will release for Sankranthi 2020. Akhil’s Most Eligible Bachelor and Vaishnav Tej’s Uppena will release during the Republic Day weekend. Naga Chaitanya’s film Love Story will hit the screens for Valentine’s Day weekend. Several other films will announce the release dates as per the performance of these films at the box-office and depending upon the audience returning back to theatres.

The coronavirus pandemic left a massive impact on Telugu cinema. The shoots of several films came to a halt for over six months and the producers are in huge financial stress. The latest update is that there is not an easy cash flow in the industry currently. Most of the financiers are not ready to take risk and budge for films as they are not aware of the market stability. Some of them already financed for films that are under shoot and they are waiting for the returns. Most of the Tollywood producers depend on finances to produce films.

There is a huge financial crunch currently and the producers who are planning multiple projects will have to shelve some of them to stay away from the stress and last minute tensions. Some of the projects too will change hands because of the current situations in Tollywood. Analysts predict that this crisis would continue till summer next year till the vaccination for coronavirus is out.

The theatres and multiplexes across the country have been shut for six months. The Centre granted permission to reopen the theatres starting from October 15th but with 50% occupancy and following the issued guidelines. The concept of 50% occupancy was never imposed for any other field except movie theatres. This turned out to be a shock for the producers as they have been tasting losses when there was scope for full occupancy expressed Telugu producer C Kalyan. He said that the producers will incur huge losses if the occupancy is 50%.

Tollywood’s top producer Suresh Babu hinted that no big filmmakers would dare to release their films in this situation. “When there are no restrictions on shopping malls and flights, why there are special restrictions for movie theatres? The state governments have to grant permissions for movie theatres though the Centre granted permissions. The coronavirus impact is huge in Telugu states” said Suresh Babu. Tollywood producers are demanding the Centre to withdraw the rule of 50% occupancy if the theatres are reopened.

The coronavirus pandemic left an unforgettable mark on the film industry. Right from the daily wage film workers to the producers, everyone is badly impacted. Most of them predicted that there would be a slash in the remuneration of top actors and directors so that the producers would not incur losses as the impact of coronavirus is here to stay for at least couple of years. Top Tamil actors like Rajinikanth and Vijay stepped out to cut their paycheques and this was followed by several young actors of Tamil cinema.

But there is no such incident that took place in Tollywood. Not a single actor announced that they would have a cut in their pay because of the pandemic. Instead, several desperate filmmakers are ready to pay hefty paycheques for the top actors and directors. This left them not much bothered. The Producers Guild conducted a series of meetings but they could not implement at least a single point that was discussed. The producers of the Guild even could not dare to discuss about the slash in the remuneration with the actors of their active projects.

There are several producers who are not much bothered about how the distribution and exhibition system works post the reopening of theatres. They are just desperate of producing films and are not calculating the risk factors. When the coronavirus left the entire globe scared, Tollywood is not much worried and it is finally the stardom that turned out to be the dominating factor.