Who will be Tollywood's Baadshah in 2018?

2018 promises to be an exciting year in Tollywood as all the top actors’ films are releasing during the year. Films of Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, Jr NTR, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and Prabhas — the top stars of T’town — are all lined up starting in January. Will 2018 decide who will be Tollywood’s Baadshah?
The year begins with Pawan Kalyan’s Agnathavaasi directed by his friend Trivikram Srinivas and in a heartening development, the film’s business has already crossed Rs100 crore. Interestingly, his career best Attarintiki Daredi ranks seventh in Tollywood’s all time hits. 

The first two positions are occupied by the two  Baah-ubali films, followed by Chiranjeevi, Mahesh Babu and Ram Charan’s films. A couple of years ago, he was down, but now, Jr NTR is also showing his stamina at the box-office and is one step ahead of Pawan Kalyan. His film Janatha Garage was a stupendous hit and ranks at number six in top grossers. 

Prabhas too became a household name in India and abroad with Baahubali. It’s a big test for him now as he is putting in great effort and money into his upcoming film Saaho, which will decide where he stands in the rankings. The actor has already stated in interviews that one film can’t decide an actor’s position and that he has to wait for his next film too.

Mahesh Babu’s Srimanthudu stands at number four, but his last two films didn’t do well at the box-office. He is now coming up with Bharat Ane Nenu directed by Koratala Siva. Interestingly, Koratala Siva’s last three films were huge blockbusters and one expects that he will repeat the same with Mahesh Babu this time around.

The main contention appears to be primarily between Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu, as both these stars enjoy huge fan following. Cousins Ram Charan and Allu Arjun are also eyeing the top spots, with Rangasthalam 1985 and Naa Peru Surya Naa Illu India, releasing in March and April respectively. 

Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi, the Megastar of Tollywood, recently made a comeback to films after a ten-year break. He is doing another period film, and is likely to dominate everyone as he has already shown his stamina with his comeback film Khaidi No.150.

“The number one position changes every year. But I am confident that in 2018, many Telugu films will join the '100 crore club,” says filmmaker Thammareddy Bharadwaj. He adds “Look at Baahubali and the collections, which are more than Rs 1500 crore in all languages combined. So, should we call Prabhas the Baadshah of Tollywood? It’s not decided by one film alone and I think the numbers are changing every year,” says Thammareddy.

Top ten grossers 
Baahubali — The Conclusion (Prabhas)
Baahubali — The Beginning (Prabhas)
Khaidi No. 150  (Chiranjeevi)
Srimanthudu (Mahesh Babu)
Magadheera (Ram Charan)
Janatha Garage (Jr NTR)
Attarintiki Daredi (Pawan Kalyan)
Sarrainodu (Allu Arjun)
Jai Lava Kusa (Jr NTR)
DJ: Duvvada Jagannatham (Allu Arjun)