When Tollywood superstars drew blank

Hyderabad: The year that is coming to a close did not live up to the expectations raised by the success of the films of many an actor in the recent past, writes Sashidhar Adivi

Mahesh Babu: Dates issues

The release of Mahesh Babu-starrer Guntur Kaaram was postponed several times. In summer, director Trivikram sought call sheets from several prominent actors. However, the shooting did not take place as envisaged and the call sheets (dates) lapsed. The actors went to work on other projects. So getting all of them to the sets again became tough.

Allu Arjun: Pressure to deliver

Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa The Rule was originally scheduled to hit the screens this year. But it was pushed to August 2024 because the shooting took off very late. Considering that the first installment was such a big hit nationwide, director Sukumar didn’t want to rush through the sequel — particularly not after Allu Arjun won the national Best Actor  award for his performance. “Allu Arjun and the director have had lengthy discussions about the sequel. They wanted to deliver a superior product, says a trade source.

Ram Charan: Multiple problems

After the magnificent success of RRR last year, fans expected to see Ram Charan’s film Game Changer this year. But there were several breaks in shooting. Shanmugam Shankar’s directorial has been in the making for more than two years and encountered problems in production besides technical snags, to the dismay of fans. Also, the director had to complete the shooting of his other directorial, Indian 2, starring Kamal Haasan, which further delayed the Ram Charan-starrer.

Jr NTR: Production snags

Had everything gone well, Jr NTR’s film Devara with director Koratala Siva should have been released this year. But since the actor wanted the script to be slick, he gave the director extra time. The issues that led to the failure of Siva’s previous film (Acharya) also contributed to the delay. Devara Part 1 is scheduled for 2024 summer release. “Both Charan and Jr NTR campaigned for a month in the US for RRR at the Oscars, which added to the delay

Yash: Timed Out

Another superstar, Yash, took more than one-and-a-half years to finalise his next film (Toxic) after KGF-Chapter 2, though he was in talks with several filmmakers.

Balakrishna

This year has been very bright for Balakrishna. He started off with blockbuster Veerasimha Reddy. And towards the end of the year, he scored another hit with Bhagavant Kesari. Both films grossed over Rs 100 crore each.

Nani

2023 has been a fabulous year for Nani! After the super success of Dasara this summer, the actor continued his winning streak with his recent release Hi Nanna. He has earned the continued confidence of the trade and cemented his place in the industry with two consecutive successes.

Venu Yeldandi

After working in a number of films as a comic actor and hero’s sidekick, Venu Yeldandi took a break from acting for a few years. He turned writer-director with Balagam, a rustic story set in Telangana. The film turned out to be a blockbuster.

Krishna Vamsi

Director Krishna Vamsi’s comeback film Ranga Maarthaanda garnered rave reviews. It was praised for his honest writing and taut screenplay.

Sai Dharam Tej

After he suffered a major bike accident last year, everyone thought that the going would be tough for Sai Dharam Tej. But he proved that a comeback is always stronger than a setback. His Virupaksha was the first '100 crore grosser in his career.

Sreeleela

She is considered one of the most promising talents in Tollywood. She had four releases this year — Skanda, Bhagavanth Kesari, Aadikeshava and Extraordinary Man. Though everyone expected her films to do well, only Bhagavanth Kesari had a good outing at the box office.

Kartikeya

He has been going through a lean phase for the last couple of years. But just when everyone had written him off, Kartikeya bounced back. He showed his acting prowess with Bedurulanka 2012 which was a superhit at the box office.

Vijay Deverakonda

His last release Liger disappointed fans and audience and Vijay Deverakonda had his task cut out. He managed to stage a comeback with Kushi, a romantic drama, this year. The Shiva Nirvana directorial gave the actor a much-needed boost at the ticket window.

Anushka Shetty

Anushka Shetty was overdue for success. With most of her recent films not clicking, she was under pressure. Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty gave her the breakthrough she sought. Her role of a woman wanting to start a family without getting married underlined why she is choosy about roles.

Payal Rajut

Her debut film RX 100 was a blockbuster. But Payal Rajput didn’t have the right follow-up films. But she shot back with Mangalavaram. The Ajay Bhupathi directorial became the biggest success in her career.

Harish

“More than pressure, I call it a challenge,” comments Harish, who directed the Samantha-starrer Yashoda. He says filmmakers want to come up with the right product, which sometimes may take time. “With the advent of OTT, the theatrical experience has become demanding. So films that don’t give a high will fizzle out. Hence, there’s so much responsibility on filmmakers,” Harish says.