Evil spirits, black magicians freely roam in Tollywood
By : BVS Prakash
Update: 2024-02-19 07:15 GMT
It seems to be the season of supernatural thrillers in Tollywood and filmmakers are cashing in on it. With massive success of films like ‘Masooda’, ‘Virupaksha,’ and “Maa Oori Polimera 2’ which raised more than Rs 80 crores together in two Telugu states and inspiring filmmakers to churn out more. “We are happy that Telugu audiences are lapping up supernatural thrillers these days,” says producer Raj Kandukuri whose son and actor Shiva Kandukurri is returning with a gripping thriller ‘Boothaddam Bhaskar'. “It revolves around a unique plot which no one has touched till date. It is about serial killings and the whacky purpose of the villain is exposed. It is a nice blend of social drama with supernatural elements. Now-a-days audiences are looking for some magical moments to arrive in theatres,” he points out.
Concurring with the same, producer Anil Sunkara says that ghosts and paranormal activities give some goosebumps moments to viewers. “Our film 'Ooru Peru Bhairavakona' also touched upon ancient Garuda Puranam’ which mentioned about the life of human beings after death. It was all about spirits who return at a specific time to resolve their woes,” he adds.
However, these kinds of movies are giving more credence to black magic and supernatural tricks. "We aren’t promoting black magic since the audience is intelligent enough to understand that it is just a movie and nothing to do with real-life ,” says leading producer Bogavalli Prasad, who minted more than Rs 40 crores for his film ‘Virupaksha as it revolved around black magicians and evil spirits and revived this genre.
Famed writer Gopi Mohan admits that the genre is back in the reckoning and attributes it to curiosity factor, “Once the trailer of such films is unveiled, audiences are curious to know what is in store for them in the movie. With action and romantic films turning predictable, supernatural thrillers have taken centre-stage and spin box office magic.” He further adds, “Most of the revenue for these kinds of films is generated in single theatres in towns and villages, where some people believe in black magic and talk about evil spirits. Besides, such films break the monotony of song and dance routine and clichéd comedy tracks, but just rides on the content and keeps the audience glued to their seats," he adds.
He claims that the massive success of ‘Kantara’ which talked about folklore gods and his brief appearances to resolve people’s woes has inspired few Telugu filmmakers. “Invoking gods and spirits are going to happen for some more time since even digital platforms are lapping up such films. They are dubbing them in varied languages and making money since supernatural thrillers breach language and regional boundaries,’ he points out.
Giving an actor’s perspective, pretty actress Nandita Swetha, who is donning a ghost role in her next film ‘O Manchi Ghost’, says “We go through lot of mental stress and body pain for all those screams and unusual antics and end up with sleepless nights," says actress Nandita Swetha, who also played a ghost in 'Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada’ and won appreciation.
Concurring with the same, producer Anil Sunkara says that ghosts and paranormal activities give some goosebumps moments to viewers. “Our film 'Ooru Peru Bhairavakona' also touched upon ancient Garuda Puranam’ which mentioned about the life of human beings after death. It was all about spirits who return at a specific time to resolve their woes,” he adds.
However, these kinds of movies are giving more credence to black magic and supernatural tricks. "We aren’t promoting black magic since the audience is intelligent enough to understand that it is just a movie and nothing to do with real-life ,” says leading producer Bogavalli Prasad, who minted more than Rs 40 crores for his film ‘Virupaksha as it revolved around black magicians and evil spirits and revived this genre.
Famed writer Gopi Mohan admits that the genre is back in the reckoning and attributes it to curiosity factor, “Once the trailer of such films is unveiled, audiences are curious to know what is in store for them in the movie. With action and romantic films turning predictable, supernatural thrillers have taken centre-stage and spin box office magic.” He further adds, “Most of the revenue for these kinds of films is generated in single theatres in towns and villages, where some people believe in black magic and talk about evil spirits. Besides, such films break the monotony of song and dance routine and clichéd comedy tracks, but just rides on the content and keeps the audience glued to their seats," he adds.
He claims that the massive success of ‘Kantara’ which talked about folklore gods and his brief appearances to resolve people’s woes has inspired few Telugu filmmakers. “Invoking gods and spirits are going to happen for some more time since even digital platforms are lapping up such films. They are dubbing them in varied languages and making money since supernatural thrillers breach language and regional boundaries,’ he points out.
Giving an actor’s perspective, pretty actress Nandita Swetha, who is donning a ghost role in her next film ‘O Manchi Ghost’, says “We go through lot of mental stress and body pain for all those screams and unusual antics and end up with sleepless nights," says actress Nandita Swetha, who also played a ghost in 'Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada’ and won appreciation.