All eyes on T’wood as Hindi films continue to flop

Bollywood is having a dry summer. With Salman giving the annual Eid release a miss and the latest films Fighter, Maidaan and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan turning out to be duds at the box office, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Bollywood is desperate for a hit.

The scene down South is not so bad. After Prashanth Varma’s socio-fantasy HanuMan rocked the box office in North India this year, it appears that Bollywood is banking on Telugu superstars like Prabhas (Kalki 2898AD), Allu Arjun (Pushpa 2), Jr NTR (Devara) and Ram Charan (Game Changer) to set the bells ringing.

But not everyone endorses this view in toto. They feel good content is the ultimate winner.

“I agree that Bollywood is awaiting the release of a few Telugu movies, but I disagree with the notion that they are banking on Telugu stars,” says ace producer Vishnu Induri, who made Bollywood films like 83 and Thalaivi. “Hindi superstars rocked the box office last year and they reestablished their crowd-pulling prowess over others. Simply put, Bollywood has its strengths and weaknesses,” he adds.

However, he admits that Pushpa The Rule is much-awaited since the first part created ripples in the Hindi heartland. “Allu Arjun’s film has triggered a buzz in the trade markets as well,” he says. Prabhas’s upcoming Kalki 2898 AD has also evoked interest in Bollywood, he notes. “Prabhas has surely expanded his fan base among Hindi viewers over the years and naturally, his upcoming sci-fi thriller is hugely awaited,” he says.

HanuMan started the year 2024 with a bang for Telugu dubbed movies and did well across India, and Vishnu believes that its sequel, Jai Hanuman, will have more traction with Hindi-speaking viewers. “HanuMan fared well considering its price and reach. Sequels have a big advantage and ride on big expectations. For instance, KGF Chapter 2 performed way better than Chapter 1,” he points out.

On Hindi distributor Anil Thadani parking himself in Hyderabad to buy more Telugu films and dub them in Hindi, he says “It is a good sign that Hindi distributors are showing interest in Telugu films.”

However, there were Tollywood films like Eagle, Skanda and Tiger that failed to impress Hindi viewers. “It all depends on good content. Post-pandemic, Hindi film viewers have become content agnostics,” Vishnu concludes.

I agree that Bollywood is awaiting the release of a few Telugu movies, but I disagree with the notion that they are banking on Telugu stars. Bollywood has its strengths and weaknesses. Hindi superstars rocked the box office last year and they reestablished their crowd-pulling prowess. It all depends on good content.” Vishnu Induri, producer