Hyderabad: With 50-plus director YVS Choudhury announcing his next film with Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, grandson of actor-turned-politician Harikrishna, and another senior director Gunasekhar announcing his new film ‘Eupharia’ and planning to give young directors a run for their money. Other veteran directors such as M S Raju, Krishna Vamsi, Ram Gopal Varma, and Puri Jagannath are trying to win the confidence once again. However, flops like ‘Shakuntalam’ ‘Rangamarthanda’, "Liger,' ‘Malli Pelli’ and 'Vyooham' to mention a few, have raised doubts about seasoned directors’ so-called midas touch.
Actually, yesteryear dream merchants like Gunasekhar, Krishna Vamsi, Puri Jagannath, RGV, Srinu Vaitla, and M S Raju are unable to connect with new-age viewers, unlike in the past. “It is a fact that young audiences are unwilling to spend money on 50-plus directors and a few of them have delivered inferior movies too,” says producer C Kalyan and adds, “New age viewers' tastes are changing and they are demanding some novelty. If some directors recycle their old ideas, audiences have no time to waste. On the other hand, the audience who patronized these directors in the past aren’t turning up in theatres now, as they could have turned 40 or 45 years old,” he reasons.
Producer C Kalyan further says new directors are keeping cash registers ringing by dishing out varied movies like ’Bimbisara’, “Virupaksha’, ‘Balagam’, and ‘Tillu Square’ to revive the fortunes of sinking Telugu cinema. “Tollywood is in dire straits with 70% of films tanking without a trace. However, new directors are trying to breathe life into it with their experimental movies and drawing in audiences. Unfortunately, even young directors need big stars to showcase their talent these days. Until Telugu audiences start patronizing thematic and non-star movies like in Malayalam and Tamil industries, Telugu movies will be in a mess,” he informs.
Rubbishing the generational gap argument, director Neelakanta cites the examples of Martin Scorsese and Yash Chopra who delivered hits even after crossing 60 years of age. “Honestly, age has nothing to do with a director delivering a hit film or flop. It is just that the particular content didn’t click with the viewers and nothing more to it. People have this tendency to bring in age and other factors like generational gap, but it is just a myth since world over filmmakers have dished out blockbusters even at 60 and 70’s so this argument doesn’t hold water,” he concludes.
