With comedian-turned-hero Getup Seenu’s latest release ‘Raju Yadav’ failing badly, it looks like the season of laugh-riots has gone down from bad to worse. Earlier, the much hyped laugh riots like 'Sundaram Master’, ‘Chari 111’ also sank without a trace at the box office last. Even comedy star Allari Naresh known for hits like 'Sudigadu' and 'Seema Tapakai' couldn't turn his latest release 'Aa Okkati Adakku' into a money-spinner. Admitting the same, producer Bandla Ganesh, who made the comic caper 'Badshah' with Jr NTR, says "It has been quite bad for comedy movies in the last two years barring a few. At one point, many producers and distributors considered laugh riots a safe bet, and many star comedians turned heroes to make a fast buck. But now, at least for the moment, comedy flicks have hit a roadblock for sure,” Ganesh points out.
Indeed, some comedy heroes such as Sunil, Allari Naresh, Sapthagiri, Srinivas Reddy, Dhanraj, Priyadarshi and Shakalaka Shankar had their share of hits and flops as well. “It is a bleak situation. While I don’t want to take names, it is clear as daylight that now-a-days even a Rs-2-3-crore movie with a comedy hero has turned out to be a risky proposition,” adds Ganesh. Actually, lacklustre plots and an overdose of spoof besides slapstick humour are set to kill Tollywood’s comedy genre, once hailed as the goose that laid golden eggs.
Barring some money-spinners like 'F2, 'Samajavaragamana’ 'Brochevarevarura', the industry has unfortunately witnessed too many duds such like ‘Bootcut Balaraju', "Changure Bangaru Raj' and earlier 'Tenali Ramakrishna BA BL, ‘Vajra Kavacha’, ‘Silly Fellows’, ‘Nene Khedi No 1, ‘Bhagya Nagar Veedhullo Gamathu and ‘Three Monkeys,’ which even went on to dent the ratings of comedy flicks.
Giving a director's perspective, director Hemanth Madhukar says, "Comic capers ride on comic timing which is missing in many comedy movies these days,’ says director Hemanth Madhukar, who says that directors who are churning out comedies have to work as a team. “Directors like Jandhyala, Srinu Vaitla and EVV Satyanarayana were adept in dishing out rib ticklers since they blended a novel plot with comedy. They also had a good writing team who jelled with directors, but no such strong bonding nowadays,” he adds.
