A spate of big budget movies are all set to battle it out at the box office the coming month
Come July and Tollywood big screens are all set to turn into a battlefield. Some of this year’s mostanticipated films — Rajamouli’s “Eega” starring Nani and Samantha, Trivikram Srinivas’s “Julayi”, Puri Jagannath’s “Devudu Chesina Manushulu” starring Ravi Teja and Ileana, Lakshmi Manchu’s “U Kodathara Ulukki Padathara” (UKUP) starring Manchu Manoj and Deeksha Seth and MS Raju’s “Tuneega Tuneega” that will introduce debutantes Sumanth Ashwin and Rhea Chakroborty— are all releasing in July! Apart from these films, Tamil films like Kamal Haasan’s “Viswaroopam”, and Chakri Tholeti’s “David Billa” are also releasing in Telugu in the same month.
It’s no surprise then that industry insiders say this month is going to be a crucial one for the film industry. “Just this month, business of more than 100 crores is riding on Tollywood,” says Suresh Babu, president, AP Film Chamber of Commerce. He adds that this year has already been a fruitful one with big hits like “Gabbar Singh” and other small films too doing well at the box-office. While this may be a reason to celebrate, there is also a concern whether city theatres can accommodate all the movies at the same time. Suresh Babu adds, “Rajamouli’s “Eega” will kick-start the month and if it’s a hit, theatres will definitely face planning issues, considering they might not have enough screens for all movies. The release dates of some movies may have to be postponed.”
Cinematically too, the month is a crucial one for the actors. Ravi Teja, whose last two films, “Nippu” and “Daruvu” had a thanda response, is looking to break the spell with Puri Jagannadh’s “Devudu Chesina Manushulu” (DCM). “This is my fifth film with Ravi Teja and we are going to work magic again,” says Puri, when contacted.
It’s a testing time for actress Ileana, who is making her comeback to Telugu films after a long hiatus, with two big releases in just one month — Ravi Teja-starrer “DCM” and “Julayi” with Allu Arjun. Meanwhile, Allu Arjun is also in dire need of a hit after “Badrinath”, that released a year ago, failed to make a mark.
Producers meanwhile, are keeping their fingers crossed. MS Raju, whose last film
“Maska” released in 2009 is making a comeback with “Tuneega Tuneega”. He is not only directing the movie, but is also introducing his son Sumanth in this rom-com. This month also marks Lakshmi Manchu’s debut as a producer with “UKUP”. She says, “The film has shaped up well and I am feeling confident,” she says. The movie is expected to give her actor brother, Manchu Manoj, a career boost.
Meanwhile, big budget dubbed films will have to fight with top Tollywood titles. Sobha Rani, producer of the Ajith-starrer “David Billa”, says, “I’m releasing the movie in over 200 theatres as Ajith has a big fan following in AP.” Kamal Haasan’s “Viswaroopam” too may release in July, though the date hasn’t been confirmed.
