Tollywood Looking Forward To Summer!

The Telugu film industry hasn’t had much to celebrate since the Sankranti festival’s release. While movies like “Hanuman,” “Naa Saami Ranga,” and “Guntur Kaaram” enjoyed success, February saw a dry spell with no major entertainer to light up the box office. March started with “Gaami” generating some buzz but not quite becoming a blockbuster. Similarly, the dubbed Malayalam film “Premalu” has been a slow mover. So what’s up Summer now?

Hope springs eternal, especially with summer just around the corner. Four big releases are slated to hit theatres in quick succession: “Om Bheem Bush” on March 22nd, “Tillu Square” on March 29th, “Family Star” on April 5th, and “Geethanjali Malli Vachindhi” on April 11th. Interestingly, all four seem to fall into the comic entertainer category, a genre that typically performs well during holidays. Whether it is the dark comedy in Om Bheem Bush, the youthful urban lingo comedy in Tillu Square, the family elements in Family Star, or the horror comedy of Geethanjali, all these films have the potential to do well, if they are landed well.

Learning from Sankranti releases, where the family-friendly “Hanuman” emerged victorious over thrillers and horror films, Tollywood seems to be putting its eggs in the “wholesome entertainment” basket this summer. The key, however, lies in the content itself. Only time will tell which film scores as the true crowd-pleaser, but one thing’s for sure: with holidays on the horizon, audiences are ready for a summer filled with fun.