Director’s Brand Value Missing in Telugu?

Madharaasi is the next big dubbing film on cards at the theatre windows in September. Scheduled for a grand release on September 5th, the film, starring Siva Karthikeyan in the lead role, is failing to attract attention in telugu. Most surprisingly, Kalyani Priyadarshan’s Malayalam dubbing film Kotha Lokah attracted attention without any promotions compared to Madharaasi which also had a pre-release event and star cast.

The above scenario clearly gives us an indication that the audiences are no longer interested in watching films, despite having a star cast and a number of other factors. All they want in a film is solid content and a trailer that could evoke interest in them. It has been proved in the case of Kotha Lokah clearly.

While team Madharaasi organized a pre-release event yesterday, nothing about the film has become a point of discussion. However, Siva Karthikeyan’s comments about Telugu cinema making 1000 Cr films and Rukmini Vasanth’s busy lineup have become the points of discussion on social media. The event that should have ignited conversations about the film could not serve the purpose.

On the other hand, the director factor is also playing the spoilsport in the film not gaining any buzz. Director AR Murugadoss is one of the most respected and celebrated filmmakers in not just South but Indian cinema. However, his recent track record is not so exciting. Especially after the failure of SPYder in Telugu, there is a negativity towards him. Moreover, his last film, Sikandar, also flopped at the box office. Irrespective of all that, his recent comments during promotions about Salman Khan, 1000 Cr films, and other aspects did not go well with the moviegoers.

For instance, Coolie is also a failure at the box office but the pre-release hype is next level. The director factor contributed to a lot of people visiting the theatres on the release day. Lokesh Kanagaraj successfully aimed the film at the bull’s eye irrespective of the film’s content. Even this case works at the box office like how Mani Ratnam gave exaggerated statement on Thug Life and how Shankar manipulated audiences with Game Changer.

Having said and done, Madharaasi has a fair advantage at the box office with Ghaati and Little Hearts at the competition. If the film clicks and attracts a positive word of mouth, it will be a turning point for Murugadoss’ career.