Not B-wood or K-wood; Sandalwood Turning Big in Telugu States

Over the years, Tamil films and Tamil actors used to receive a huge reception among Telugu audiences. Actors like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Karthi, Suriya, and Vijay enjoyed many equally successful films in both Tamil and Telugu. However, times have changed, and now not only Tamil but also other regional language films are being received well in Telugu, provided the content is good.

Now, the Kannada film industry, popularly known as Sandalwood, has achieved a unique feat in Tollywood. It has become the only industry to have two 100-crore grossers in Telugu, while other industries, including Tamil and Hindi, have failed to have even one. After KGF Chapter 2, Kantara Chapter 1 is set to become the second 100-crore-grossing Kannada film in the Telugu states. Kantara Chapter 1 is expected to cross the 100-crore mark in Telugu this week.

It is a huge achievement because an industry like Sandalwood managed to cross the 100-crore mark in a huge market like the Telugu states, not once but twice. Both these films got openings not because of their stars but due to the success of their respective previous instalments, and ended up as huge blockbusters because of their content.

Many Bollywood and Tamil pan-India biggies, despite having massive star power, failed to achieve this feat in Telugu. They get openings but fail to join the 100-crore club due to poor content. This proves that audiences respect content first, not star power.

On the whole, Sandalwood has achieved this landmark in Telugu, shocking many. Meanwhile, Kantara’s collections are expected to drop this weekend due to the new Diwali releases.