Some Outside Music Directors Are Doing Telugu Films Just for Money: Thaman

Thaman is currently one of the busiest music composers in Indian cinema, especially in Telugu films. This year alone, he has had eight releases, including Game Changer, Daaku Maharaaj, They Call Him OG, and the recently released Akhanda 2.

During a recent interview while promoting Akhanda 2, Thaman made candid remarks about what he described as the growing toxicity within the film industry.

When asked about how people in the industry react to his success, Thaman said those days of appreciation are largely gone. He noted that people are no longer keen on acknowledging others’ work and that backstabbing has become common.

He explained that when he is approached for a film, another music director often steps in and offers to do the project for a much lower remuneration. Calling this a form of backstabbing, Thaman pointed out that other film industries show stronger unity, something he feels Telugu cinema lacks.

Drawing a comparison, he said composers like Anirudh can easily work in Telugu cinema, whereas it is difficult for him to get opportunities in Tamil cinema because they prefer their own people. He added that Telugu cinema has welcomed several composers from other languages, which is not always reciprocated elsewhere.

Thaman clarified that he is not complaining and said he enjoys the competitive space. He mentioned composers such as GV Prakash and Anirudh from Tamil Nadu, Ravi Basrur and Ajanesh Loknath from Karnataka, and Gopi Sundar and Jakes Bejoy from Kerala, all of whom are actively working in Telugu cinema. He said he is happy to be part of this competition.

However, he also made a strong observation that some composers from other languages, who are not even paid in lakhs in their home states, are paid in crores in Telugu cinema. He alleged that such composers work purely for money, not out of love for Telugu cinema. According to him, they hire PR agencies, secure Telugu film projects through them, and share a portion of their remuneration with these agencies.

Speaking about his own earnings, Thaman said that most of the budget he receives for films is spent on the music production process, including singers and the technical crew. He added that he takes very little money home from film projects and that his personal earnings mainly come from live shows. Thaman is currently working on The Raja Saab, Idhayam Murali, and NBK 111.