No Stars, No Hits? Telugu Cinema’s Reality Check in 2025

Telugu cinema is witnessing one of its lowest-performing calendars in recent times. To put this in perspective, in 2024, four Telugu films featured in the top 10 highest-grossing Indian films, with three making it into the top five. Films like Pushpa 2: The Rule and Kalki 2898 AD delivered phenomenal numbers. In contrast, 2025 has seen only one Telugu film enter the top 10 highest-grossing list so far.

One major reason for Telugu cinema not shining this year is the absence of releases from top stars such as Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, and Allu Arjun. Jr NTR had a Hindi release but no Telugu film this year. Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG remains the only Telugu film to make it into the top 10 this year.

But is it only top stars who can make a mark at the box office? Clearly not. A look at the highest-grossing films of 2025 shows that Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam cinemas delivered big successes, many of which did not feature established superstars.

As things stand in mid-December, the Kannada film Kantara Chapter 1 is the highest-grossing film of the year. Starring Rishabh Shetty, who was not considered a superstar on the scale of Karnataka’s biggest names, the film made a massive impact. In Bollywood, Vicky Kaushal, who is not as big a star as the Khans, delivered a blockbuster with Chhaava, which grossed over ₹800 crore.

Adding to this trend, the Hindi film Saiyaara, featuring debutant actors, emerged as a major box-office success and collected close to ₹600 crore. Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar is currently in theatres, has crossed ₹500 crore, and is racing toward becoming the highest grosser of the year.

In Malayalam cinema, the female-oriented film Lokah Chapter 1, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, became an industry hit despite the presence of superstars like Mohanlal and Mammootty in the industry. The Kannada animated film Mahavatar Narsimha also made a strong impact at the box office, grossing over ₹300 crore. These films performed well even in the Telugu states.

What this really shows is that it is up to filmmakers to create films with universal appeal that connect across the country. No star is bigger than the content of the film.