Telugu Film Industry has always had a success rate that was far less than the number of films being produced over the year. During early days, with film being an attraction and fascination for viewers, it replaced then popular medium of entertainment, Theatre, big time with actors like ANR and NTR along with SVR, Gummadi and many others like Rajanala, Relangi, Ramana Reddy, Suryakanthamma. Even though some of them were type cast, people loved see them in such roles and by 70’s filmmaking turned into a pure business by many wealthy men coming into the industry. Slowly, financiers grip increased and by 90’s Film Industry became a place where you either convert your black money to white or gain a name as a producer and loose money to financiers.
With abundance of films and heroes coming in, options for people also increased and those who could promise a minimum guarantee became Stars. To please the audience, producers started spending on special songs and small cameos from top actresses in their films. This certainly helped their cause initially but later overkill has happened and today, these sort of tricks started looking outdated until youth are crazily in love with an actress. Pokiri gave Ileana and Mumaith Khan equal craze but Mumaith faded out after becoming an actress. She was good as a dancer and people enjoyed her stint as an Item Girl only. Still several producers are spending huge amounts on these special songs and cameos by actresses to no bound.
Recently, Tamanna and Kajal, drew fat checks, for turning the heat up in Alludu Seenu, Jaguar and Janatha Garage, respectively. The belief that Jyothi Lakshmi, Jayamalini, Silk Smitha, Anuradha, Jayalakshmi created among the producers over the years, that a popular item song with a well known seductress will only help has stayed with the big actors. Even though few proved it otherwise too, time and again some or the other film with such songs and cameos work big time and bring back the belief in producers, that whatever might be your story, an item song can safely assure you an opening. Well, Alludu Seenu, Jaguar did not become big hits but the songs have created interest in young audience. The song featuring Kajal in Janatha Garage, turned out to be a huge success and helped the film.
But producers are showing these one or two examples and are blindly going ahead. Amisha Patel is being paid 20 lakhs for her song in Akathayi and Avika Gor was paid 40 Lakhs for her 10 days shoot in Ekkadikipothavu Chinnavada. Directors like Koratala Siva openly supported saying it is not the length but the stature that is important and a nice addition that these actors can bring in, that should be seen. But in an Industry with less than 5% success rate and very very less return on investment some kind of cost control should be brought in. Is it any wrong if the same amounts are instead paid for writers and collaborations of several writers? May be rather than these gimmicks a good script with better writers might assure a better box office return!
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