SS Rajamouli holds a special place in the Telugu film industry. He’s a master filmmaker who achieved what seemed impossible. He’s the only director with two movies, RRR and Baahubali 2, that made over Rs 1000 crore in earnings. His groundbreaking work opened up new markets for Telugu cinema, but there’s still untapped potential.
Even though Rajamouli reached the Rs 1000 crore mark twice, no other Telugu hero or director has reached Rs 500 crore at the Indian box office. Movies like Saaho and Pushpa 2 did well across India, but they couldn’t cross the Rs 500 crore milestone. It’s been six years since Baahubali 2, and the Telugu film industry has grown in other languages. Still, there haven’t been enough films to utilize this growth fully.
The main problem is that top Telugu directors haven’t made significant strides in this direction. Sukumar did well with Pushpa, but even he didn’t expect the pan-Indian success it achieved. While many were hesitant about the movie’s pan-Indian potential, Pushpa defied expectations. The film’s success across the country was a pleasant surprise for Sukumar himself. It demonstrated that there is indeed a substantial appetite for Telugu cinema beyond its traditional boundaries.
However, it have to be seen, whether his next to will score a blockbuster and make his name popular.
Trivikram hasn’t ventured into the pan-India market.Despite his track record of delivering successful films, he has remained within the confines of the Telugu-speaking audience. This represents a missed opportunity for the industry because, given his talent and experience, a Trivikram venture into pan-Indian cinema could have significant potential.
Interestingly, directors from other languages like Prashanth Neel and Atlee have better harnessed the pan-India potential, despite having all the resources in Tollywood. They have effectively tapped into the pan-Indian market.
While Rajamouli continues to push boundaries, the Telugu film industry as a whole has not fully embraced the pan-India audience. There’s a lot of untapped potential waiting to be explored.
