Telugu cinema gears up for summer 2022 with revised plans

Have you taken the new Telugu cinema release dates challenge yet? No kidding, but keeping track of the release date announcements and recalling which star’s film is scheduled to release on which date could well be a memory test. The third wave of COVID-19 played spoilsport to the release plans of films such as RRR in January; with things beginning to look up, fresh plans are being chalked out.

A few films are also toying between two dates. Director S S Rajamouli’s RRR, for instance, had announced its plans to release the film either on March 18 or April 28, depending on theatres reopening across the country, before zeroing in on March 25. Bheemla Nayak, Ghani and Ramarao on Duty have also announced tentative dates with plan A and plan B.

An official statement from the team of Ramarao on Duty, directed by Sarath Mandava and starring Ravi Teja, reads thus: “We love our film. At the same time, we have immense respect for other films. We slated Ramarao On Duty for release on March 25. But due to latest developments, we intend to release our film either on March 25 or April 15, 2022.”

Spacing out big releases

The ‘latest developments’ refers to the RRR release date announcement. The announcement also made director Koratala Siva’s Acharya, starring Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, consider a later date than what was planned earlier. Producers Niranjan Reddy and Anvesh Reddy stated, “Due to the third wave, we postponed the movie from February. We then wanted to release for Ugadi on April 1. But the big-budget, pan-India movie RRR will release on March 25. Since RRR and Acharya are huge movies, we and the producer of RRR have arrived at a consensus. As per the mutual agreement, RRR will arrive in theatres on March 25 and Acharya on April 29 to ensure a gap between the two movies.”

Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan in ‘Acharya’
 

Mahesh Babu and Keerthy Suresh starrer Sarkaru Vaari Paata, directed by Parasuram, is scheduled to arrive in theatres on May 12. Also expected this summer are Major starring Adivi Sesh and directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, director Vivek Athreya’s Ante Sundaraniki headlined by Nani and the long-pending Virata Parvam directed by Venu Udugula, starring Rana Daggubati, Sai Pallavi and others.

Where does all this leave small and medium budget films that do not have well-known actors or directors? They too may inevitably throw their hat in the box office ring and hope to not sink. A direct digital release, which seemed like a viable option for smaller players, is not simple anymore.

The changing OTT game

Bheemla Nayak, the Telugu remake of ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’, stars Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati
 

In 2020, the extended lockdown in the early stages of the pandemic fuelled the growth of the digital space. Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya, Colour Photo, Krishna and his Leela, and Middle Class Melodies were among the direct digital releases that drew wide acclaim. Several other films released directly on digital platforms, but only a few elicited interest.

Since mid-2021, several small and medium budget films queued up for theatrical release. A few Fridays witnessed nearly 10 film releases, with most of them fading into oblivion. Industry insiders attribute this to two factors — lockdowns throwing release plans out of gear, and OTT platforms changing the way they acquire new films.

“Digital platforms that acquired many projects earlier in the pandemic noticed that some films failed to generate viewer interest. So they became increasingly reluctant to acquire new films by paying big sums. So the films have no option but to head to the theatres, irrespective of the box office prospects,” explains producer-director Sai Rajesh.

Prabhas in ‘Radhe Shyam’
 

OTT platforms continue to keep their doors open to big films, but the biggies prefer the box-office battle. Pushpa’s pan India success has proven that nothing works like the magic of box-office success. RRR and Radhe Shyam hope to draw the crowds into the theatres across India.

Explaining how the game has gotten tougher for smaller players, writer-producer Venkat Siddareddy says, “A film made on a budget of ₹10 crore, for example, might be offered ₹6 or ₹7 crore for direct digital release, if it does not have a prominent name or a great storyline. Hence, the film is compelled to look for a theatrical release to muster what it can at the box office and then stream digitally. A ₹10 crore film with a good storyline and known cast and crew has a better chance to break even in its pre-release business deal with digital and audio rights etc. They head to the theatres thinking whatever they get is a bonus.”

Siddareddy adds that “the OTT bubble is likely to burst soon.” Having worked closely with several filmmakers and digital platforms, he observes that while there is demand for content on digital platforms, there is a qualitative gap between what is expected and what is being made: “To my knowledge, there are at least 50 films that are ready but struggling to find theatrical or digital release.”

Mahesh Babu in ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’
 

He further points out that a theatrical release is considered the benchmark to boost career prospects of new directors and emerging actors: “Even smaller films with new actors and directors are looking at theatrical release with a long-term view. If the producer can afford a theatrical release, that is deemed as the best bet. For bigger films, the ₹100 crore or ₹200 crore tag is preferred to the ‘n’ number of OTT viewing minute records. It is like wanting to score 80% or 90% rather than just getting a pass percentage.”

Following the digital boom in 2020, the production of films, series and shows witnessed a spurt in Hyderabad: “Many projects were mooted with the assumption that OTTs will buy them. But that is not happening easily anymore,” sums up Sai Rajesh.

In theatres and on digital platforms, it is the survival of the fittest.