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At the crossroads
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Telugu movies need a makeover
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THE TELUGU film industry, which churns out the largest number of movies in the country, drew a blank at the National awards this year. This clearly states that the quantity aspect may not be a barometer to the quality of films produced. It is an irony that today we have as many new talents as we have the number of films on floors. Despite this, the poor turnout indicates the nature of movies that are being churned out. This year till October end, as many as 60 films have been released and the successful ones can be counted on the fingertips.
Insipid themes, oft repeated comedy tracks, are some of the reasons attributed for this dismal picture. No wonder, most producers especially the veterans in the game feel that the industry is in a precarious position, heading towards a major slump, if corrective measures are not taken now.
But not everybody seems to be agreeing with this view. Especially those filmmakers, whose films have been hits, seem to think that the industry is actually flourishing. One finds at least two new films being launched everyday. However, the fact remains that stale subjects and lack of innovative treatment is hampering the film's acceptance among the audience. Take the recent examples of Ela Cheppali and Sivamani; both took a beating at the box office.Ela Cheppali, a remake of Tum Bin had Tarun in the lead and Germany locales to boast of. One expected a box office kill but the film went unnoticed. Similarly, the most successful director Puri Jagannath and equally successful Nagarjuna failed to create magic with Sivamani. Other examples include highly successful action-hero Balakrishna's Palnati Brahmanaidu that proved a damp squib.
Even Veede, a mass oriented action film, expected to create a mass base for Ravi Teja is having an average run. There are umpteen examples. If a Simhadri or a Tagore met with huge success, it is because of the novelty in the theme, the new ambience and of course the performances.
On the success and quality front, the Telugu film industry is at cross roads. The cost of production has gone up, but the quality has come down. Quality does not necessarily mean technical excellence. We have good technicians. What we need is quality themes. We depend on borrowed themes, be it from Tamil or Malayalam, spending huge money for the rights. What we need is, good screenplay writers as in those languages. There is a dearth of this lot.
To retain the boom that started in the first year of the new millennium, the new entrants should have an understanding of the vagaries of film production. For that, the industry has to conduct crash course for rank newcomers among producers introducing them to various crafts that are involved in film production and on the budget control aspects. A school for developing screenplay skills among writers and aspiring movie script writers must also be started by the Film Chamber to usher in the much needed new beginning in movie making. Is the industry listening?
M.L. NARASIMHAM
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