Not everyone can do everything. This is also true in the case of the film industry. There are many trends and periodically certain flavours which are accepted by the audiences but Tollywood has many records and some unique capabilities overall in the entire Indian film industry. This is something we all can feel proud of anytime. One such special flavour of our filmdom is the popularity of mythological scripts and stories from a very long time.
Telugu film makers have for long made folklores and movies inspired by Mahabharatha and Ramayana as well as other interesting episodes in our mythology. NT Rama Rao and Kantha Rao in particular were the darlings of masses in that era, and in a way NTR emerged as a demigod for many due to his popularity as Lord Krishna. Ace director Vittalacharya’s films were a rage those days. At a time when there was no graphics, he mesmerized the audience with all his skill and to this day, such films command fame.
Annamayya, Devi Putrudu, Sri Rama Rajyam, name it, we have delivered films entirely based on gods or inspired by mythical stories. Then came Bahubali and its sequel which were memorable hits of a lifetime. Although other industries have attempted, one notable success recently was Ponniyin Selvan-1 which was a great venture and multi starrer helmed by Mani Ratnam.
Otherwise, most epic movies as well as socio fantasies are always a home turf for our Telugu industry. In fact, even dubbed versions of these films from Telugu into other languages were also successful. Mayabazaar was one outstanding example. In fact, this craze created a new cult of script writers, technicians and filmmakers who acquired unique skills, which is considered the pride of Tollywood. The recent
success of Karthikeya 2 and Bimbisara has once again proved our mettle.
In a digital era, where our children need to know more about our history and culture, films are definitely the most popular medium. It would be nice to see a new crop of actors and directors attempting those classics once again that can appeal to our audience. The beautiful folklore films can be once again presented in a new format to film lovers and this can also revive an interest in making more such movies, tailored to suit the film goers of this generation. Tollywood definitely has an advantage.
