Telugu film industry is known all over its frenzy of cinema making, the aspirants who flock the city for one role in their lifetime and a lot of allied business activities associated with the art of filmmaking. This has kept the flame of Hyderabad flying high, after the Telugu industry slowly sifted out of Chennai in the 1990s.
The covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns dealt a severe blow to our industry like never before, which shattered the lives of lakhs who are dependent on this industry for their livelihood right from food caterers to light boys, schedule managers and other suppliers apart from those involved in the 24 frames and main acting cast. The success of OTT has clearly shifted the way industry works and it can be now described the best as before pandemic and after pandemic as audience preferences have also changed. It takes a lot of effort to bring the audiences back to theatres and only a star studded venture can do this easily.
For the first time ever, this Sankranti season brought the festival a bit early to Hyderabad and the rest of Telugu states. In particular, with the Telangana government giving a green signal to six shows a day, all multiplexes screening Veerasimha Reddy started their shows at 4:30 am and ended at 2:30 am the next day. There was a vibrant festive atmosphere all around as Telugu film lovers flocked to the theaters to catch a glimpse of their stars.
The same trend is expected for ‘Waltair Veerayya’ too and naturally this is becoming a memorable season for filmmakers. Usually Sankranti is a big season for film releases and again the cooperation given by Telangana government plus the urge by everyone to put the pandemic days behind them made it appear as if the glory of theatres is back with a bang. Although it is too early to say that theatre business will get its due from OTT, however, the mere festivities of non-stop shows and crowd rush is a great rejuvenating experience for everyone – particularly audiences as well as the entire domain of film business in Tollywood.
