Summer is usually the biggest season for Tollywood, but right now, theaters are surprisingly quiet. With no massive star-driven projects dominating the screens, the upcoming April 17 weekend is leaving the floor wide open for six smaller films to test their luck. However, out of the entire lineup, only two village-based stories are making any noise, while the rest are arriving with barely a whisper.
Village Stories Take the Lead
Right now, Paapam Pratap carries a decent amount of buzz. Starring Thiruveer and directed by S.P. Durga Naresh, this comedy-drama takes audiences back to the Godavari districts in 1998. The story follows a simple young man navigating life after his wife leaves him just three days into their marriage. The trailer struck a chord with viewers, setting up decent expectations for its theatrical run.
Following close behind is Thimmarajupalli TV, a project backed by actor-producer Kiran Abbavaram. Directed by V. Muniraju, this rustic suspense drama, set in 1996, features Sai Tej and Veda Jalandhar. The plot revolves around a massive local crisis: the theft of the only television set in an entire village. It’s a fresh concept, and that novelty has generated fair interest among moviegoers looking for something different.
Dubbed Films Face a Silent Release
At the same time, the other four movies are struggling to find people to watch them. Tovino Thomas’s action movie Pallichattambi came out in Malayalam yesterday, but the Telugu version has no promotions at all. It is the same for Mr. X, a spy movie starring Arya. Even though it has many action scenes under the water, most Telugu people do not even know it is coming to theaters this week.
The situation is also the same for Bollywood. Akshay Kumar worked with director Priyadarshan for the comedy movie Bhoot Bangla, but there is no excitement for it in the Telugu states. Finally, Naga Shaurya’s long-delayed movie Bad Boy Karthik is silently coming to theaters. It is an action film about a brother and sister, but nobody is really waiting for it.
In the end, this weekend’s success depends entirely on what people say after the first show. If Paapam Pratap and Thimmarajupalli TV get good talk on Friday morning, they have a great chance to make good money. We will see on Friday which of these small stories wins the hearts of the people.