There was a time when top Telugu actors such as NTR, ANN, Shobhan Babu, Krishna, and Krishna Raju worked together. Their collaborations not only achieved phenomenal success but also rewrote the record books. However, the number of multi-starrer films steadily declined in Telugu cinema.
However, in the last few years, the trend of multi-starrers appears to have returned. Venkatesh was the first to embark on such stories. Pawan Kalyan, Ram Charan, Varun Tej and Nagarjuna have featured in different multi-starrers in the last couple of years and managed to taste box office success too. With the RRR, Ram Charan and Jr NTR came together on screen for the first time. They had Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn in supporting roles. Let’s see how multi-starrers have fared in the last ten years.
1) Sirimalle Chettu in Seethamma Wakit: Srikanth Addala directed the film, which starred Venkatesh and Mahesh Babu. The film was released on Sankranthi 2013 and it was a huge success.
2) Masala: Another multi-starrer, Masala starring Venkatesh, was released in 2013. Directed by Vijay Bhaskar, Ram Charan plays the second lead. The film, a remake of Bol Bachchan, was a flop.
3) Manam: In this film, the entire Akkineni family was part of the star cast. This film starred Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, and Nageswara Rao. The film was released in May and was a sensational success.
4) Gopala Gopala: This film was the remake of O My God and Pawan Kalyan played the character of God. The film was released On Sankranti in 2015. Daly’s direction of the film was above average.
5) Upiri: The film Upiri, starring Nagarjuna and Karthi, was directed by Vamsi Paidipally. The film was a successful remake of the French film Untouchables. The film gained popularity in both Telugu and Tamil.
6) Devdas: Another multi-starrer starring Nagarjuna and Nani was a flop. The film was directed by Sriram Aditya and it was released in 2018.
7) F2: Anil Ravipudi’s blockbuster multi-starrer F2 starred Venkatesh and Varun Tej as male leads. The film was a blockbuster, eclipsing the success of Peta, Vinaya Vidheya Rama, and NTR Kathanayakudu.
8) Bangarraju: The film, starring Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya, was on Sankranthi this year. It was a sequel to Kalyan Krishna Kursala’s Soggade Chinni Nayana.
9) Bheemla Nayak: Bheemla Nayak was the first film that starred Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati. Directed by Sagar K Chandra, written by Trivikram, the film performed well at the box office and grossed 98 crores at the box office.
10) RRR: SS Rajamouli’s RRR starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR grossed Rs 500 crores in just three days and is on its way to becoming a blockbuster.
