Waking up to the reality that audiences are gradually declining in cinema theatres, Tollywood heroes have started moving towards the small screen and OTT platforms. While many big heroes have made big bucks this year with films like RRR and Sarkaru Vaari Paata, there is no denying that fans are feeling the heat of rising ticket prices, thus waiting for OTT releases.
During the pandemic, theatres were closed for several months, and even after opening, had several restrictions on capacity. This forced filmmakers to release their movies on OTT platforms.
Tollywood megastars like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, NTR, and Rana have already made a name for themselves on various platforms.
Balakrishna made his debut as a host on the OTT platform Aha which got hit with the first episode. Jr. NTR hosted the first season of Bigg Boss Telugu. He then greeted the audience with a reality show Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu.
Nagarjuna Akkineni hosted Bigg Boss Season 3,4,5 which received great ratings. After this, he hosted Bigg Boss OTT. Chiranjeevi also anchored season 3 of the reality show Milo Ki Koteeswarudu.
Though the Covid-19 pandemic dealt significant damage to the industry, as it did to numerous other language films, the problem of viewers’ unwillingness to watch films in theatres existed before the outbreak.
In terms of the number of films produced in the country, the Telugu film industry is one of the biggest. It produced 238 films in 2019 (following Hindi and Tamil) and 204 in 2021. (after Tamil and Hindi).
With little increase in attendance, production costs have risen dramatically, as has the pay of top heroes, directors, and heroines. In certain circumstances, the pay component has increased manifold. This has a knock-on effect, increasing budgets.
