2017: Tollywood's winners in Overseas
- IndiaGlitz, [Monday,January 01 2018]
Overseas territory, especially the US, has become a feather in the cap for Telugu cinema. Some of the biggest hits produced by Indians in the US market are by Tollywood. IndiaGlitz takes stock of what happened in 2017 by bringing you the actual figures.
'Baahubali-2':
'Baahubali-2', obviously, was the biggest hit. It made about USD 11.85 million. The film's range only showed the potential of a classic, not that of the average Tollywood entertainer.
Riding on the wave of 'The Beginning', this Rajamouli-Prabhas-Rana Daggubati gem went a long way in tilting the scales in Tollywood's favour like no other.
'Khaidi No. 150':
Megastar Chiranjeevi was a boss even in the Overseas market. This saviour's story made USD 2.45 million, proving to be a colossal hit. Despite it being a remake and a mass-masala entertainer, the VV Vinayak directorial scorched the BO in the US.
'Fidaa':
The Sekhar Kammula movie made as much as USD 2.05 million, breaching the coveted 2 million mark. What is surprising is that it made more than even 'Arjun Reddy', easily a far more unconventional movie than 'Fidaa'.
'Arjun Reddy':
For a movie made on less than Rs. 5 Cr, here was a blockbuster which rained moolah for its stakeholders in the US market. The Vijay Devarakonda-Sandeep Vanga cult romance made USD 1.77 million there, living up to its image in the home turf.
'Gautamiputra Satakarni':
For a Balakrishna film to find its mojo in the US amid stiff competition from 'Khaidi No. 150' and 'Shatamanam Bhavati' (which too was a hit), was a big deal in itself. The historical, directed by Krish, made USD 1.65 million. Sai Madhav Burra's dialogues, the screenplay and the performances helped the film in a big way.
'PSV Garuda Vega':
There are films which have made more than this action thriller, but from the profits perspective, 'PSV Garuda Vega' has been called a super-hit. This comeback film of Rajasekhar has raised the stature of Praveen Sattaru in the international market. When he makes his next universal films, especially Pullela Gopichand's biopic, the image the director now has will pay off even more handsomely.
Nani's films:
Among the heroes, Nani is an outlier with a difference. He has become the only Telugu hero to have three one million dollar movies in the same year - all in a row. 'Nenu Local', 'Ninnu Kori' and now 'MCA' have all fetched decent returns.
Miscellany:
Apart from the above-mentioned performers, 'Shatamanam Bhavati' (for all its Sankranthi-esque flavour, the family entertainer trailed 'GPSK' in the season), 'Ghazi' (quite a decent performer), 'Nene Raju Nene Mantri', and the humble horror-comedy 'Anando Brahma' turned out to be hits.
Akhil Akkineni-Vikram Kumar's 'Hello!' has so far made USD 0.9 million.