’Akhil’ Movie Gallery

Tollywood audiences go gaga over film stars and their movies. It's no wonder that the movie-buffs leave no stone unturned to grab a ticket by shelling out Rs 1000-Rs 2000 to experience the nostalgia of watching it first day first show in the world. To cash in on the craze, several distributors and fans of the stars are organizing special benefit shows in the name of charity during the wee hours of the film`s release.

In recent times, social media or the internet is showing a lot of impact on films. The talk of a film is spreading like a wildfire with in nano-seconds thus showing a huge effect on the film`s run. If the film has the content, the talk will be good else it will have a disastrous effect on the collections. The recent example of Bruce Lee clearly enunciates that. A special benefit show of Bruce Lee was screened ahead of the film`s official release. People who watched the film have started to capture the screen shots or videos of the much talked about Chiranjeevi episode and other crucial scenes of the film and uploaded it across several video sharing sites and social media. Adding to that some over enthusiastic audiences posted live updates of the film across their micro-blogging or social media pages which apparently took a huge toll on the film`s collections in domestic and precisely overseas circuit. The widespread sharing of communication and content affected the prospects of the film and those in the know are blaming the distributors for sealing the fate of the film even before it hit the screens.

Needless to say producers are pumping in crores of rupees in to their projects but much to their dismay, a benefit show is changing their fate. Although the promoters of these benefit shows insist that the proceeds from the show would be used for a noble cause, there seems to be no truth in it (most of the cases). The special shows have turned out to be a platform to earn quick bucks by cashing in on the craze of the audience.

With Akhil Akkineni`s debut film ready to hit the screens, the distributors of the film are planning to organise special benefit shows in Hyderabad ahead of its release. Apparently this move is giving nightmares to Akkineni fans. The film has mixed pre-release buzz owing to the delay in release and the fans of the actor are wearing worried faces keeping in view of past experiences.

With the growing influence of social media and internet, does it make any sense to host a benefit show for a new-comer's film ahead of its world wide release? Only the makers have the answer!