Virupaksha, Dasara, Balagam and Writer Padmabhushan: Tollywood's young guns make a mark

Tollywood 2023 - Looking at new age directors who created impact by scoring big hits

Venu Yeldandi, Karthik Varma, Srikanth Odela, Shamukha Prashanth

There was a time when Tollywood used to produce only mass commercial movies. But directors like Rajamouli changed the face of Telugu cinema with films like Baahubali and RRR. Now, young directors in Telugu are coming up with content based films which are high on entertainment and drama. 2023 has already seen some big hits and the special aspect to notice is that all these big hits have been directed by either newcomers or debut directors. Let's look at some of the names.

Srikanth Odela-Dasara

Ever since the promos of Dasara came out, the only topic of discussion was how Nani has put so much money on his film which was being directed by a debut director. But Srikanth proved everyone wrong as he narrated Dasara in an intense manner and extracted solid performances from the cast. The film set in coal mines of Telangana has grossed over 100 crores and Srikanth is being lauded as the next big thing in Telugu cinema. Srikanth has assisted star director Sukumar in the past and will now make a film with Akhil.

Venu Yeldandi-Balagam

Venu Yeldandi aka Venu Tillu was a seasoned comedian in Telugu cinema. Not many even knew that he had turned director with a film called Balagm. It was only when his producer Dil Raju started to promote Balagam, everyone came to know about Venu and his film. Set in a small village of Telangana, Balagam talks about how a family reacts when an elderly person passes away. This sensitive subject was dealt in a superb manner by Venu and Balagam has become a solid hit. The film has won both critical and box office acclaim and made Venu Yelndandi a director to watch out for. His next film is also in Dil Raju's banner.

Shanmukha Prashanth- Writer Padmabhushan

Writer Padmabhushan is a small film about a writer who faces issues when his pen name is used by someone else. This interesting subject was narrated by debutante Shanmukha Prashanth in a delightful manner. The debut director showcased Suhas in a superb role and won good applause. The second half and the mother sentiment in the climax showed the maturity Sahmukha Prashanth has in his writing. The film which was made only on a budget of 3 crores became a huge success and made 13 crores at the box office.

Karthik Varma Dandu-Virupaksha

Virupaksha is one film which was carrying a good buzz from the day its promos came out. Karthi Varma is the man behind this film as he narrated the thriller in a very interesting manner. This is his second film which had Sai Dharam Tej making his comeback. Karthik Varma made sure that he elevates the suspense and drama in such a way that the audience get engrossed to the film. Virupaksha is already in the profit zone and has given Karthik a new lease of life in his career. His taking, visual composition is being lauded by one and all.

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