Telugu cinema this weekend: It's Konda Polam versus Aaradugula Bullet

After two weekends of quality storytelling in Telugu cinema with Sekhar Kammula's Love Story and Deva Katta's political drama Republic, October 8 will have three Telugu films competing for the audience's attention - Konda Polam, Varun Doctor and Aaradugula Bullet. While Konda Polam is an action-adventure directed by Krish, starring Panja Vaisshnav Tej, Rakul Preet Singh and Sai Chand in key roles, Aaradugula Bullet is a commercial entertainer helmed by veteran B Gopal and features Gopichand, Nayanthara, Prakash Raj and Abhimanyu Singh in pivotal parts. Varun Doctor is the dubbed version of Siva Karthikeyan's Tamil film Doctor that also stars Gang Leader fame Priyanka Mohan.

Konda Polam is the obvious frontrunner at the theatres, despite catering to a niche audience. The film, inspired by a novel written by Sannapureddy Venkatarami Reddy, revolves around a youngster coming to terms with himself and his strengths and limitations. A transformative experience on the hills, where he goes land grazing with his father and needs to confront the wild, helps him realise his capabilities to the fullest. MM Keeravani's excellent music, Krish's credentials as a storyteller, the unconventional yet a promising lead cast are certain to draw crowds to theatres, though the word of mouth remains crucial for its commercial prospects.

Aaradugula Bullet, in an ideal scenario, should have been a minimum guarantee fare at the box office, given its high-profile lineup comprising names like director B Gopal, actors Gopichand, Nayanthara, Prakash Raj and composer Mani Sharma. However, repeated delays and postponements with the release over the last five years haven't helped its momentum. It's a typical mass fare, with action, father-son sentiment, romance and humour packaged in the right ingredients. The current-day Telugu audiences have distanced themselves from usual formulaic plots but one can't underestimate the experience of a veteran like B Gopal in putting up a good show.

On the whole, Aaradugula Bullet may have the star pull but Konda Polam will have the initial advantage. Vaisshnav Tej is returning after a blockbuster like Uppena, Rakul Preet's transformation as a village belle looks extremely promising and it's always good to have a veteran like Kota Srinivasa Rao back in action. It's highly unlikely that Varun Doctor would be able to leave its mark among audiences despite the strength in content. Yet, it's important for the three films to put up a good show this weekend given four films - Maha Samudram, Varudu Kaavalenu, Pelli SandaD, Most Eligible Bachelor- are slated to hit the theatres in the coming week for Dussehra and it'll be tough to counter their competition.