After a few duds like Rajinikanth’s ‘Lal Salaam’, Dhanush's ‘Captain Miller’ followed by Tamil star Karthi’s ‘Japan’ and Vijay Antony’s ‘Love Guru,’ Telugu distributors are investing big in upcoming Tamil movies. “‘Kamal Hassan’s ‘Bharateeyudu 2’, Suriya’s ‘Kanguva’ and Dhanush’s 'Raayan' have trigger lot of hype and are set to release in two Telugu states from July to October,’ says a distributor and adds, “More than Rs 50 crores are riding on these three big films and Telugu distributors are hoping to recover their investments as they are expecting grand openings for ‘Bharateeyudu 2’ on July 12. “Kamal and Shankar’s 1996 blockbuster ‘Bharateeyudu’ is still lingering in the minds of Telugu viewers and its sequel after 26 years has also triggered a lot of interest," he adds.
No doubt, Kollywood stars had a dismal start in 2024 after flops like ‘Captain Miller’ and ‘Lal Salaam’ in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “The much-hyped Dhanush’s patriotic thriller ‘Captain Miller’ registered lukewarm collections in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, while Rajnikanth’s ‘Lal Salaam’ sank without a trace in Telugu box office," he points out. However, he says that Tamil superstar Rajniknath had a bigger hit in ‘Jailer, while his colleague Vijay scored a massive hit with ‘Leo’ last year. “Rajinikanth and Vijay made huge money in Telugu states with ‘Jailer’ and “Leo’ respectively and both the films collected Rs 50 crores net collections together in 2023 and showcased the expanding market for dubbed Tamil movies in Telugu states," he adds.
Although films of Tamil stars like Karthi (Japan) and Raghava Lawrence (Chandramukhi 2) flopped and left distributors high and dry in Telugu states but still there is some hope for Tamil stars since the much-hyped Suriya’s film “Kanguva’ is hailed as the most awaited film in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. “Suriya always comes up with unique plots and this time he is playing a dreaded warrior in ‘Kanguva’ and it is set to release in 30-odd languages including Telugu and Telugu viewers are showing interest in this action adventure,” he adds
Realising the high potential of Telugu markets, the makers of 'Kanguva' have pocketed big sums for Telugu dubbing rights. "No doubt, Tamil stars have a fan following and market in Telugu states and are bound to exploit it. We as buyers have to be cautious and choose the right ones at affordable rates," concludes the leading distributor.
The upcoming Tamil films that are making some noise in Telugu states include Rajnikanth's 'Vettaiyan’, Vikram ‘s ‘Kangalan’ and Karthi’s ‘Kaithi 2’.