By making content-rich small cinema bigger money spinners than star-studded films, the US audiences have started sending signals to Telugu filmmakers to either change the age-old scripts they have been churning out or face humiliation.
After comfortably beating Allu Arjun-Dil Raju’s ‘DJ’, Nani’s ‘Ninnu Kori’, which was made on relatively very lesser budget, has now humbled Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Katamarayudu’. With this feat, Ninnu Kori stands at fourth place at the US box office this year, only behind Baahubali 2, Khaidi No.150 and Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Pawan Kalyan and Allu Arjun are undoubtedly the biggest stats in the Telugu states but their routine films couldn’t stand before Nani’s ‘Ninnu Kori’. Even the Natural Star’s ‘Nenu Local’ fell just short of Katamarayudu and DJ. The manner in which Sekhar Kammula’s ‘Fidaa’ opened and taking the positive response into account, trade pundits expect the heart warming love story to surpass both Bunny and Pawan’s films in its lifetime, setting another example why stars and their films need to change.
Content based films like Shatamanam Bhavathi and The Ghazi Attack have also performed extremely well in the US in the first half of this year. It may be recalled that Khaidi No.150 also witnessed nosedive after taking record breaking opening. ‘Content is the King on any day’, and US audiences are proving it.