A-Rating films ruled Tollywood-2009

Out of 125 films released and handful turned out to be hits. Magadheera became the biggest grosser in the history of Telugu cinema bettering the Rs 60 crore mark set by Mahesh Babu’s Pokkiri in 2005. Ram Charan was easily the star of the year Kajal Agarwal became the most promising actress in Tollywood. Anushka made a fantastic comeback with Arundhanthi as she carried the entire film on her shoulders. The incredible success of the film made her hot not only in Andhra but also in Tamil as all top stars wanted to be cast opposite her.

Gone were the days when the Tollywood boasted of the sugar coated family entertainers. Now, the industry is busy racing towards violence and bloodshed territory.

Bolder and wilder than ever, all the big Tollywood movies in 2009 had a generous amount of blood and gore, earning them an A certificate. The Telugu film industry has created a record of sorts by releasing 30 A certified movies in 2009. And surprisingly, all of them were box office successes.

Some of the A-Listers in 2009: Arundhati, Magadheera, Billa, Aanjaneyulu, Drona, Sankham, Rechipo, Ek Niranjan, Kurradu, Amaravati, Siddham and Kasko. The A-films producers claim that a wind of change gripped Tollywood. Shyam Prasad Reddy, producer of Arundhati, which raked up sensation among the audience with its violent subject, said that violence was an emotion and if the story demanded it, there was nothing wrong in incorporating it with a judicious dose. “The audiences want stories with a different treatment. Arundhati would have been a futile attempt sans violence,” he maintained. “I went ahead with taking A certificate rather than deletion of violent scenes.”

Another big producer Suresh Babu, said that many horror films and thrillers released in 2009 were good grosser and even blockbusters. “This is a testimony to the fact that the audiences don’t really care about the certifications. At the end of the day, it’s an individual decision. More important, it is the content that matters.”

The A certification has become a crowd puller of sorts, observed some of the film criticis. The Censor Board members too agreed that the A certificate has become an added advantage. The young audiences expect to see bolder content now. Moreover, the filmmakers put up graphic hoardings to publicize the films even before they send it for certification. So, by then the film generates a buzz and an A certificate adds to it.

Censor board officials also claimed that adult certification will affect the satellite rights of the film. Generally, the TV channels prefer to stay away from getting A certified films because of its violent and explicit content. If the filmmakers want to sell their movies for a better price, they have to delete objectionable scenes to get a ‘U’ Certification.

ANUSHKA Marriage Next Year »

Is it now wedding bells for the sexy yoga teacher turned heroine Anushka? Well, some reports say this. Anushka has now a couple of films in hand. But it is said that she is now ready to get the knot tied sometime next year.

The name of the groom has not yet been announced. But Film Nagar sources are mentioning the name of a cinematographer in this regard. The man in question is the dark and

Shriya Saran disappointed with the failure of Mission Istanbul »

Actress Shriya Saran’s Mission Istanbul has bombed at the box office, but she is happy with the way her career is shaping up.

From music videos to Tollywood to the Hindi film industry and now Hollywood, she has been climbing the ladder of success.

Back in the city for the shooting of a Tamil film Kandaswami, Shriya says, “Hyderabad is like home to me and it feels great to be here. I was at the Poison launch party and met up with all my old friends after such a long time.”

Disappointed with the failure of Mission Istanbul?

“When a film doesn’t do well, it is natural that you will feel bad. But the important thing is I have given it my 100 per cent and have worked very hard for the film,” she says.

When asked what she felt went wrong with the film, she replied, “It’s not right for me to comment on this. A film is a by-product of the energies and efforts of a lot of people. On hindsight, you can point out many mistakes, but you can never be sure about the fate of a movie from before it releases.”

Talking about her recent Tamil film, Shriya says that though it is a commercial movie, it has a poignant social message. “The film is about the economic disparity in the country — how the rich are getting richer while the poor are becoming poorer. Sushi Ganeshan is the director while Vikram is my co-actor. I had a good time doing the film. It’s a commercial film but at the same time deals with a topic that is so true of India.”