Akhil Akkineni: The Next Superstar?

Link to the latest article on Akhil:

http://www.telugu360.com/akhil-audio-launch-a-perfect-platform-for-the-next-superstar/

Pawan Kalyan and the Cult of the Colossal in Tollywood

"Gabbar Singh" is on its way to becoming a blockbuster in Tollywood. Its the first superhit for Power Star Pawan Kalyan in eleven years since "Khushi" movie was released. Now, offers are going to pour in for Pawan Kalyan. Goes to prove that Tollywood's obsession with the cult of the colossal is very much on. No other film industry has so much patience in kowtowing to matinee idols who fail to fire in so many movies. Flop after flop after flop, and then one hit, life's back to normal for the Star. The threshold of patience is highest in Tollywood which is ruled by few top heroes. That kind of patience is non-existent for the ones who are not the chosen ones. Many examples, there - Uday Kiran, Tarun, Raja, etc. Of course, they may say, those who have the talent will be always given a chance. True, it holds well but chances and half-chances don't come to the unsupported heroes just like that. You should either have financial backing like Nitin Reddy who delivered a superhit after 14 flops - "Ishq" (Nitin's father is a film distributor Sudhakar Reddy) or you should be like Pawan Kalyan with a monstrous fan following. Either way, the market cap of the top heroes goes on unabated.

The patience with heroes is one thing. The lack of patience with other elements in a Telugu movie - that is something else. Its almost legendary. From heroines to stunt directors, from directors to music directors, patronage is showered mostly on those who give the heroes instant success and stardom - the rest fall by the wayside. I will discuss later in a separate post on the number of music directors who have almost ended up like flashes in the pan. Goes to show that despite making the second-highest number of films in India, Tollywood is still oligopolistic and highly concentrated industry - a few call the shots, and the chosen few get quintals of patience from producers and fans while the rest languish.