September rejig: It’s advantage small films after ‘Salaar’ postpones its release

With ‘Salaar’ deferring its September 28 release date and ‘Skanda’ vying for that long weekend, a bunch of smaller Telugu films such as ‘Changure Bangaru Raja’ and ‘Ramanna Youth’ are poised to release in the preceding weekends

Two Telugu films with an indie vibe, Ramanna Youth and Changure Bangaru Raja, will be released in theatres on September 15, and hope to cash in on the weekend leading up to the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday on September 18. Director Atlee and Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan, still drawing the crowds in Hindi and Telugu versions, and the Telugu dubbed version of the Vishal-starrer Tamil film Mark Antony being their competition. Ramanna Youth and Changure Bangaru Raja’s release was a last-minute move as director Boyapati Sreenu’s action entertainer Skanda, headlined by Ram Pothineni, pushed its release date from September 15 to 28, following the postponement of director Prashanth Neel’s Salaar. The much-anticipated Salaar ,starring Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Shruti Haasan, was originally scheduled to arrive in theatres on September 28.

The unexpected change in the release dates of the two big-budget films, Salaar and Skanda, has translated into an opportunity for smaller films. Ramanna Youth, with its story set in rural Telangana, is directed by actor Abhay Naveen. This political drama, laced with humour, narrates the story of a young man’s efforts to get noticed in the political arena. The story touches upon the sacrifices youngsters in rural areas make to be in the good books of politicians. 

The other indie-style film releasing this weekend is Changure Bangaru Raja produced by actor Ravi Teja and directed by Satish Varma. Actor Karthik Rathnam, who got noticed in films such as Care of Kancharapalem, stars as a village mechanic who has to prove his innocence after his arch-rival is found murdered. 

Later this month, the long weekend from September 28 to October 2 will see a bunch of film releases. Boyapati Sreenu’s Skanda and the Telugu version of Raghava Lawrence’s Chandramukhi 2 are the big-ticket films. There’s also director Rathinam Krishna’s Rules Ranjann with Kiran Abbavaram and Neha Shetty in the forefront. The surprise for this long weekend came from director Srikanth Addala’s Peddha Kapu - 1 when the makers threw their hat in the ring after Salaar’s postponement. The gritty promos of this film have helped create a buzz for a story that discusses class and caste differences, starring Virat Karrna in the lead and Srikanth Addala as the antagonist. 

Films expected in October include the Muthiah Muralidaran biopic 800, director Srikanth Nagoti’s Month of Madhu starring Naveen and Swathi Reddy, Ravi Teja’s Tiger Nageswara Rao, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Tamil film Leo starring Vijay and Balakrishna’s Bhagavanth Kesari. The Telugu film industry will hope to cash in on the festive releases after the dull summer months.