Telugu cinema 2024: Blockbusters, surprises and several misses

Telugu cinema in 2024 saw blockbusters, surprises, and disappointments, with a mix of big-budget and small films.

In 2024, Telugu cinema delivered two blockbusters — Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2: The Rule —that crossed the 1000-crore mark at the box office. A few surprises came in the form of small and medium budget films that gave the audiences and the industry reasons to cheer. Despite this, it was a middling year for Telugu cinema. Over several weeks many new releases failed to generate footfalls in theatres. Nearly 250 Telugu films released in theatres of which, only 15 to 20 were box office successes.

Stories from the Mahabharata became a talking point after director Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD was released. The sequel is expected to throw more light on the world of the Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan), the redemption of Ashwatthama (Amitabh Bachchan), Karna (Prabhas), and of course, the birth of Kalki.

Director Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule capitalised on the popularity of the first film, Pushpa: The Rise, for which Allu Arjun bagged the National Award for Best Actor. The sequel was tailor-made for mass cinema-loving audiences and ended, albeit abruptly, with the announcement of Pushpa 3: The Rampage. 

Guntur Kaaram, director Trivikram Srinivas and Mahesh Babu’s collaboration a decade after Khaleja, drew mixed response for its lackadaisical screenplay. 

Sankranti 2024’s surprise winner was director Prasanth Varma’s Hanu-Man. The story of an underdog gaining superpowers from lord Hanuman made for an entertaining film. In the age of marketing hype and increased ticket prices driving the box office, Hanu-Man was a reminder that a film will have wide acceptance if it strikes a chord with the audiences.

Director Koratala Siva and Jr. NTR’s Devara — their second collaboration after Janatha Garage — tried to capture the nationwide box office, following the actor’s increased popularity post-RRR. The overstretched action drama ended with the announcement of a sequel. 

In the post-Baahubali era, as more big-budget films vie for their share of large box office pies, there has been an increase in larger-than-life stories that involve meticulous world-building, numerous characters and subplots designed with the scope for franchises. Post-release posters may boast several hundred crore box office collections, but that audiences are getting weary of sequels is undeniable.