In a recent interview, actor-director Ravi Babu of Allari and Avunu fame opined that film industry personalities shouldn't take themselves too seriously. "The total size of the industry (Telugu) is, may be, around Rs 2,000 Cr. It's not even one bill of one Class-1 contractor in this country," Ravi Babu said.
Considering that such frankness is rare in Tollywood (most of the celebs behave as though they are doing humanity a favour by acting in movies), his comments have to be examined in the right spirit. As a second-generation industry person, Ravi Babu knows for a fact that most heroes/filmmakers in particular think they have an outsized clout. The fact is that only a fraction of the stars and a minuscule number of films really have a healthy impact on the way fans/audiences think.
In the 21st century, Telugu films have lost all their glory, musical charm, and dignity. Our films don't raise pertinent questions. Serious themes are a big no. They are silent on every single major political/administrative issue affecting the future of the Telugu States.
The content of their movies never has any solution to real social issues. Even so-called meaningful films like Court are steeped in oversimplification and downright escapist drama. Love stories are soulless. Comedy continues to be problematic. Action movies are unoriginal. Family dramas are stuck in a time warp, staying completely away from raising millennial/Gen Z issues; they are Boomer-coded. And the offscreen behaviour of the celebs beggars belief; many of them are in the news for giving 'leki' speeches filled with dishonesty and lies about their stupid movies.
