CAN TELUGU INDUSTRY EVER PRODUCE ANOTHER
`SAVITRI’?
Budding and struggling actress Sri Reddy over the last one month or so
has opened `can of worms’ and exposed the rut in the Telugu film industry. I want to start with a disclaimer that by no
stretch of imagination I support her top less half nude act in public to bring focus on the casting couch
and denying opportunity to Telugu girls in Telugu cine industry. But yes I do share her anguish why for
decades opportunities in featuring Telugu films are denied for Telugu speaking
girls and film after film year after year absolutely mediocre non Telugu speaking actresses are promoted by top heroes, producers and directors .
The Role and contribution of the
Actresses in Telugu Industry
There is no denying that like in any other language, the Telugu film
industry is also predominantly a hero dominated industry. But traditionally the role and contribution
of the Actresses in Telugu industry used to be very significant and they used
to give run for the money to the Heroes.
It started with actresses like Khanamba, Anjali Devi and Bhanumati who
played significant roles with the then first star hero Nagayya, Peketi, lateron
NTR and ANR. Then came the Golden Era
of 50s and 60s in Telugu film industry which saw the rise of NTR and ANR (who
had the longest run in the industry and treated to be two eyes of the Telugu
film industry). Around the same time
Telugu film industry has seen the best phase for heroines with leading ladies
like Savitri and Jamuna which continued till late 80s. The heroines had almost equal length of roles
like heroes and commanded star billing.
Apart from acting Anjali devi and Bhanumati have started producing
movies. Bhanumati has gone on to handle
almost all departments viz., Acting, producing, directing, writing story,
screenplay, dialogues and singing. The popularity of Savitri and Jamuna has
soared to such heights that author backed roles were writing for them and there
were many heroine oriented movies which racked mullah at box office. Both of them enjoyed super star status. They were so gorgeous, talented and commanded
such huge fan following that for some reasons when NTR and ANR ganged up and
boycotted  |
| Savitri |
 |
| Jamuna |
 |
| Vanisri |
 |
| Sridevi |
Closely followed on their heels was the era of Vanisri, Jayalalita and
Sharada again very dominating female actresses with huge fan following
specially female fan following. They
had more than a decade run with NTR, ANR, Krishna and Shobhan Babu. Come 80s a new crop of heroines have hit the
Telugu industry viz., Jaya Pradha, Jayasudha, Sridevi and Vijaya Shanti, all of
them were extremely talented and had the ability to shoulder equal
responsibility with the heroes of that time.
With producers becoming more prolific and most of the super hit Telugu
hit movies being remade in other languages specially Hindi, these actresses
specially Sridevi and Jayapradha had crossed over to Hindi film industry. Sridevi had not only settled in Bolloywood
but has also become most successful and top heroine.
 |
| Jayaprada |
Start of the worst trend
 |
| Chiranjeevi |
By late 1980s NTR has left movies and gone into politics and the aging ANR,
Krishna and Shoban Babu have slowed down and the Telugu industry was looking
for new stars. New crop of heroes viz.,
Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna (son of ANR), Balakrishna (son of NTR) and Venkatesh
(son of famous producer Rama Naidu) have found their footing and started
establishing their fan following base. Of
the four Chiranjeevi definitely was head and shoulders ahead of others churning
hit after hit which made fans confer him the titles of `Supreme Hero’ first and
then the `Mega Star’. He to a
great extent could fill the vacuum created by the exit of NTR atleast for the
mass fans. So a phase has come in
Telugu industry where like in case of NTR, producers were ready to accede to any
demand of Chiranjeevi to get him sign on the dotted lines for their next
movie. NTR at his peak was known for
peculiar demands of asking producers to make Mohd Rafi sing for him (which was
no mean feat at peak of the singer’s career) or Shankar Jaikishan score music
for his movie or Helen/Aruna Irani do item numbers in his movies. Following in his footsteps Chiranjeevi
started the trend of asking producers to sign Bollywood established stars to be
signed opposite him which was never the trend hitherto. So Bollywood actresses like Nagma, Sonali
Bindre, Ravina Tandon, Juhi Chawla, Anjala Zaveri, Sridevi (as a comeback to Telugu industry
after establishing in Bollywood).
Producers not only used to shell out huge amounts compared to what has
been paid to Telugu heroines but used to put up with all sorts of unreasonable
demands of the Bollywood heroines. It might be possible that the other top heroes
might have taken it as a prestigious issue that they should also get Bolloywood
heroines opposite them. Nargarjuna immediately followed suit with
Nagma, Tabu, Ranjni etc., and Venkatesh and Balakrishna also joined the band
wagon thus opening flood gates for Non Telugu speaking heroines at the cost of
Telugu speaking actresses.
Around that time the death of Shaudarya and super stardom of Vijaya Shanti
and her decision to
What lead to this unexplainable
craving and worst trend
No one could put a hand what lead to this rut in the State of Andhra/T
which produced most talented actresses like Savitri, jamuna, Vanisri, Sridevi,
Jayaprada, Jaya sudha and Vijayashanti could not produce one single actress in
more than two decades.
I personally feel that it is a result of sense of inferiority complex of
our heroes post 1980s. As explained
above the heroines of Telugu industry were extremely talented and fantastic
actors,
Others Imports from Bollywood:
The import from Bollywood started with heroines did not stop there. The heroes, producers and directors got so
carried away by the recognition they get amongst Bollywood folks who work in
Telugu films, and `jee hoojuri’ they get
from Non-Telugu speaking guys that apart from heroines they started hiring Non
Telugu speaking guys for Character actor and Villain roles also. Barring exceptions like hugely talented
Amrish puri (who not only acted in `Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari’ but also took lot of efforts in dubbing his
own dialogues) most of the villains and character actors look very odd and out
of place and a limited number of dubbing artists doing dubbing for them
becoming very irritating. Pretty ordinary actors like Sharad Saxena,
Mukesh Rishi, Shinde and Ravi kishan are taken as main villains (incidentally
the later two completely left Bollowood and settled in Telugu industry). Actors
like Jackie Sheroof, Anupam Kher, Sudhir Mishra, Ashish vidharthi and Paresh
Rawal look absolutely pathetic. Once
in an interview Anupam Kher made fun of his outing in a Telugu movie and explained
the difficulty he faced in lip sinking dialogues and the directors suggesting him
to just count 1,2,3,4,5,6, upward and downwards and rest we will take care in
dubbing. What is the compulsion? Why producers have to put up with all these
nonsense. Compared to Telugu actors
these imports from Bollywood charge a bomb and producers have to put up with
their tantrums all the time. What a fall from extremely talented villains
and character actors like 
The same goes as far as singing is concerned. It is a shame that a State which produced
God of Film Music Ghantasala, the
sweetest voice P.Susheela,, SP Balasubramanian, who sang the highest number of
songs and S Janaki cannot find good Telugu
speaking singers in the last fifteen years.
The less said the better how Hindi singers like Adnan Sami, Mikka, Kailash
Kher, Udit Narayan murder Telugu songs.
One really has to struggle to find out Telugu words in their songs. Someone should educate our stupid music
directors that out of 7 editions of Indian Idol two winners (Sriram and Revanth)
and one runner up (karunya) were Telugu speaking guys from Andhra. Are these young singers who are talented
enough to win an all India singing competition in Hindi, but not fit to sing
Telugu songs?.
Who will bell the bit bad cat?
The entire Telugu film industry is completely in the vicious grips of
four filmy families and a cartel of producers.
What they wish is the Rule and they do not let anyone raise their head or
voice. Sri Reddy is now being branded in many ways negatively
and brushed aside by the powerful MAA (Movie Artists Association) by denying
her membership. The casting couch which
she threatens to expose is not new to Telugu industry or to the entire film industry
in India or world over. Many leading Hindi actresses and even Hollywood actresses
have come out against exploitation. Why
the top actors or MAA didn’t address her question why opportunities are not
given to Telugu speaking budding actors rather than finding fault in what she
did. If the Telugu film industry cannot
survive without importing stars from Bollywood then why heroes are not imported
from Hindi and other languages in place of our heroes. Maharastra Government was worried about the
labour class in the state is being dominated by people from UP and Bihar and
there were so many protests on this issue.
In America when more than 30% of soft professional are from India the
Trump Government is worried and put so many sanctions in place. But in Telugu film industry 100% of heroines
and villains are imported from Non Telugu speaking states for last two
decades. Shouldn’t that bother anyone? After all it is a matter of employment to
the locals. I am all for right for
employment anywhere in India but surely not cartelisation to complete deny
opportunities to Telugu speaking actresses.
Both Andhra and Telengana Government should take note of this in all
seriousness and insist that Telugu speaking artists and technicians should be
used atleast in those movie which claim subsidies from the state
Government. When we talk of up
liftment of the Telugu language, it should be in all walks of life including
film industry. The audience should do
their bit by boycotting Telugu films featuring non speaking heroines and
villains/character actors. I would like
to see another Mahanati Savitri, Jamuna and Bhanumati in Telugu Industry and
another `Gaana Gandharva’ Ghantasala and SP Balasubramaniam.
S. Prabhakar
9.4.2018
