Tollywood heroes defy BO success

Eleven years. That���s how long it took for Pawan Kalyan to deliver a blockbuster like Gabbar Singh after the success of Khushi in 2001. However, the expectations surrounding Pawan Kalyan���s films just never seemed to dip even though he delivered dud after dud. ���My fans were coming up to me and pleading me to deliver a hit. A fan told me he was unable to hold his head high because I had a string of flops,��� said Pawan Kalyan.The same can be said about Balakrishna who has just had just four hits ���Narasimha Naidu, Lakshmi Narasimha, Simha and Legend ��� since the turn of the new millennium. The paucity of hits doesn���t seem to have dented Balayya���s appeal among the masses. NTR Jr, Ravi Teja and Mahesh Babu too have all gone through hit-less spells but their brand image seems to stay intact. It does look like stardom has little to do with BO success in Telugu film industry.
An undefinable phenomenon Filmmaker Harish Shankar says, ���Stardom has got nothing to do with success or failure. It is an undefinable quality of the star which people fall in love with. That���s what is called charisma which separates the stars from the rest.��� Screenwriter Gopi Mohan believes stardom is closely linked to the star���s personality which finds resonance at a psychological level with the masses. ���Once a set of people become an actor���s fans, they will always support him no matter what. An entire generation of moviegoers was impressed with Pawan Kalyan���s mannerisms in his initial films like Tholiprema, Thammudu, Badri and Khushi. People still relate him to those films. The same is true with Mahesh Babu too, who carved a niche for himself with films like Rajakumarudu, Okkadu, Athadu and Pokiri. And fans of NTR subconsciously seek the guy they saw in films like Aadi and Simhadri.���
The legacy factor There���s the legacy factor which plays a big role in the making of a star. Balakrishna is seen as the personification of his father, NTR, as is the case with stars like Ram Charan (Chiranjeevi���s son) and Mahesh Babu (Krishna���s son). ���Balakrishna has been part of films for more than 25 years now and his fans see him as an embodiment of his father. So despite not having a single hit to his credit for almost nine years, he was back with a bang with Simha in 2010. The more flops they have, the more sympathy they generate among the audience. And people genuinely want their favourite actor���s films to do well,��� adds Gopi Mohan. continued on page 10
All it takes is a makeover Back in the 90s Chiranjeevi staked claim to Megastardom with Kodamasimham and followed it with hits like Gang Leader, Rowdy Alludu, Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, and Gharana Mogudu. But after a spate of flops he made a comeback with Hitler, where his characterisation was much mellowed down. Similarly, Mahesh Babu tried slapstick comedy in Dookudu and scored a blockbuster after almost five years. ���Telugu commercial cinema format is not easy. The sensibilities of the audience might vary but there���s no denying that an actor with an action hero image is the best bet. Besides, we are constantly trying to reach out to all sections of the audience while trying to strike a balance between the hero���s image and our creative sensibilities, and that���s what makes it very difficult to make a successful film with a star,��� says filmmaker Sukumar.
You have to earn stardom Filmmaker Vamsi Paidipally believes that flops are more indicative of an actor���s worth at the BO. ���Flop films of big stars make `30-35 crore. To put it simply ��� ���Stardom doesn���t come easy. You have to earn it and once you do, then it stars forever���,��� he says. Amen.