Tollywood producers rethink high-budget films, delay big collaborations - Details inside

Tollywood films face budget constraint

• Tollywood producers enforce strict budgets due to lower digital and satellite income.
• Chiranjeevi-Bobby and Balakrishna-Gopichand films delayed for cost planning.
• Major star projects now expected to release only in 2027

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The Telugu film industry is currently going through a difficult financial phase. Income from digital and satellite deals has reduced a lot in recent months. Film producers, because of this, are becoming very careful while planning new projects.

Producers are no longer ready to spend freely, even when big stars and hit combinations come together. Every rupee is being calculated, and strict budget control has become the new rule in Tollywood.

Earlier production house Mythri Movie Makers delivered two big Sankranthi hits. One was Waltair Veerayya starring Chiranjeevi and directed by Bobby. The other was Veerasimha Reddy, featuring Balakrishna under the direction of Gopichand Malineni. Both films performed very well at the box office.

Now these successful combinations are coming together again, but under different banners. Chiranjeevi and Bobby are teaming up once more for a new film produced by KVN Productions. However, the project has been delayed as the producers want to reduce expenses. The director has been clearly told to stick to a fixed budget and most of the time is being spent on careful pre-production planning.

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Similarly, Balakrishna will again work with Gopichand Malineni. This project will be backed by Vriddhi Cinemas, which is linked to Ram Charan’s Peddy. Initially, a high-budget period script was discussed, but the producers were not confident. As a result, the director reworked the story to suit a lower budget. Discussions on cost planning have been going on for months, which has delayed the shoot.

Producers are under high pressure with the non-theatrical market shrinking. They are also requesting actors to reduce their remuneration to make projects viable. Overall, even the biggest star combinations in Tollywood are now focusing on cost-cutting. These carefully planned films are expected to hit theatres only in 2027.