🔥🎬 Tollywood Shock: Director’s Brand Value Losing Charm in Telugu Cinema?
- MediaFx
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
TL;DR 📝 – Telugu movie buffs are no longer blindly trusting big directors or flashy pre-release events . Instead, they are waiting for solid content and killer trailers . AR Murugadoss’s latest film Madharaasi is struggling to grab hype despite having Siva Karthikeyan in the lead, while other films are trending without promotions. Audience verdict: director’s “brand name” alone can’t sell tickets anymore 💥.
The Telugu film industry is witnessing a serious vibe shift . A biggie dubbed film, Madharaasi (releasing September 5, 2025), starring SivaKarthikeyan, is finding zero buzz even after a proper pre-release event . Meanwhile, another dubbed flick Kotha Lokah managed to trend without any event, purely through organic chatter . This shows one thing crystal clear – today’s Telugu audience cares about quality, not just names. A good trailer, strong content, and positive buzz on social media are becoming the real game-changers .
Even in Madharaasi’s event, people didn’t focus much on the film. Instead, the highlight turned out to be SivaKarthikeyan’s comments about Telugu films grossing ₹1000 Cr and RukminiVasanth’s packed line-up of upcoming releases .
Now comes the director angle . Once upon a time, AR Murugadoss was a national-level director with hits like Ghajini and Thuppakki. But in Telugu states, his brand value took a major beating after flops like SPYder and Sikandar . People now doubt if his films are worth watching on day one. Even his promotional statements about Salman Khan and 1000 Cr films didn’t convince fans .
On the flip side, some directors still enjoy massive craze just for their name . Example – Coolie may not have been a hit, but the hype was real thanks to the director’s image. Big names like LokeshKanagaraj, Shankar, and ManiRatnam can still pull audiences into theatres even before the trailer drops . That’s the power of brand director.
But here’s the twist . Despite low buzz, Madharaasi might still have a chance to shine. Why? Because there isn’t much competition – only Ghaati and Little Hearts are releasing around the same time. If word of mouth turns positive, AR Murugadoss can make a comeback in Telugu cinema .
💡 MediaFx People’s Take
This whole scenario shows a healthy change from the people’s perspective . Audiences are no longer ready to waste hard-earned money 💸 on big names without proof. They want value for ticket price, strong content, and real entertainment. It’s a reminder that cinema survives not on hype, but on the support of ordinary people who fill the theatres .
