Mass-market Telugu films keep the till ringing with Malayalam industry actors

Actors from Malayalam cinema, a small industry with limited reach, are increasingly finding opportunities in Telugu movies targeted at mass-market audiences. Fahadh Faasil is part of the Pushpa series headlined by Allu Arjun while Prithviraj Sukumaran was seen in Prabhas’ Salaar: Part 1-- Ceasefire. Prabhas’ other recent film Kalki 2898 AD saw Dulquer Salmaan make a brief appearance too. Trade experts say the presence of Malayalam actors improves reach for the pan-India films originally made in Telugu given that the former are not only well known in their home state but have a considerable following in the north thanks to the popularity of their films on streaming platforms. 

“Malayalam actors have managed to break into non-Malayalam speaking households especially in north India through their films that are extremely popular on streaming platforms," independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said. "The upper end of audiences in the Hindi heartland, in particular, is receptive to these films, making the actors a safe bet with fan bases across the north and south,” he added. Given that the Malayalam industry still works on limited budgets and the films don’t see wide enough theatrical releases across India, the actors are also not known to command the kind of astronomical rates that those in industries like Hindi and Telugu would. Pillai pointed out that the popularity of Malayalam actors and films also extends to markets like the Gulf and the US.

'New national cinema of India'

To be sure, Telugu is well entrenched as the new national cinema of India, attracting talent from across industries, trade experts said. Other than Salmaan, Kalki saw Hindi film actors such as Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan play pivotal roles while S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR also featured Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn. 

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“Telugu movies are now firing at the box office in the Hindi market, other than southern states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The filmmakers there are working by design to optimise impact and enhance relatability from both a creative and business standpoint,” independent distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said. It is natural for cross-pollination of talent to take place to improve reach and appeal for films that release in multiple languages, Rathi added. Telugu star Jr NTR has been roped to play the antagonist in Yash Raj Films’ War 2 alongside Hrithik Roshan.

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Mukesh Mehta, founder of Malayalam film production and distribution company E4 Entertainment, agreed. “These are all genuinely good artistes, but other than star value, makers may not always find Telugu actors in that 35-40 age group ready to play negative roles,” Mehta said. Remuneration too is key when it comes to Malayalam actors crossing over to do mass-market Telugu films, he added.

Actors like Dulquer Salmaan, Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi have broken the ceiling when it comes to their respective language industries and their presence only adds value to the multilingual films in question, trade experts say. “It’s a smart move for them and their presence lends credibility and adds value to the different industries they choose to become part of. It breaks the monotony and adds far more excitement to the project than the presence of someone from the same industry would,” independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said.