[VoxSpace Selects] A Celebration Of Genre Defining Cinematic Moments Of Telugu Cinema In 2017

The Year Of Glory For Telugu Cinema

It is the end of another memorable year for Telugu cinema. While there would already be plenty of articles on the ‘Best’ or ‘Top 10’ movies of 2017, what we wanted to do is rather bring out, some truly remarkable moments that took place for Telugu cinema in this year. One of the main reasons this particular year stands out is the revolution it brought in making and perceiving Telugu cinema. For many years to come in the future, 2017 will remain as the year that broke open doors for a new phase for Telugu cinema. It reminded everyone that bigger the dreams, mightier will be the achievements. The audience too slowly walked out from the zone of watching movies only for the sake of their ‘hero’ and have embraced movies with content without any second thought.

This has not only glorified the pride of Telugu cinema but has also opened doors for creators to challenge their pens. Here I want to talk about the sexy cocktail that this particular year turned out to be, with some amazing performances and surprising elements in the year gone by.

Of course, The Comeback Of Megastar:

With our regional audience, one admiring fact is, when we adore a star, we have no boundaries. They have been part of not just the movies we watched, but in turn, many memories from childhood to college days. This is one reason many find it tough to connect with the craze we (especially in South India) have for our stars. Ok, keeping this aside, to be frank, I was not very satisfied with the movie Khaidi No. 150. But, I guess it took us a whole year to only absorb the fact that the Megastar of Telugu cinema was back on the silver screen. And the effect this year had on him clearly shows in his next pick; Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy that will see some of the biggest stars from Amitabh Bachchan to Vijay Sethupathi alongside Chiru.

India’s First Underwater War Drama

Ghazi, by Sankalp Reddy, by far stands out as one of the best movies that released across the nation this year. Sankalp stumbled across the interesting story of 1971 Indo-Pak war in a Submarine museum in Vizag. And decided to make this into a movie. Initially, many producers showed him their back when they heard it was a story of a submarine, but Sankalp’s determination to materialize this project made him emerge not just as a winner, but as one of the most promising talents Telugu cinema can definitely boast of.

The National Mammoth Called ‘Baahubali: The Conclusion’

SS Rajamouli’s conclusion to the brother’s rivalry saga, Baahubali: The Conclusion, turned the fortunes of Telugu and Indian cinema by a huge margin. The anticipation of the movie was so huge that, it turned out to be the 7th most searched movie on Google worldwide and topped India’s 2017 Google Trends. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of the numerous records that the epic fantasy toppled along its way to become India’s biggest ever blockbuster. From bombarding the Indian BO collections to Mahendra Baahubali standing up for his wife, Devasena, against his mother, everything about this movie was celebrated. And when you actually realize that this was a movie made by our very own Rajamouli, the joy within only multiplies.

Arjun Reddy: The Movie That Made Audience Across The Nation Go Crazy

Sandeep Reddy’s vision to bring an intense tragic love story of a surgeon has turned out to be the new-age ‘Devdas’ classic. The impact it left on the audience lasted for hours after walking out from the movie halls. This was the reason people related to the characters of Arjun Reddy and Preethi. Vijay Deverakonda became a ‘darling’ to the youth with this movie and changed the dynamics of story-telling in Telugu cinema, along with Sandeep Reddy Vanga. And it is being said that he is one of the top contenders for the National Award this time. So, there you see, so much happening for Telugu cinema this year.

PSV Garuda Vega Raised The Bar For An Action Thriller

We, the Telugu audience, is mostly driven by commercial cinema and yet when the time comes, we complain about them equally. And we really get overwhelmed when we come across movies such as Mental Madhilo, Pellichoopulu, Arjun Reddy etc. The same happened with PSV Garuda Vega. It was like ‘inko laddoo kavala nayina’ (One sweet one more) moment for the Telugu audience who showed immense love to the yesteryear’s angry young man, Rajashekar. Thanks to Praveen Sattaru’s clarity of thought for coming up with an amazing movie like this. At times where we don’t stop seeing humans and vehicles being flung in the air alike, this movie has definitely upped the bar for action flicks.

Coming-Of-Age Romantic Stories: Ninnu Kori & Mental Madhilo

All through the year, we get to see loads of love stories on the screen. But, we remember only those which touch us. And this year, we must say that Ninnu Kori and Mental Madhilo are the ones. Ninnu Kori deals with the subject of love between three individuals in a very matured manner. And Mental Madhilo tells the story of a guy who is indecisive at times, an issue many of us can connect to.

Conceptualized Thrillers: Hello & Okka Kshanam

Not many movies across a particular year are given the space for the audience to put in their brains. This year had two such movies. Vikram Kumar’s Hello and VI Anand’s Okka Kshanam. Like his previous movies, 13B, Manam and 24, this time Vikram Kumar interwove intelligence with turmoiled soul. And though the love story in Okka Kshanam seemed like a pretty normal affair, it was the parallel life connect that will leave you with something new to watch on Telugu screens.

OMG, How Can We Forget Venky’s Guru

“Oh, this is a remake dude! Why mention this?” – True, this is what you and me who have watched Irudhi Suttru or Saala Khadoos would sayBut, keeping that fact aside, this format was definitely something new on Telugu screens. Venky has been a matured actor for the past couple of movies and has accepted his age onscreen as well. The ‘salt and pepper’ look itself is something a mainstream star very rarely does in Telugu cinema. And here this man is pushing the boundaries further. An inspiring attempt that needs a mention this year.