Nearly a decade later, these 2017 Telugu posters remain benchmarks for how great design can elevate cinema's first impression.

The first win for any movie is achieved by an attractive and intriguing poster. While just posing in front of a posh car or alongside seductive females or walking along looking at the ground diagonally with some uber cool goggles don’t actually make for a movie poster. It’s when the poster immediately makes you curious about the movie or conveys the theme of the movie in just one image, you can validate that movie poster as a commendable one. The year 2017 did have some interesting posters that came along the way and here we tried to list down our choice of best posters that truly stood out this year.

Gautamiputra Satakarni

Balakrishna’s 100^th movie couldn’t get bigger and better than this first look poster that was designed by Anil & Bhanu. Smeared with blood over his face, Balakrishna in his character, Satakarni shows us the ferocious warrior he is when on the field. Irrespective of the movie’s performance, the makers were successful big time in generating great curiosity for the movie.

Ghazi

The movie was presented to us as India’s first underwater war film and it did live up to the hype generated. Right from the first poster till the movie hits the screens, the movie maintained a constant theme. A simple image of the Submarine that is shown to us from the seabed neatly conveys that this is the ‘story of a submarine.’

Baahubali 2

While the first look poster of Baahubali: The Conclusion released last year, one interesting poster that conveyed the whole of the movie’s essence through one poster was this one. While the upper half shows the loyal army chief Katappa carrying the baby Amarendra Baahubali, the lower half shows him executing the latter’s father.

Arjun Reddy

It was not new for Telugu audience to see lip locks, but ‘Arjun Reddy’ was clear right from the first poster the intensity it wanted to convey. With this close-up picture of a lip-lock, it showed that a simple image of the lead pair in their characters is far better than any high graphically edited poster.

Anando Brahma

One of the clever things that the director marketed his movie was the subject itself – ‘When ghosts get scared of humans.’ And the same was conveyed through the posters. Like the interesting posters, the movie, though was no different from other horror comedies, stood out for the unique narration by the director.

Sye Raa

Chiranjeevi’s 151^st movie has just begun to roll recently, but the first look that was released on Chiru’s birthday was pretty impressive. From a burning British flag on top of a fort and the destroyed British army fallen on the way to a fort, we see Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy standing tall with his sword at a distance. This very much sums up the story of Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy who was one of the first rebels to have stood against the British way back in the 1840s.

Venkatapuram

Venkatapuram was a passable crime thriller. But, the interesting first look poster did lure the audience to the halls. The faces in blocks where the protagonist looks to be arranged in order represent the problems he solves step by step in order to help his love interest.

Jai Lava Kusa

Now, keep aside the star status NTR Jr. carries. With his hands chained as a prisoner, that raw crudeness in his eyes and the Ravana’s silhouette in the background itself conveys what we can expect from the character of ‘Jai’. A good one that kickstarted great promotions for one of NTR Jr.’s intense performances.

Samanthakamani

Shamanthakamani means a precious jewel and the precious jewel in this movie is the car around which the movie revolves. It’s all about the car! And the first poster exactly conveyed that – A gem of a car. The smoke effect from beneath only added to the royalty of the beast.

Fidaa

While Fidaa might be a surprise on this list, the reason we picked this one was for the subtle joyful colours the designers used in this one to convey the movie’s theme. If you take a look at the background, we can see the left half has the lead, Varun against his American lifestyle walking towards the right. And on the right side, we have Bhanumathi against a village backdrop just jumping in joy. And this pattern has been maintained for all posters. Here itself, it was conveyed to us that the boy is coming for the girl from America to India. A point that is well justified in the climax of the film, why should it always be that a girl leaves her house after marriage?

Lakshmi’s NTR

‘Lakshmi’s NTR’ – Now, we are not sure when the movie would materialize (being one of the many movies RGV announces every fortnight). But, what makes the poster interesting is the biopic that seems to be told from Lakshmi Parvathy’s perspective. It shows her walking into the house, leaving her footwear outside while at a far distance we see the late Chief Minister NT Rama Rao seated on a chair.

AWE!

‘AWE’ is one example of getting the audience in your grip right from the beginning. With a coffee in the middle surrounded by rose petals which in turn is surrounded by different elements make the poster even interesting. A gun wrapped in a newspaper, the holy book ‘Bhagwat Gita’, sugar cubes and a withered rose on an organ donation form actually makes for an interesting story. With an interesting cast and crew, we can only throw mild guesses till the movie actually hits the screens.

And yes, please let us know if we missed any poster on this list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who designed the Gautamiputra Satakarni poster?

The first look poster for Balakrishna’s 100th film was designed by Anil & Bhanu. The design featured Balakrishna’s character Satakarni smeared with blood, effectively conveying the fierce warrior nature of the character and generating significant curiosity for the film’s release.

What made Ghazi’s poster design unique?

Ghazi’s poster stood out through its simplicity and thematic consistency. Featuring a submarine image from the seabed perspective, it immediately communicated that the film was a submarine-centered story, aligning perfectly with its positioning as India’s first underwater war film.

Why did Telugu cinema posters in 2017 avoid typical clichés?

The best posters from 2017’s Telugu cinema moved beyond conventional elements like luxury cars, seductive imagery, and posed coolness. Instead, they focused on communicating the actual film’s theme and creating genuine curiosity through meaningful visual storytelling and character portrayal.

How do film posters influence movie viewership in Indian cinema?

A compelling poster is the first marketing touchpoint for any film and plays a crucial role in generating initial curiosity. In Indian cinema, especially Telugu films, posters that authentically represent the film’s genre and theme tend to build better audience anticipation and stronger word-of-mouth engagement.

Which Baahubali 2 poster elements made it a standout design?

Baahubali 2’s poster succeeded by conveying the epic nature of the film through strategic visual elements. While the first look was released earlier, subsequent posters maintained visual consistency and effectively communicated the film’s grand scale and narrative significance to audiences.