Once mocked, Telangana dialect sureshot box office hit now

HYDERABAD: A decade ago, no one would have remotely predicted that two Telugu words in Telangana dailect ‘Atluntadi manatoni’ (It’s like that with me) from a low-budget comedy film ‘DJ Tillu’, released this year, would become a household dialogue in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Or that the film protagonist, from a middle class Hyderabadi family, would go on to become one of the most loved actors alongside biggies from ‘RRR’ and ‘Pushpa’ films.

Telangana dialect is now regarded as ‘cool’.And much spoken about in Telugu films. It has not only fulfilled the wishes of statehood activists who were keen that Tollywood’s ‘Andhra-centric’ image should go, but also portray their dialect and talent in mainstream Telugu cinema. There are very few Telugu films these days where the main characters do not speak the dialect.
Afew days ago, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said it in so many words: “Our dialect and culture have become success formulas for Telugu films which they (Andhra filmmakers) cannot sustain. ” One of the main arguments of statehood activists was the poor portrayal of Telangana dialect, often used to ridicule a character or not encouraging talent from Telangana. The portrayal was often found offensive by many.
Director Shekhar Kammula set in motion using the local dialect with his ‘Fidaa’ film. The movie was a box office jackpot. Shekhar’s ‘Love Story’
was again laced with Telangana flavour. The other trendsetter was director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s‘Arjun Reddy’.
Little wonder, directors are exploring stories that focus on native culture and dialect now. Having the lead character speak in Telangana dialect feels so real, they say. A case in point: DJ Tillu’s dialogues struck a chord with the audience. “His dialect also adds an interesting element to highlight his lighter side. It worked really well for film,” actor Siddu Jonnallagadda, who played DJ Tillu, told TOI.
Venu Udugula, a director from Warangal, worked on his second film ‘Virata Parvam’, based on events that occurred in state. “In the past, the depiction of Telangana was through some nativity-based and issue-based films. But now, everything caters to the market demands — from dialect to food to culture to festivals,” Venu observed.
In both Telugu states, there are approximately 1,500 movie screens, including multiplexes (Telangana has 500). The reaction to films in which the actors or producers are from Telangana or the dialect spoken in both states is the same.
Making a point, filmmaker Sridhar Reddy Madhura from Warangal says, “Such films receive the same response in Andhra as they get in Telangana. The response is even more heartening in ‘A’ centres in AP in places such as Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. ” Director of ‘Dorasaani’ KVR Mahendra says that Telanagana dialect has a specific rhythm and works well with aggressive male leads in films. “This is a slow transition but is getting mainstreamed now. Way back, I made a short film ‘Naandi’ which was based on the1969 Telangana movement,” he said.
The statehood activists assert that the film industry was also given prime land at subsidy and tax incentives to facilitate the shift of the industry from Chennai to Hyderabad. And time has come for the industry to repay, they say. Agreeing with this point of view, a film producer says Telangana region, its social and cultural practices, its soul and struggles and diversities were ignored in the past and filmmakers are now obliged to accept Telangana as a reality. Top actors like Venkatesh, Varun Tej and Naga Chaitanya are willing to work in Telanganacentric films unlike their predecessors is the clincher, he explains. “Dialect helps bridge the cultural gap between the two states,” he says.