Novelty's out?

It's always been testing time for filmmakers who want to break new ground and dish out realistic and novel themes to develop in Telugu audience a new taste.
But the last six months have been particularly testy for a bunch of new-age films that couldn't spin BO magic. The year began on a promising note with the path breaking Om Shanti, a collage of four stories, followed by thought-provoking films like Prasthanam, Andhari Bandhuvaiya, and finally the enchanting film Vedham ' all the films got rave reviews and appreciation from a section of the audience but failed to recover investment.
'We received terrific openings because of stars like Allu Arjun, otherwise novel films seldom register good initials. We haven't given up yet and are waiting with fingers crossed,' says producer Devineni Prasad of Vedham. Undeterred, the young filmmaker is dishing out another film Maryada Ramanna, and although it does have a novel theme he protests saying, 'Oh no, it's not an experimental film rather it's a full-blown commercial entertainer for all sections of the audience.
Priyanka Dutt who made path-breaking Om Shanti feels that Telugu audience isn't ready yet for new wave cinema. 'Though Telugu audience keeps asking for novel films, when we actually deliver , there are few takers. Earlier, audience made time to watch refreshing films but now they seldom venture out to watch a different film, preferring to watch commercial fare. Besides, lack of good openings and a small multiplex audience, make the genre of novels films a risky proposition. I am going to experiment with other language films and return to T-town only if the audience is game for variety,' says the young filmmaker sounding disappointed.
Another new-age filmmaker Chandra Siddharth who received critical acclaim and earnings for Aa Naluguru, this time had to be content with rave reviews for his film Andhari Banduvaiya. 'I have got enough of critical acclaim and appreciation from the audience, but the film didn't rake in the moolah,' he rues.
Even veteran filmmaker K S Rama Rao who made path-breaking films like Mathrudevobava has now gravitated towards commercial potboilers. 'I tried to strike a balance between the two genres but since I lost heavily in thematic films, I've decided to focus on star-studded movies,' he says.
With more and more filmmakers opting to play safe with star-centric movies, the new trend of thematic films has taken a backseat in Tollywood. Hope, the audience develops a taste for thematic films and revives the filmmakers' confidence in this depleting genre before it is too late!