More than `100 cr spent on T-town's 'C-grade' films

The makers of Allu Arjun's latest film, Iddaramayilatho would never have imagined that the title of their film will inspire the launch of another movie called Iddarabbayilatho. And no, this is no spoof. Just an obscure small film with relatively unknown names (the producer's friend's son is the hero, we hear) that attempts to cash in on the buzz around Bunny's big ticket flick. Another movie that tried to piggyback on the popularity of a Tollywood chartbuster was the film, Ringa Ringa (which the director termed as a 'youthful romantic entertainer') with small-time comedian Suman Shetty and Bindu as the lead actors. This movie was launched a long time ago, but never saw the light of day.\These two ventures are part of a long list of movies that come under a category of T-town films, that is considered to be even a rung lower than 'C Grade movies'. More than 100 such films are being made in T-town every year. While only a meagre 5% of them get released, the remaining films are incomplete and are languishing in film labs. Many of them are even considered soft porn.It is estimated that around `100 crores are spent (and lost) on these movies annually. So, why are they even being made? Director B Jaya points out that an increasing number of such movies are being made in Tollywood these days. 'People are crazy about cinema. A lot of them want to be a part of films desperately, be it actors or monied people who want to produce them.But they know nothing about filmmaking or how the industry works. They just want to make a film and get some publicity out of it. A few days ago, I was asked to be the chief guest for the launch of one such movie. I observed that most of the technicians have no clue about the craft. You will never know about the release of such films or if they will even hit the screens. A lot of these movies are even sleazy and can come under the 'soft porn' category,' explains the director. The movies most likely don't even recover the money spent on them, but the directors seem to have no issues with it, as long as they get to flaunt the 'filmmakers' tag. 'Nowadays, a small film can be made within the budget of `50 lakhs to `1 crore. Most producers just want to cast their son or family member as the lead and make a movie. The DVD of the movie becomes their prized possession and everyone from the filmmaker, to the one who acted in it, claim the bragging rights of being part of a Tollywood film,' says filmmaker Chandra Siddharth. But those bragging rights come for a price. Every year, more than `100 crore is spent annually on such films, says B Jaya. 'Some mediators in the industry approach wealthy businessmen and realtors and tell them that if they can put in `30 lakhs, they will get profits once the film is complete. They also suggest that an actor from their family can be cast as the lead. Lured by these promises, the producers invest in these projects.'The only known names in the movie filled with newbies are a few 'character artistes' from T-Town, who are included in the hope that they can draw audiences. 'A few members of the cast and crew even realise that the movie may not even be completed, yet they are in it for various other reasons. They just want to add to their showbiz portfolio.These movies are either released in a handful of screens or are sold to local channels,' says Chandra Siddharth, adding, 'This sort of a fim category exists in many industries. But whatever the reason, a lot of people find employment , thanks to these films!'