Tollywood has been going through one of the worst nightmares in its recent memory. If year 2009 has been bad all through, with a handful of hits like 'Arundhati', 'Kick', 'Magadheera' and 'Bumper Offer', it pinned heavy hopes on the December releases, including on Arya2, which released at the end of November.
Least did it imagine that the state would plunge into a political crisis, with bandhs called very frequently. In the Telangana region, the issue came to the fore even in the first few days of December, when 'Arya2' was just having its sway at the Box Office. Thus, after reportedly collecting Rs. 12 crore in its first week from November 27, the film faced many woes.
If the Allu Arjun-starrer was a bit lucky in that it did not have too many disadvantages at least in the first week, the December releases were the unluckiest. 'Amaravathi', 'Pravarakyudu', 'Vaade Kavaali', 'Katha', 'Sarai Veerraju' have released in quick succession and but for the ongoing political storm in AP, they would definitely have opened to better collections.
Bandhs called upon in Telangana prior to December 10, and in the Andhra and Rayalseem regions after the green signal for a Statehood was given, has dented the box office prospects of South India's richest film industry rather badly. Arya2 has not been able to repeat its Week One magic again. The lesser spoken about the other aforementioned films the better.
Had it been only for bandhs, cine buffs would not have dumped the movies. The main factor is the 24/7 news which dramatically covers the happenings in various parts of the state. Eager to watch latest political developments, the public is least interested in entertainment.Things have never been so worse for Tollywood.
Article Involves:: Allu Arjun
