Dubbed films box office flops in Tollywood:TOI

DUBBED FILMS BOMB AT THE BO IN 2012

Films from Kollywood which once did brisk business in Andhra Pradesh, failed to recreate the magic this year

Suresh Kavirayani

Just a couple of years ago, dubbed films were a rage in the state. Many of the 'other' Southern stars, especially the Tamil stars, are known to have a huge fan following amongst even the most die-hard Tollywood audiences. In fact, in 2011, dubbed movies did so well, that the Telugu film industry had to go on the defensive, raising a hue and cry over the inflow of non-Telugu films, to protect their business interests.
Cut to 2012 yearend and the scene is totally different. Not a single dubbed film did well this year! That despite the fact that nearly 100 of them were released and that included films of Southern superstars like Vijay, Surya, Ajith and Karthi. Apart from actors, even A-list directors like Shankar, Murgadoss and KV Anand have a fan-following here. But surprisingly, even these ace directors couldn't draw the Telugu audiences to the theatres.
Shankar's Snehitudu, a remake of Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots, that had Vijay, Jiiva, Sriram and Ileana in the lead roles, received a tepid response. And Murgadoss' Thuppaki, which starred Vijay and Kajal and was a blockbuster in Tamil Nadu, did not do well in AP theatres. KV Anand of Rangam fame, too, failed to create an impact at the BO with his hatke film, Brothers, which had a biggie like Surya playing conjoined twins.
Even Priyamani's conjoined act in Charulatha failed to impress the audiences here. What was more shocking was the fate of Aishwarya Dhanush's debut film 3 with husband Dhanush and Shruti Haasan. The whole nation was humming to Kolaveri Di, but the song did little for the film that failed to set the cash registers ringing in AP, despite it being a runaway hit in TN. Ajith's much-publicised film David Billa also met with the same fate.
Another shocker for Kollywood was the dismal performance of Tamil blockbuster Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (Ok Ok in Telugu) in AP. The film had Udayanidhi Stalin, grandson of TN former CM Karunanidhi, playing the lead. Political clout apart, even the charisma of popular Tamil stars failed to create BO magic this year. Karthi, who has a big fan following in the state, could not pull it off this year. His films Malligadu and Shakuni sank without a trace.
suresh.kavirayani@timesgroup.com

Shakuni

Brothers

David Billa

3 Idiots

Charulatha