Pan India Dreams in Tollywood comes down drastically

Ever since the sensation of Rajamouli's Baahubali and Allu Arjun's Pushpa franchises, almost all the top stars and makers dreamed of Pan India stardom.

However not all of them succeded and many came down crashing drastically. More than 200 films released in 2025 and among them only Vasthunam, Court, Mirai, HIT 3, Little Hearts, Kuberaa, and K Ramp emerged as a success ventures.

Producer Suresh Babu says . “I don’t want to go into numbers, but there is an audience for good cinema. That has been proven — from the massive success of Sankranthiki Vasthunam to smaller films like Court and Little Hearts finding their space. The idea that footfalls are rising is a myth. People are coming to theatres only for good films and rejecting bad ones,”

Pan India films Game Changer, Hari Hara Veera Mallu, Daaku Maharaj, Kannappa, and Akhanda 2 got good start but later fizzled out throwing question mark over the crowd pulling capacity of the top stars.

Producer MS.Raju shares “Big stars still bring audiences on the first day, but today even star-driven films need strong publicity and solid content. 2025 has been a lean season for Tollywood stars. Openings alone are not enough anymore,”

In the midst of all this pan India bubble got busted due to the failures of Game Changer, Hari Hara Veera Mallu, Daaku Maharaj, Kannappa, and Akhanda 2 in the North. “Yes, the pan-India dream has taken a hit,” admits M.S. Raju. “One solid film can revive the confidence of Hindi-speaking audiences, but Telugu filmmakers must focus on the right themes. Otherwise, sustaining pan-India success will be tough.”

Young actors Teja Sajja, Kiran Abbavaram, and Mouli delivered hits with Mirai, K Ramp, and Little Hearts. Bandla Ganesh revealed “It’s heartening to see young heroes making waves at the box office. Kiran Abbavaram is talented, hardworking, and humble. I also advised newcomer Mouli not to get carried away by success and to climb step by step, like Chandra Mohan did,”

Social Media acted like a brutal sword against top stars films. “Fan wars are unavoidable today,” says M.S. Raju. “Trolls attack even before the first show begins. While star rivalries are hurting cinema, good films are still managing to rise above this noise and become blockbusters.”

He continued “Once it spreads, it’s impossible to control. Lakhs of young, passionate fans wait for an opportunity to troll rival stars. Staying away from the fire is better than trying to extinguish it,”

About social media he said “Once it spreads, it’s impossible to control. Lakhs of young, passionate fans wait for an opportunity to troll rival stars. Staying away from the fire is better than trying to extinguish it,”

Except for Mirai, films like , Hari Hara Veera Mallu, and Kannappa faced criticism for subpar VFX. Producer TG.Vishwa Prasad said “I thank the hundreds of VFX artists from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. With nearly 2,000 VFX shots — barring minor imperfections — we proved Telugu cinema can deliver world-class visuals. This set a new benchmark,” he says. He also reveals plans to make an AI-based film with a young team, adding, “AI movies are going to rock the world soon.”