Masters In Andhrapology: How Malayalam Stars Made Their Mark In Telugu Cinema |
Dulquer, Fahadh, Prithviraj...Malayalam cinema's younger generation of superstars have strengthened its connections with the Telugu film industry, writes Neelima Menon |
A RECENT VIRAL VIDEO showed Dulquer Salmaan being mobbed by college students on location of his Telugu film, Lucky Bhaskar, in Hyderabad. It emphasised Dulquer's soaring popularity outside Kerala, and is indicative of a larger, pleasant trend in Telugu cinema. Some of the biggest Telugu movie production houses are eager to rope in Malayalam stars in their films.
For instance, Vyjayanthi Movies has announced a new film with Dulquer, directed by Pawan Sadineni. Meanwhile, producer Shobu Yarlagadda and SS Rajamouli’s son, SS Karthikeya, are backing two Fahadh Faasil projects (Don’t Trouble The Trouble and Oxygen). Then there is Prithviraj Sukumaran, who'll be on the sets of Prashanth Neel’s Salaar 2 in August, sharing equal billing with Prabhas.
There's another side of this, where the younger lot of Malayalam superstars are further strengthening the Telugu-Malayalam connection by distributing Telugu films in Malayalam through their production houses. Nag Aswin’s ambitious spectacle Kalki 2898 AD was picked by Dulquer’s Wayfarer Productions; Prithviraj Productions did the same for Salaar in Kerala.
What explains this burgeoning crossover interest between Malayalam and Telugu cinema? What links them despite their diametrically different aesthetics, sensibilities, and storytelling?
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Though Mammootty and Mohanlal's dubbed Malayalam films had tasted success among the Telugu audience, neither superstar quite explored the terrain as they did with Tamil cinema. When auteur K Viswanath chose Mammootty to play a celebrated Carnatic singer who kills his disciple out of jealousy, in Swathi Kiranam (1992), it was an indication of how Telugu filmmakers perceived Malayalam cinema and its actors. Not only was the character a challenge, but the narrative also stepped away from the mainstream. Thus Mammootty became one of the first superstars in Malayalam to play a leading man in Telugu. He effortlessly passed the language test as well. It is said that when K Viswanath asked singer SP Balasubrahmanyam to dub for Mammootty, the actor insisted on doing it himself.
But it took nearly two decades after a vapid Surya Puthralu (1997), in which the actor played a fiery police officer coping with a personal tragedy, for Mammootty to make a reentry into Telugu cinema. Like his debut, this was for a character that required an actor of his gravitas. In Yatra (2019), a biographical film on former Andhra Pradesh CM YSR Reddy, Mammootty played the titular character. The propaganda film was elevated by Mammootty’s mastery of his craft. Though he made two appearances soon after (a cameo in Yatra 2, and an antagonist in Agent) it failed to create any murmur at the box office.
Mohanlal's foray, on the other hand, was limited to a song appearance in Priyadarshan’s Gandeevam (1994). Over two decades later, he made a grander splash, elevating the otherwise prosaic 2016 revenge drama Janatha Garage. That same year also saw him play an ordinary man grappling with challenging situations in the middling Manamantha.
Jayaram may have appeared in more Telugu films than the two superstars (Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, Hi Nanna, Guntur Kaaram) in the recent past has been saddled with inconsequential father roles. |
When Nag Ashwin was casting for the role of Gemini Ganesan in Mahanati, he had a non-Telugu actor in mind. “Gemini Ganesan was charming and irresistible. We needed someone like that," says Ashwin. Dulquer was on his wish list.
Dulquer was intrigued by the story but wary of the language. However, he did sign up, turning in a performance that is easily among his best. He chose not to imitate the thespian but made the portrayal his own, manifesting Ganesan's tagline of 'Kaadhal Mannan' effortlessly.
Dulquer further cemented his popularity with Telugu audiences with the stupendous success of the Romeo & Juliet-esque Sita Ramam (it grossed over Rs 90 crore at the box office). In an industry that heavily rests on ancestry, where every reigning superstar might find his roots in an extended film family tree, Dulquer’s popularity can be deemed significant. Even in Nag Ashwin’s ambitious Kalki 2898 AD, Dulquer’s cameo was hyped up just as much as Vijay Devarakonda’s. Of course, Malayalam cinema benefited hugely from the OTT boom, which helped in reaching a larger audience outside Kerala. Stream the latest films and shows with OTTplay Premium's Simply South monthly pack, for only Rs 249. “The size of the Malayalam audience is small compared to other languages, so I don't think filmmakers rope in Malayalam actors only to fit the pan-Indian formula as it happens many a time. It's more to do with the acting talent and willingness to push boundaries. I also believe the current crop of Malayalam stars have better language skills and can dub without a heavy Malayalam accent. This also helps them play the role authentically,” observes film critic Sowmya Rajendran. |
Since voice has always a large part of the identity of all our leading South Indian superstars, Dulquer and Fahadh's ability to pull off languages other than Malayalam (Tamil, Telugu, Hindi) without a trace of an accent can easily be a reason for being sought-after. None of our veteran superstars could ace that test, including the versatile Kamal Haasan. Fahadh's debut in Pushpa, where his baldheaded, ruthless cop Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat IPS matches wits with the local drug baron Pushpa (Allu Arjun) is proof of the Malayalam actor's ease with the language, among other things.
“Dulquer can speak Tamil like a Tamilian, Telugu like a person from Andhra, and Hindi like a North Indian. So yes, he has got that gift,” observed R Balki during promotional interviews for Chup.
One reason why actresses have had a smoother crossover could be their reliance on dubbing artists as their voices were not part of what made their identities distinctive. Back in the '90s, even a talent like Urvashi was encouraged to use a dubbing artist, as her own voice wasn’t considered “sweet” enough. Also, the roles offered to Malayalam actresses in other language cinema were, for the most part, generic enough to not draw notice.
Dulquer, Fahad, Tovino, Prithviraj, or even Shane Nigam can be placed anywhere in India. None of these actors carry the baggage of superstardom with them. Even in the cinema back home, Dulquer, Fahad, Tovino have opted for ordinary, flawed characters, so they are more open to experimenting in other languages as well.
“I don’t think any big A-list actor from the South has committed themselves to that level, except for leading heroines. They have not taken an effort to uproot themselves from their home turf and settle there,” Prithviraj had told this writer when asked about male actors from the South not making it big in Bollywood. One can perhaps say the same about Mammootty or Mohanlal not finding their feet in Tamil or Telugu. |
Prithviraj Productions is also one of the earlier players to have proactively snagged the distribution rights of Tamil, Hindi and Kannada films in Kerala (Petta, Bigil, Master, 83, Kantara, KGF: Chapter 2). It not only paved the way for strengthening professional ties across industries but also created newer partnerships on celluloid. It led to the actor’s first collaboration with Prashanth Neel in Salaar: Part 1 — Ceasefire. His magnum opus Aadujeevitham was distributed by Prithviraj Productions in Kerala, Hombale Films in Karnataka, Mythri Movie Makers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Red Giant Movies in Tamil Nadu, and AA Films in North India.
Similarly, Dulquer pulled out all the stops in marketing the dubbed versions of Kurup (the actor himself dubbed in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu) in all major cities. Perhaps he took notes from his stint in Bollywood, where films are marketed aggressively unlike in the Malayalam industry. Prithviraj picked up the trend and did the same with Jana Gana Mana, Kaduva and Aadujeevitham. SS Karthikeya’s interest in the Telugu distribution rights of Fahadh Faasil’s Premalu has more to do with their admiration for the actor rather than the film’s credentials alone. Fahadh’s associations in the Tamil and Telugu industries did play a key role in bringing such fruitful partnerships to Malayalam cinema.
“Malayalam films tend to have modest budgets and the big money is in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu (films),” observes Sowmya Rajendran. “So it made sense for Malayalam stars also to expand their filmography into other industries.”
Such collaborations across the South Indian film industries can only be beneficial as each has certain USPs to boast of. If Telugu cinema is big on ambitious spectacles, Tamil cinema does a blend of larger-than-life narratives and experimental films, Kannada cinema is still trying to find its niche and as for Malayalam cinema, small, realistic, original stories will always be its stronghold. For the audience, it would surely be a win-win situation. |
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