Westward ho!

The overseas market has suddenly become very important for Telugu filmmakers. Business abroad has been steadily growing thanks to a huge Telugu population. Not only films like Baahubali and Srimanthudu, but even a small film like Bhale Bhale Mogadivoy has made money overseas. And thus promoting their films abroad has become very important for the stars.

Mahesh Babu has always been popular in the US and interestingly, a few of his films, which had flopped in India, have done very well there. The actor is leaving for US soon to thank his fans there for the success of Srimanthudu.

Similarly, Akhil has just returned from a hectic tour of the US after promoting his debut film Akhil. And Nani, too, visited the US as his film Bhale Bhale Mogadivoy surprised everyone with huge overseas collections.

“Srimanthudu saw a big jump in numbers overseas; it has always been a big market for Mahesh Babu’s films. It is a very important market and needs to be handled correctly,” says Mahesh’s wife Namrata, who handled the promotions for Srimanthudu.

She added that promotions and theatre selection overseas are very important for the film’s market. She adds, “We are planning something similar for Brahmotsavam. It is still in the discussion stage.”

A small film like Bhale Bhale Mogadivoy is among the top 10 Telugu films that has collected huge amount overseas. It even overtook Allu Arjun’s Race Gurram.

“We missed out on promoting Telugu films all these years. I recently visited US along with Akhil and the response was huge. This was the first time that an actor met Telugu audiences there. The overseas market is a key and I am sure it will increase if we start promoting our films there,” says Sudhakar Reddy, producer of Akhil’s debut film.

He adds that planning is important. “The problem here is the release date. Delays in shootings and postponements cause worry for most Telugu films. If we decide the release date and give ample time for promotions, we can widen our market to other places too,” adds Reddy.

“Earlier, audiences would come to the theatres only after hearing good reviews about a film. But now because of the hype and promotions, most of them want to see it on the first day. Planning is very important,” says Anil Sunkara, a top producer who has done overseas business for a few Telugu films. He adds that the market is going to get bigger and better in the near future.

Director and producer Gunasekhar, too, is eyeing the overseas market and has already released the list of theatres for his film’s premiere shows in the US.

Ram Charan, too, is now concentrating on overseas market. Other than Maga-dheera, which released around six years back, none of his films have done very well abroad. Meanwhile, Trivikram Srinivas and Srinu Vaitla’s genre of films are always in demand abroad as they are mostly based on entertainment.