What do the recently released films Babu Baga Busy, Naruda Donoruda and Guntur Talkies have in common? All these films deal with adult content. But that’s not all. Upcoming films such as Ladies Tailor s/o Fashion Designer, DSP and Balak Palak’s Telugu remake, among others, are following suit too. Tollywood filmmakers have never been this open when it comes to making films on such bold themes.
But these films cater to only a niche market and have a low success rate, despite that, filmmakers attempt to make them. Director Naveen Medaram, who made Babu Baga Busy, explains why. “When the Hindi film Hunterrr released, it did well. So, I thought it would be nice if we could adapt it to suit the audience here and remade the movie. But I had a tough time convincing the regional censor board that argued about our sensibilities which are apparently different from that of Bollywood. As a result, they chopped a few important scenes and the film lost its essence.”
Tollywood filmmakers have never been this open when it comes to making films on such bold themes.
Mallik Ram, who directed Naruda Donaruda, the storyline of which revolves around sperm donation and infertility, says, “We never looked at the subject as adult-based. I believe that the subject has emotional depth because it was centred around kids.”
Filmmaker Vamsy’s forthcoming film, Fashion Designer, is a sequel to his yesteryear classic hit Ladies Tailor. Ask him what prompted him to make a sequel to the adult comedy, he explains, “It was Madhura Sreedhar’s idea to make a sequel customising the plotline to the current audience; I too felt the idea was interesting and believed in the remake concept.”
Director Praveen Sattaru’s Guntur Talkies made Rashmi Gautam a sex symbol.
The film’s poster recently drew criticism for the way it portrayed a leading lady. Vamsy clarifies, “There’s hardly any explicit content, and I am confident that once people watch the film, they will surely connect with it,” he says.
Interestingly, young actors are part of such films. Sumanth Ashwin, the protagonist in Fashion Designer says that he has no apprehensions about being part of good cinema. “If the role is interesting enough, I shall take it up. I was even in a web-series recently and don’t mind being in an adult-oriented film, if my character is good. Moreover, Fashion Designer is a clean entertainer and I signed the film because I trust a senior filmmaker like Vamsy garu,” he elucidates.
The actresses, too, are looking at these films as an opportunity to shed the girl-next-door image. Tejaswi Madivada, who acted in Babu Baga Busy and will be next seen in Balak Palak’s Telugu remake, reveals that she’s tired of being called a cute girl.
“As an actress, I have to take up all sorts of roles and shouldn’t let myself be typecast. Both the films are diverse. In my forthcoming film, the remake of Balak Palak, I play a woman who spreads awareness about sex education, which was incidentally also a project I worked on during my graduation year. So, I could connect to the role. I also believe that parents should talk to their children about sex and educate them instead of being silent,” she says.
Sharing the same thoughts is actress Rashmi Gautam, who was part of Guntur Talkies, a film that drew flak for its sleazy content. She says, “The times are changing, and so are the audiences. They are game to accept new kind of films. I trusted the film’s director Praveen Sattaru and the way he portrayed me was very aesthetic. I looked very natural and can’t thank him enough for casting me in the raunchy drama.”
