Young Divas Need to Avoid Girl-Centric Films, Cautions Lagadapati Sridhar

Producer Lagadapati Sridhar feels the writing is on the wall. “I urge young divas to avoid solo-hero films and pick star-studded movies if they want a longer career in Tollywood. Telugu audiences are a bit male chauvinistic and rarely step out to watch women-centric films in theatres. Actresses have often failed to become crowd pullers,” he says.

According to Sridhar, while audiences celebrate male stars in superhero-like avatars, they don’t extend the same enthusiasm to women who headline films. “It’s unfortunate, but a sad reality,” he adds.

Pointing out that successful lady-oriented films in Tollywood are rare, he recalls that only a handful of actresses have broken the trend. “Anushka Shetty and Samantha managed a few hits, but most others eventually returned to playing romantic interests opposite top heroes. Taking on author-backed roles has been a risky proposition for most actresses,” he explains.

Elaborating further, Sridhar says: “Audiences want glamorous heroines alongside leading male stars—whether as lovers or wives—which builds their fan base. But when these same heroines attempt to ‘turn heroes’ and shoulder films, the support fades. This disparity in audience preferences has stalled many actresses from charting a new path.”

Now, all eyes are on Rashmika Mandanna, who is stepping into her first author-backed role with The Girlfriend, after romancing stars like Allu Arjun and Ranbir Kapoor. “I hope actresses like Rashmika break this jinx and change the game for their peers—much like Shraddha Kapoor did in Bollywood with the blockbuster Stree 2,” Sridhar concludes.