Big Seven, The Quintessential Tollywood Power List

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Published May 14, 2014, 5:20 am ISTUpdated Jan 10, 2016, 8:50 am IST

Big seven, the quintessentialTollywood power listDC CORRESPONDENT

These are the seven of the top names that control the industry

Hyderabad: The Telugu film industry remains the second

largest in India after Bollywood. But while the industry

continues to grow daily, power and clout are still limited to a

small group of well-networked and powerful individuals who

control film distribution, releases and even the futures of

actors.

The recent Prakash Raj scandal too explains how even the

biggest of careers can come to a complete standstill with a

Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna. (Photo: DC/File)


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single phone call. These are the seven of the top names

that control the industry, the quintessential Tollywood power

list.

Akkineni Nagarjuna, Mr Clever

Nagarjuna has invested in the media, motor racing, film

production and even in hospitality. But it’s Nag's Facebook

that’s also spilling. From cricketer M.S. Dhoni to Amitabh

Bachchan, Nag counts many bigwigs as close friends. And

that whole Hyderabad ambassador role with Modi did kick

up the fame quite a bit.

Clout factor: An impeccable acumen for trade and

business. Nagarjuna’s Annapoorna studios is the new

address for T’wood business and the infrastructure rivals

facilities from across the world. Also, Nag is a carefulinvestor. He will not put cash in a venture unless it checks

all his boxes even if it involves his own son.

Dasari Narayana Rao, The negotiator

Aka “Guruvugaru”. If you’re a director with no money,

chances are Dasari will be of help. Even when a big-budget

project faces delays, it is Dasari who usually does the ‘

talking’.

Clout factor: Actor Siddharth is the best example to bring


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up now. When he was accused of ‘badmouthing’ T’wood, it

was Dasari who called up the artistes’ body for a “quick fix”.

For a week, Siddharth was unapologetic but in just two

days, the actor issued a very public sorry.

Daggubati Suresh Babu, ‘The networker’

Today, one of the top producers of Telugu cinema, Suresh

Babu, the elder son of movie Moghul Ramanaidu, has taken

up the mantle from his father and has widened the business

into Telangana and AP.

He has his own studios in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam

and a lab in Hyderabad. He also owns 70 per cent of the

theatres in the state. Suresh Films remains one of the

largest distributors in both the states. He also invests capitalin others’ films.

Off screen, Suresh Babu enjoys powerful political

connections. He has also become the go-to man for B’wood

producers when they want to get something done in

Tollywood.

Clout factor: They say no film can escape Suresh Babu.

He has production labs, distribution networks and cinemas.

If there's one name you'll need in the address book, it's

Suresh Babu’s.


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Murali Mohan, Land and films

He has made crores from a growing real-estate business

and there are rumours that Mohan has even branched into

the US. Although he has been away from producing films as he feels

industry is currently “not healthy”, Murali Mohan still retains

a vice-like grip and has been the president of Movie Artistes

Association for the last few years. In the just-concluded

polls, he contested with from the Rajahmundry Parliament

constituency.

Clout factor: He’s known as the man who disrupted

Chennai’s 100 years of Indian cinema celebrations. Mohan

was reportedly angry at the way Kollywood was conductingthe celebrations and it is claimed that at Mohan’s ‘request’,

not a soul from T’wood turned up at ‘Madras’.

C Kalyan, The 'shadow man'

Not many have even met C. Kalyan and that’s thanks to the

low profile he keeps. He heads the South Indian Film

Chamber of Commerce, which includes all four South

industries and has held that post for five terms. Kalyan is

also very close to TN CM Jayalalithaa.


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Clout factor: In terms of position, Kalyan is the top chair of

all things South India. All South cinema matters pass

through his desk and due to the political links, Kalyan’s chair

is now.

Dil Raju, Face of the new state

Venkateswara Reddy has been called Dil Raju ever since

his first production, Dil, became a hit. One of the key

persons from the Nizam area, Dil Raju may emerge as one

of the key players from the industry in Telangana.

Clout factor: After his ‘misbehaviour’, it would’ve been

goodbye Mr Prakash Raj, if it weren’t for Dil Raju’s backing.

Also, Sekhar Kammula’s hit, Happy Days, was only possible

because of Dil Raju’s publicity drive. Kammula’s Anaamika,

meanwhile, didn’t share the same fate at the BO.

Allu Aravind, It runs in the family

What separates Allu Aravind from others is the family tree.

Half of Tollywood’s biggest stars, from Chiranjeevi and Allu

Arjun to the next-gen, Varun Tej and Sai Dharam Tej is

family to him. He is the backbone for Chiranjeevi (helped

the actor launch Praja Rajyam) and also maintains an inside

group of people that includes a few top directors and

producers. Allu Aravind has established in Bollywood too


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ever since the superhit film Ghajini with Aamir Khan went

absolute supernova.

Clout factor: It’s still a rumour, but insiders claim it was Allu

Aravind who forced Dil Raju to postpone a Sankranthirelease for Ram Charan’s sake. Sankranthi is a valuable

period for Tollywood, and it would’ve taken considerable

pressure for a person like Dil Raju to say ‘okay’

Documents

Big Seven, The Quintessential Tollywood Power List