Following the coronavirus outbreak, South Indian films, also known as pan-India films, are becoming more popular at the box office. Superstars from the South with large fan bases include Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, Jr. NTR, Allu Arjun, Suriya, and Ram Charan. While Pushpa (2021), KGF 2 (2022), and RRR (2022), three of their movies, smashed all box office records and ended up being the year's biggest hits, movies like Acharya, Radhe Shyam, and Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022) fell flat at the box office. The superstars' star value has not, however, decreased as a result of this.
Superstars like Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, and Allu Arjun still demand hefty fees for their roles in movies. Big Telugu stars are now facing harsh criticism from the secretary of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce, Mutyala Ramesh. He criticised the stars for their "high remunerations and fake collections." Despite the fact that he avoided using names, it is still clear whom he referred to.
Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce Secretary Mutyala Ramesh :
— AndhraBoxOffice.Com ( AndhraBoxOffice) July 25, 2022
Only Hero’s are happy with their high remunerations and fake collections. All Other Stakeholders are suffering. ( In the Telugu Film Industry) pic.twitter.com/CkSISUHIHA
Ramesh said in Telugu, “Only heroes are happy with their high remunerations and fake collections. All other stakeholders are suffering.”
The exhibitors sector head T.S. Ram Prasad agreed with Mutyala Ramesh's assertion that OTT is hurting a number of exhibitors (theatre owners) and distributors. Both have requested that the window for the release of their films on OTT be extended. Some blockbusters have already appeared on digital platforms, probably as a result of their underwhelming box office receipts.