No Stars, No Hits? Telugu Cinema’s Reality Check in 2025
Telugu cinema is experiencing one of its least successful years recently. To illustrate, 2024 saw four Telugu productions among the top 10 highest-grossing Indian movies, with three reaching the top five. Films such as Pushpa 2: The Rule and Kalki 2898 AD achieved remarkable figures. This year, however, only one Telugu film has entered the top 10 highest-grossing list up to this point.
A primary reason for Telugu cinema’s subdued performance this year is the absence of releases from major stars like Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, and Allu Arjun. Jr NTR released a Hindi film but had no Telugu movie out this year. Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG stands as the sole Telugu film to reach the top 10 this year.
Does box office success depend solely on top stars? Evidence suggests otherwise. A review of 2025’s highest-grossing films reveals that Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam industries delivered significant hits, many of which did not rely on established superstars.
As of mid-December, the Kannada film Kantara Chapter 1 leads as the year’s highest-grossing movie. Its star, Rishabh Shetty, was not considered a superstar compared to Karnataka’s biggest names, yet the film made a huge impact. In Bollywood, Vicky Kaushal, a star not on the same level as the Khans, delivered a blockbuster with Chhaava, which earned over ₹800 crore.
Continuing this trend, the Hindi film Saiyaara, featuring new actors, became a major box-office triumph, collecting nearly ₹600 crore. Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar is currently in theaters, has surpassed ₹500 crore, and is quickly moving towards becoming the year’s top earner.
In Malayalam cinema, the female-led film Lokah Chapter 1, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, became an industry hit despite the presence of superstars like Mohanlal and Mammootty. The Kannada animated movie Mahavatar Narsimha also had a strong box office run, grossing over ₹300 crore. These films performed well even within the Telugu states.
This clearly indicates that filmmakers must create movies with broad appeal that connect with audiences nationwide. The quality of the film’s story and execution matters more than any star’s presence.
