Thaman S juggles 16 projects as Telugu film music strains

Telugu cinema built a global reputation on songs that travel. From Aa Ante Amalapuram to the Oscar-winning Naatu Naatu, its music has repeatedly crossed language and cultural lines. But in 2026, the industry is asking an uncomfortable question: while the films get bigger, why do the albums feel smaller?

India Today looked at 22 star-led and younger-actor projects from the last two years and found a growing reliance on composers from outside the Telugu industry. The trend is not merely about talent; it is about workload, deadlines and what producers choose to prioritise.

The 16-film workload squeeze

Thaman S remains one of the busiest composers in Telugu cinema, with roughly 16 projects across 2025 and 2026, including Game Changer, Daaku Maharaaj, They Call Him OG and The Raja Saab. Devi Sri Prasad, another marquee name, has had fewer high-profile outings recently, with Thandel and Kuberaa among his credits and an acting career on the side.

When the same two or three composers handle the biggest films, the problem is not just output. It is finding a separate sound for each title and giving the score enough time. Thaman described the crunch to journalist Rajesh Manne:

“Music is the last department in the production. After everything is done, we come to music.”

He later told Great Andhra that the issue is not ability but overload, saying, “The films are overloading.”

Outsiders on rooted stories

Outside composers are now a fixture on Telugu marquees. Among the 22 projects tracked:

• Jr NTR has moved from Anirudh Ravichander on Devara to Ravi Basrur on Dragon.
• Prabhas has worked with Santhosh Narayanan on Kalki 2898 AD and Thaman on The Raja Saab.
• Allu Arjun has Sai Abhyankkar on Raaka and Anirudh on AA23.
• Ram Charan has A. R. Rahman on Peddi; Nani has Jakes Bejoy and Anirudh; Vijay Deverakonda has Gopi Sundar, Anirudh and Ajay-Atul.

The catch: about 45 per cent of the 22 films are built on regional settings, folklore or mythology — Pushpa, RRR, Devara, Thandel, Ranabaali, The Paradise. When rooted stories are handed to composers from outside the Telugu industry, the conversation shifts from talent to cultural connect. On Ranabaali, Ajay-Atul’s score drew questions about whether it matched the film’s rooted subject. Devara’s songs connected with younger audiences, but some listeners still asked if the music fully captured its world.

Viral hooks vs albums that last

A track that trends for a week is not the same as a song that becomes family listening. The article points to Godavari Gattu from Sankranthiki Vasthunam (2025) as an example of the second kind. Telugu cinema needs both the Instagram hit and the long-remembered album, not one instead of the other.

Thaman said the music company was investing Rs 30-40 crore in The Raja Saab album, leaving him responsible for tunes that could work across markets. That is a lot of pressure to place on a composer who is already carrying a crowded slate.

What needs to change

The answer is not to shut the door on outside composers. It is to give homegrown names such as Vivek Sagar, Gowra Hari, Sinjith Yerramilli and Bheems Ceciroleo bigger films and more room to develop, and to bring music into the production process earlier. Thaman’s observation to Suman TV captures the imbalance: “Anirudh gets films easily in Telugu, but it is hard for me to get opportunities in Tamil films.”

If more Telugu composers do not get comparable trust at home, the industry’s musical identity, one of its strongest marketing and emotional assets, will keep thinning.

Source: India Today