Nani on Why Telugu Cinema Is Finding a Global Audience

Nani has offered a simple explanation for why Telugu cinema is finding viewers far beyond its home market: the Telugu audience itself. In a conversation with Variety India, the actor-filmmaker said the confidence to attempt bigger, riskier films comes from knowing that fans will turn up.

Global ambitions begin with local footfalls

“It is our audience’s love for cinema, which is letting us think big and dream big. Because we are confident that they will support us. When we do an exciting project, we’re confident that the footfalls will be strong,” Nani said.

That support, he suggested, changes how Telugu filmmakers approach scale. Instead of playing safe with smaller, quieter stories, they are willing to back projects built for the big screen.

Why Telugu cinema travels

Nani pointed to the industry’s own taste as the export. “I think Telugu cinema going global is largely because of how we look at cinema. The entertainment we offer is not too serious or heartbreaking or sad. We want something dramatic and massy happening like ‘Baahubali.’ We love that kind of stuff,” he told the publication.

That preference for high-emotion, high-spectacle storytelling has become a calling card. Where other industries may lean into restrained, issue-driven cinema, Telugu filmmakers have often leaned into scale, sentiment and star power.

A changing perception

He also acknowledged the long-standing criticism that follows the industry: that Telugu films are mostly songs, dance and fights, and that the cinema is “too commercial”.

“I think that a lot of people assume that Telugu cinema is all about songs, dance and a lot of fights… But I feel that is changing,” he said.

The shift, he said, is already underway as more films cross language and regional boundaries. Here is what is changing:

• Audiences outside the Telugu states are discovering films beyond the biggest blockbusters.
• Filmmakers are carrying the industry’s massy, dramatic energy into different genres.
• The old “only songs and fights” label is being tested by a wider variety of releases.

Nani’s own rule: passion over payoff

As an actor who made his name without a film-family background, Nani also offered a caution for outsiders. Chasing money or fame alone, he argued, makes a difficult journey harder.

“I feel that compared to any other industry; the odds to be successful here, are lesser. So, if an outsider is just looking for money or fame, they should seek it elsewhere. Unless you’re really passionate, the journey or the process won’t be easy,” he said.

His own approach, he added, is not to treat every release as a must-win race but to make films he believes in.

What comes next for Nani

Nani was last seen in The Paradise, the Srikanth Odela action drama that arrived with strong hype but failed to land at the box office. His next project is Bloody Romeo, directed by Sujeeth, where he is expected to play a chef with a secret double life as a top-ranked gangster.

Source: The Times of India