Why Tollywood's Romance With Re-Releases Is Unlikely To Fade

THE theatre is full of screaming fans. They’re singing along and echoing the dialogues back at the screen, with a familiarity that only comes with repeated viewings.

The movie playing is Pawan Kalyan’s Kushi, which released in 2001. But the scene described above is unfolding in 2023! It’s part of a Tollywood trend: re-releasing stars’ older super hits on their birthdays, to make some money and earn plenty of social media mileage. Junior NTR’s Aadi and Simhadri, Allu Arjun’s Desamuduru (all three films released more than a decade ago), late superstar Krishna’s Mosagallaku Mosagallu (from 1971) — all have been part of this trend. The campaign follows a template — schedule a re-release for a few days around a star’s birthday, leverage it on social media, and target single screens where fans can pay homage to their matinee idols.

NOT A NEW TREND

Veteran producer Suresh Babu says this is the reemergence of an older trend. “I remember in the ‘70s, ANR’s cult film Prem Nagar had multiple runs spread across years and made money on every successive release. But then, that was because the prints were limited and people had great memories of their star in the film hence revisited it,” he notes.

The current trend mimics something that used to happen regularly in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Single screens, lack of satellite media and OTT ensured repeat audiences, and producers pandered to that craze by releasing successful films again and again.

But in today’s time and era, many of the new generation actors whose careers launched in the ‘90s and early 2000s — like Mahesh Babu, Prabhas, NTR Jr, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan — are continuing to prove their mettle at the box office with re-runs at 300-500 screens on an average, worldwide. What explains this craze?

Financial adviser and film critic Sridhar Sattiraju opines that the fan base for these stars is the main driving force behind these releases. “Most of the films have been re-released to coincide with the post-pandemic rise in popularity of the same stars as there has been a big lull between 2020-22 when movie shooting schedules got disrupted with the outbreak of COVID,” he opines.

This apart, fans want to re-experience the larger-than-life stardom of their favourite actors by watching them on the big screen with cutting-edge technology like 4K and Dolby that may not have been available at the time when some of these iconic films originally came out. They want to see their stars in new age, technologically advanced formats and re-experience the magic of successful films. While the trend has been peculiar to Telugu films thus far, it is beginning to spread to the Tamil industry too.

In fact, Ram Charan’s Orange — which flopped when it released in 2010 — was an unprecedented success on its recent re-release, surprising even its makers! Sattiraju posits that “priming the movies for releases now is an attempt to get the audiences to connect with the magic these stars worked on an earlier generation, and to explore the depth of the fanbase for future releases.”

At a time, when today’s superstars are taking anywhere between 1-3 years for successive movies, keeping the fandom active during this lull through re-releases is an excellent strategy that keeps everybody — from popcorn concessionaires to theater owners — happy.

NOSTALGIA IS A BIG DRAW

Tarun Bhascker’s cult hit Ee Nagaraniki Emaindhi was re-released recently, five years since it first hit theatres. This is a departure from birthday releases. Though it did not have a big hero, its cult status and presence in memes gave it an enduring longevity. Producer Babu says that it has made four times the money on its first day of re-release as it did five years ago! “Even when it is available for free on OTT, the film saw crowds thronging in. Friends coming in together, participating in its punch lines and reliving memories really showed us what the magic of movies is all about!” he shares. 

Ardent movie lover and screenwriter Raja Satish usually catches all the movies for an encore and says it's because they bring on a wave of nostalgia. “Films like Okkadu, Jalsa, Pokiri, Gang Leader and Thammudu have all captured my attention when they were re-released.” he shares and adds, “Each viewing rekindles the memories of the struggles I faced in the past to watch these films, making the experience even more significant.”

This is a running theme and maybe the secret ingredient for success. Re-releases not only allow viewers to relive cherished memories but also provide an opportunity for a new generation to appreciate these cinematic gems. The emotional connection and the collective joy experienced in the theaters create an atmosphere that is hard to replicate.

“It's moments like these that remind me of the enduring power of cinema and its ability to bring people together, transcending time and evoking a shared sense of nostalgia,” says Satish. “One film that holds significance for me is Kushi. I have watched it numerous times in the past, and when it was re-released last year, I eagerly attended the first-day first show. It was a delight to witness a large crowd in the theater, enthusiastically whistling and dancing along to the movie.”

The song tracks are an added bonus. During the screening of Gang Leader, the iconic tracks ‘Vaana Vaana Velluvaye’ and ‘Panisaasasa’ were played again at the end, evoking a strong sense of excitement among the audience. It’s a similar case with other movies whose songs are etched in the audience's minds.

THE FUTURE IS HERE

Right now, this strategy is limited to only big star films where fan clubs do the customary rituals of massive decorations and group celebrations — which in turn is encashed by the producers of the film.

But this trend must encourage theaters to re-release even low-star, low-budget movies which became iconic superhit films during their time, believes Sattiraju. “This can include artistic and epic entertainers made by directors like Bapu, K Viswanath, Jandhyala and K Raghavendra Rao. The same can happen to films like Sampoorna Ramayanam and Sita Kalyanam and other mythological blockbusters at a time when new-age mythological films like Adipurush are being trolled heavily,” he muses.

The trend also serves as a good way to pause and reflect on how the elements of mass entertainment can be combined to usher in more magic in future and to continue swaying the theatere-growing crowd. Babu cautions, “Not all movies are going to do well. They need to have that connect with the audience or be larger-than-life.”

Till then, audiences can eagerly look forward to the next movie from the past that can make a blast!