Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, a neighborhood of Hyderabad, India. The nickname Tollywood is a portmanteau of the words Telugu and Hollywood. By 2021, it has emerged as the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office.
Ram Gopal Varma's Siva, which attained cult status in Telugu cinema, is one of the first Telugu films produced after the migration of Telugu film industry from Madras to Hyderabad to feature characters speaking the Telangana dialect. Varma was credited with the introduction of Steadicams and new sound recording techniques in Telugu films. Within a year of the film's release, more than ten Steadicams were imported into India. Siva attracted the young audience during its theatrical run, and its success encouraged filmmakers to explore a variety of themes and make experimental Telugu films.
Subsequently, Varma introduced road movie and film-noir to Indian screen with Kshana Kshanam. Varma experimented with close-to-life performances by the lead actors, which bought a rather fictional storyline a sense of authenticity at a time when the industry was being filled with unnecessary commercial fillers. It went on to gather a cult following in south India, with a dubbed Hindi version titled Hairaan released to positive reports from Bollywood critics, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and the Fribourg Festival.
Every year, the Telugu film industry comes up with terrific songs that strike a chord with all sections of listeners. Film songs gave respite to many. About 1000 songs hit the market this year. But a few dozen songs have made it to the charts.
Here are the top ten viewed Telugu songs:
1. Saranga Dariya
The song from Sekhar Kammula’s ‘Love Story’ is the biggest hit in 2021. Composed by newcomer Pawan CH, the song featuring Sai Pallavi is a runaway hit. It has garnered 350 million views since its launch in Feb 2021. Suddala Ashok Teja has written the lyrics.
2. Bullett Bandi
Sung by playback singer Mohana Bhogaraju, the Telangana private song is a phenomenon itself. This is a true success story of a song. It features no known stars or is composed by a top musician. Still, it went viral. Written by Laxman and composed by SK Baji, the song made Mohana Bhogaraju a star.
3. Oke Oka Lokam
Sung by Sid Sriram, the song composed by Arun Chiluveru turned an instant hit. This viral song fetched a huge craze to the film, Sashi. But even this popular song could not save the boring drama. Chandrabose has written the song.
4. Srivalli
Sid Sriram is the singer of the season in Tollywood. “Srivalli” is another viral song crooned by him. Allu Arjun and Rashmika starrer ‘Pushpa’ has many viral songs.
5. Laahe Laahe
Compared to the above songs, “Laahe Laahe” is not a popular number. Still, Megastar Chiranjeevi’s popularity has made it viral.
6. Oo Antava
The item song from ‘Pushpa’ was released this month. Sung by newcomer Indravathi Chauhan and penned by Chandrabose, the song features Samantha as the item girl.
7. Chitti
Music director Radhan’s composition is a fun number from ‘Jathi Ratnalu’, a comedy blockbuster. Sung by Ram Miriyala and penned by Ramajogayya Sastry, the song features newcomer Faria as the heroine.
8. Daakko Daakko
This was the first song from ‘Pushpa’ which came out.
9. Bheemla Nayak title
Music director Thaman is enjoying the top position as the reigning music composer. Last year, he ruled the music charts with his songs. In 2021, his work was appreciated more in background scores. Among the films he worked for a year in 2021, ‘Bheemla Nayak’ stands out. The title song is a modernized folk number.
10. Naatu Naatu
Keeravani reserves his best work for Rajamouli. His compositions for “Baahubali” were rage all over India.
