English Titles: Are Small Films Paying the Price?

Titles are very important in promoting a movie.

 They help people remember the film and are the first thing people notice. Sometimes, filmmakers use unusual or creative titles to grab attention. For example, Upendra used a symbol as the title for one of his films, and it helped the movie become popular.

Another example is a film with JD Chakravarthy, which was released in 1998 without a title.

 It was called "Peru Leni Cinema" and it also worked well for promotion.

In recent years, filmmakers are not using such creative or unusual titles as much.

 Directors like Trivikram have used some unconventional titles, but since these are big star films, people eventually got used to them.

But now, small films are starting to use English titles more often, and some people are wondering if this is causing them to fail.

Tiruveer's film "The Great Pre-Wedding Show," Gunasekhar's "Euphoria," and Santosh Sobhan's "Couple Friendly" all used English titles.

 However, they all performed poorly at the box office.

"The Great Pre-Wedding Show" had good buzz but didn’t reach its full potential at the box office.

 "Euphoria" had some issues in the second half but didn’t get enough attention. "Couple Friendly" had a decent first weekend, but its full potential wasn’t reached.

So, while there are many factors that affect a film’s success, the question remains: could the use of English titles have played a role in their underperformance?

When the writer of this article asked Gunasekhar the same question, he said that the audience’s intelligence is being underestimated.

With the rise of OTT and the internet, thanks to Jio, people have access to more information than ever before.

 But even so, it seems they are still not ready for complicated English titles.

While it's true that the box office performance of these films can't be blamed solely on their titles, every small mistake can have a big impact.

 Big films might not be affected much, but for small films, this is a serious problem.

So, filmmakers should take note and think carefully about the titles they choose for their future projects.

NBK Eyeing Sankranthi 2027 with an Unexpected Director?

Things are turning exciting as a new team is reportedly coming together in Tollywood. According to sources, Nandamuri Balakrishna might soon get a script from director Vassishta, which has led people to think about a possible project aimed for Sankranthi 2027. This film is said to be supported by Dil Raju through the well-known Sri Venkateswara Creations production house.

Inside information says that a formal reading of the script might take place in the coming days.

 If Balakrishna likes the script and all the details work out, the team is thought to be planning to officially announce the project on his birthday in June, which would be a big moment.

Interestingly, there were earlier reports that Balakrishna might be working with Harish Shankar for a Sankranthi 2027 film under the Sithara banner.

 With so many options being talked about, it’s still unclear which project will come first.

This update comes when fans are already excited about Bhimbisara 2, which is still uncertain even after a new director was chosen following Vassishta’s departure, and the delay in Chiranjeevi’s Vishwambhara, which hasn’t announced a release date yet.

If Balakrishna agrees to work with Vassishta, many people would be surprised.

 However, getting a Sankranthi 2027 release might be tough, given that Vassishta is known for taking a long time to make big, grand films. Let’s wait and see what happens soon.

SC Gives Final Verdict in Actress Prathyusha Death Case

The shocking death of Telugu actress Prathyusha, which caused a big stir in the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana several decades ago, has finally reached its legal conclusion.

The Supreme Court has given the final decision in this case, as the top court rejected Siddhartha Reddy's petition and ordered him to surrender at a police station within four weeks.

 His attempt to avoid the jail time given by the high court was not accepted by the Supreme Court.

In this case, the Supreme Court listened to both sides' arguments over a long trial.

 After completing the hearing in November last year, the court put off its decision.

24 years after the murder, which happened in 2002, the Supreme Court has now given its verdict, telling Siddhartha Reddy to surrender at the police station.

 The judgment from the High Court will stay, and Siddhartha Reddy will have to spend two years in prison.

Earlier, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Sessions Court had sentenced Siddhartha Reddy to five years in prison.

When Siddhartha Reddy challenged this verdict in the High Court, his prison sentence was reduced to two years.

 On the other hand, Prathyusha's mother, Sarojini, challenged the High Court's decision in the Supreme Court, while Siddhartha Reddy also appealed to the Supreme Court to cancel the sentence.

In this incident that happened in 2002, Siddhartha Reddy claimed that he and Prathyusha had tried to commit suicide by drinking pesticide, and that he survived after getting treatment in the hospital.

Prathyusha's mother, Sarojini, accused Siddhartha Reddy of being the cause of her daughter's suicide, and now the legal battle has finally ended.

NTR–Neel Film to Release Sooner Than Expected?

 The much-anticipated project bringing together Jr NTR and director Prashanth Neel is moving forward quickly. The latest news suggests the movie might be released this year. Earlier, there were worries about delays, but people close to the production team say they have a clear plan for when the film will come out.

Previously, there were rumors that the movie might not be ready until 2027, but recent updates indicate that's not the case anymore.

 Right now, the team is finishing up a key part of filming in Jordan, where some exciting action scenes are being shot. Interestingly, insiders say this will be the last major outdoor shoot for the movie.

After this part is done, the rest of the film will be shot entirely at Ramoji Film City.

 A special set has been built for the remaining scenes, and the shooting is expected to happen quickly.

A video of Pooja Hegde was shared, which had previously been announced for a June release, but now it seems that might not be possible.

 However, the production team is still aiming to finish the film and show it in theaters before the year ends.

The movie is tentatively called Dragon.

 It became famous when unverified reports said that Jr NTR wasn't happy with some scenes and asked Prashanth Neel to reshoot them, causing a bit of tension. But now, everything is back on track, and the movie is moving forward quickly.

With Prashanth Neel’s style of intense action dramas and Jr NTR’s big presence on screen, the expectations are really high.

 If things go smoothly at Ramoji Film City, there might be an official update soon. Rukmini Vasanth is playing the female lead in this film.

Copyright Twist: Court Gives a Big Shock to Ilaiyaraaja

Legendary music composer Ilaiyaraaja has filed several copyright infringement cases against the use of his songs in recent movies.

 He even got court orders from the Madras High Court to remove those songs right away after he pointed out that the filmmakers didn’t ask for permission first.

But now, the Delhi High Court has given a big surprise to the maestro in a legal case started by the top music label Saregama.

 The court passed an interim order stopping Ilaiyaraaja from using and making money from several sound recordings and musical works. The court said that the copyrights belong to the company, and any unauthorized use might cause serious and irreversible financial harm.

In the case filed by Saregama, it was claimed that Ilaiyaraaja started giving licenses to third parties and uploading songs on platforms like Amazon Music, iTunes, and JioSaavn.

 He also claimed ownership of the works, even though the film producers had already signed agreements with the music label. These agreements gave the label exclusive, worldwide, and permanent rights to use, license, and make money from the songs in various movies.

After looking at Saregama’s submissions, Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued an interim order that stops Ilaiyaraaja from using the songs in a catalog covering more than 130 films in different languages.

The court also mentioned the Copyright Act, 1957, which states that typically the film producer is the first owner of the copyright unless a contract says otherwise.

 Based on this and the agreements that were shared, the judge decided that the company’s rights need to be protected at this point.

Both Saregama and Ilaiyaraaja are already involved in a copyright dispute over the popular Tamil song “En Iniya Pon Nilave.”

 In January of last year, the court ruled in favor of Saregama, clearly stating that Ilaiyaraaja cannot give the song to third parties because the music label owns the copyright.

Valentine’s Day Releases Face Major Monday Shock

The Valentine’s Day 2026 movie releases did not go well, and things are not looking good for them in theaters.

 On Monday, the box office numbers dropped significantly across all the movies that were released.

First up is Arjun Sarja’s *Seetha Payanam*.

 The movie started with very low attendance on its first day. There was almost no buzz before the film came out, and not much talk about it in the media. Because of this, the film didn’t do well and quickly lost its momentum. People in the film business say that there wasn’t enough promotion and not much positive word of mouth, which led to its poor performance.

On the other hand, Vishwak Sen’s *Funky* had a slightly better start.

 It got a good amount of hype before its release and had some positive buzz. The opening weekend numbers were decent, but the film didn’t keep its momentum. The growth during the weekend was limited, and on Monday, the collections dropped sharply, with estimates putting the earnings under a crore.

With the team slowing down their promotional activities after the release, the film is now looking like it might not do well in the long run.

 This could be a problem for Vishwak, Anudeep, and producer Naga Vamsi, who had high hopes for this project.

On the brighter side, *Couple Friendly* is doing okay, though not great.

 The film has received good reviews and positive feedback from audiences. However, the weekend numbers weren’t very high because of the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match.

But the film is still making decent money and needs to keep its performance steady during the week.

 If it continues to do well through the coming weekend, it might still end up being a profitable movie. Notably, Santosh and Manasa are still doing a lot of promotions, which is a smart move that could help the film stay relevant in the coming days.

Ustaad’s Poster Game Becomes a Big Concern for Power Fans

 The much talked about promotional material for Ustaad has hit a rough patch, and this time it's not just the critics or online trolls who are upset — even the biggest fans are expressing their disappointment.

The new posters for Ustaad Bhagat Singh are facing a lot of criticism for looking too fake or overly edited.

 They don't have the strong, original feel that fans expect from a movie starring Pawan Kalyan.

On social media, people are pointing out issues like the strange textures, awkward lighting, and dull designs in the posters.

 What's surprising is that even Pawan Kalyan's loyal fans aren't just supporting the team blindly. Many are actually calling out the creators and asking them to do better.

For a film with big expectations, this weak promotional material is only making things worse.

 Fans are hoping that director Harish Shankar, who made the hit movie Gabbar Singh with Pawan, can help turn things around with good content and better promotion.

But in today's world where social media plays a big role, first impressions really matter.

 If the team wants to keep the excitement going, they need to fix these issues and release posters that truly reflect the film's size and star power.