2009, an year of 'A' certified films in T'wood!!

Once priding itself on its saccharine sweet family flicks, Tollywood is busy treading on dangerous territory now. Getting bolder and wilder than ever, all the big Tollywood movies in 2009 had a generous amount of sleaze and gore, earning themselves an ‘A’ certificate. In fact, the Telugu film industry has created a record of sorts by releasing 30 ‘A’ certified movies in 2009. And surprisingly, all of them were box office successes, be it Arundhati Magadheera, Billa, Ek Niranjan or Aanjaneyulu.

Ask Tollywood filmmakers about their bold, new outlook and they claim that its time for a change. Shyam Prasad Reddy, producer of Arundhati, which got an ‘A’ certificate for it’s violent content, says, “Violence is an emotion and if the story demands it, we have to include it in a balanced manner. What the audiences want are stories with a different treatment. Arundhati wouldn’t have appealed to them without the violent scenes. So, I opted for an ‘A’ certificate instead of chopping those scenes.”
This new breed of filmmakers insist that an adult certification doesn’t affect their ticket sales. Producer Suresh Babu, says, “Many horror films and thrillers released this year and they were a hit. This is a testimony to the fact that the audiences don’t really care about the certifications. At the end of the day, it’s an individual decision.”
In fact, this ‘A’ certification has become a crowd puller of sorts, say film critics.

P. Sarath Kumar, member of censor board, says, “The ‘A’ certificate has become an added advantage. The young audiences expect to see bolder content now. Moreover, the filmmakers put up graphic horardings to publicise the film even before they send it for certification. So, by then the film generates a buzz and an ‘A’ certificate adds to it.

Censor board officials however, claim that adult certification will affect the satellite rights of the film. T.V.K. Reddy, regional director, censor board, says, “TV channels don’t buy ‘A’ certified films because of its violent and explicit content. If the filmmakers want to sell their movies for a better price, they have to delete objectionable scenes to get a ‘U’ rating.”

2009’s ‘A’ certified films:

Arundhati*

Magadheera*

Billa*

Aanjaneyulu*

Drona*

Sankham*

Rechipo*

Ek Niranjan*

Kurradu*

Amaravati*

Siddham*

Kasko