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Tollywood Faces Recession: Actors Asked to Cut Fees
5 Jan
Summary
- Telugu film industry is experiencing a recession due to multiple flops in 2025.
- A-list actors are urged to voluntarily reduce their high remunerations.
- Nandamuri Balakrishna's planned film with Nayanthara is scaled down due to budget.
The Telugu film industry is currently facing a severe recession, largely attributed to a string of box office failures throughout 2025. The financial downturn has prompted calls for A-list actors to voluntarily reduce their substantial fees, which often run into double and triple-digit crores, to mitigate potential embarrassment from forced cutbacks.
This economic pressure is already impacting major productions. A highly anticipated costume drama starring Nandamuri Balakrishna and Nayanthara, initially planned with a grand budget, has been significantly revised. Director Gopichand Malineni is now working on a scaled-down version of the project with Balakrishna, which will not feature Nayanthara due to her non-negotiable fee of Rs 10 crores, a cost the producers can no longer afford.
The underperformance of large-scale films like 'Akhanda 2' last year continues to send financial reverberations into 2026. This situation highlights a challenging period for Tollywood, with producers seeking ways to manage costs and navigate the industry's current economic climate, affecting future film plans and actor collaborations.
