Dubbed films are breaking records with Telugu theatrical rights deals. Trade reports highlight five such films in recent times.
Makers of Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana are reportedly quoting over Rs 100 crore for Telugu states rights. The figure cited seems far-fetched, though.
However, if you consider the numbers that have been doing the rounds in recent years, Rs 100 crore doesn't sound like an unconscionable demand.
Yash’s Toxic tops the list. Dil Raju’s Sri Venkateswara Creations acquired its Andhra Pradesh-Telangana rights for Rs 120 crore. This is the highest for any non-Telugu origin film. It's not clear if the theatrical deal remains intact. After multiple postponements, it must certainly have been renegotiated.
Kantara: Chapter 1, the Rishab Shetty starrer, was released last year. Its rights got sold in Telugu for Rs 100 crore. It set a new mark for Kannada dubbed films.
War 2, the Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR film locked Telugu rights with Sithara Entertainments, fetched Rs 90 crore. It was the biggest dubbed deal at the time. Naga Vamsi Suryadevara incurred a loss of Rs 30 crore on the project.
Coolie was overhyped. Rajinikanth’s film fetched Rs 46 to 53 crore. Dil Raju, Suresh Babu and Asian Cinemas jointly bought the rights.
Yash's KGF Chapter 2 was a rage. Its Telugu rights sold for around Rs 60-65 crore. It earlier held a strong position among dubbed titles.
Notably, “theatrical rights,” “distribution rights,” “advance-on-commission,” and “rights sold” aren't always interchangeable in Telugu trade reporting. Comparing headline numbers without normalising the deal structures can produce a misleading outlook.
