For years, the rule for big Telugu heroes was simple: one film at a time. Prabhas broke that rule, and now two more top stars are following his lead. NTR and Allu Arjun are both set to start working on multiple films at the same time.
The Prabhas Formula
Prabhas’s films are not regular commercial entertainers. They are massive-scale, big-budget projects that take a long time to finish. CG work, set construction between schedules, and shooting of portions that don’t involve the hero all take months.
Instead of waiting through all of that, Prabhas started working on several films in parallel. Right now, he has three films on the go: Fauzi, Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD Part 2.
That is why Prabhas keeps releasing a film almost every year, even while doing some of the biggest films in Indian cinema. It’s clearly the right strategy.
NTR Goes Parallel
NTR is the first big star to follow this route. He is currently working on Prashanth Neel’s Dragon, and next year he plans to shoot Anil Ravipudi’s film and Trivikram’s God of War at the same time.
That also answers the big question from this week’s announcements about how NTR will fit in both films. If it works, this way of working is likely to continue for his future projects as well.
Allu Arjun Too
Allu Arjun is on the same path. He is currently shooting Raaka, and he plans to start his film with Lokesh Kanagaraj in early 2027.
By then, his portions in Raaka are expected to be complete, and he wants to take up another film alongside the Lokesh Kanagaraj project. Discussions are happening with Boyapati Srinu for that film.
Ram Charan: A Different Approach
Ram Charan is not likely to join this trend for now. He is working on his film with Sukumar and hasn’t signed any other film. This time, though, Sukumar wants to finish the entire shoot within a year of going on sets, which would itself be a big change from the long timelines of recent big films.
Mahesh Babu After Varanasi
How Mahesh Babu plans his career after Varanasi remains to be seen. There is buzz that he too is thinking about doing films simultaneously, or at least taking up a quicker project next instead of jumping straight into another massive-scale film.
Why It Matters
This shift could be a big win for fans and theatres. More films from top stars means more releases, more business and more footfalls, without the stars giving up on big pan-India projects.
