Box Office: Lessons learnt from Tollywood's Robinhood; Routine potboilers no longer work

Not long ago, a mass entertainer with a routine story and formulaic scenes along with a couple of good songs including an item number guaranteed packed theatres and roaring fans. But times have changed and such creations are no longer clicking. Here's what the lessons learnt from this Nithiin starrer's dismal performance at the Box Office. 

Several recent films, despite experimenting with unique subjects, have eventually fallen into the same commercial trap with over-the-top action sequences, forced drama that won't evoke emotions, and unnecessary songs that never suit the flow, thus turning the movie into an unacceptable mixture of boredom. Telugu films like Laila, Mazaka, and Dilruba attempted the same formula, while starting by choosing new concepts but ended up force fitting the commercial elements.

Laila starring Vishwak Sen was an action-comedy about a Hyderabad beautician, Sonu, who helps a client but faces revenge from a cop he exposed. Disguising himself as a girl, Laila, he falls for Jenny while getting entangled with a criminal family and an adulterated oil case. Despite its premise, the film’s exaggerated drama with usual tropes diluted its impact.

Mazaka, a romantic comedy featuring Sundeep Kishan and Ritu Varma, was about a father-son duo navigating complex love stories while dealing with a vengeful businessman. But its predictable humor and outdated family drama didn’t click though the story's concept sounded interesting on the surface level.

Kiran Abbavaram starrer Dilruba, which has Rukshar Dhillon playing the female lead, had an interesting setup. Siddhu, an engineering student, rescues Anjali from a bad date, leading to romance and conflicts with a dangerous antagonist named Joker. However, excessive commercial elements weakened its emotional depth and the novel point in the story.

Coming to Robinhood, despite a bankable star like Nithiin spearheading it, high-octane action, and a commercial template, the film failed because of predictability. The audience no longer enjoys routine potboilers and recycled formulas where a hero fights, dances, and delivers punchlines without a gripping story. 

The above films are now followed by Robinhood, which seems hitting that final nail in the coffin.  They prove that taking different subjects isn’t enough but execution matters. If everything eventually turns into a mass masala formula, the audience rejects it, no matter who is the leading actor and actress. 

While Pushpa, RRR and Animal worked because they had compelling storytelling along with star power, the likes of Manjummel Boys and HanuMan built strong pre-release buzz due to their unique content and scored success with the same. 

With the message clear now, we have to see if Tollywood would rethink its approach and stop making the lazy, formulaic films that are failing.

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