Rana Daggubati explains why Telugu cinema is dominating other industries
08 Jun 2025

Actar Rana Daggubati, a prominent figure in Indian cinema for nearly 15 years, recently spoke about the growth of the Telugu film industry.

He pointed to its global success with films like Baahubali, Pushpa series, and RRR.

While speaking to HT, he also acknowledged a global decline in theaters due to the rise of other entertainment platforms such as OTT and YouTube.

'Telugu is doing better...': Daggubati
Industry advantages

Daggubati praised the Telugu film industry for its diversity and affordability.

He said, "Telugu is doing better than other industries because of the larger variety of stuff that is being produced."

"And the cost of going to the cinema in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is still not as expensive as Mumbai and Delhi."

Not every story is meant to be universal: Daggubati
Market expectations

Daggubati also addressed the expectation of Telugu films to be pan-India blockbusters.

He said that not every story is meant to be universal, and some stories are just for a smaller audience.

"Some things are just for a local market. You need that cultural understanding," he added.

'Cinema will always find its beat...': Daggubati
Cinema's resilience

Despite the challenges in the cinematic world, Daggubati remains hopeful.

He said, "Cinema will always find its beat; there are a few things that are still communal as watching a film together — that doesn't go away easily."

He cited Priyadarshi Pulikonda's Court, a legal Telugu drama, as an example of how good cinema continues to resonate with audiences despite a small budget.

Daggubati will next be seen in Rana Naidu 2, releasing on Netflix on June 13.