The movie “Devara,” directed by star director Koratala Siva and starring the ‘Man of Masses’ Tarak, has created a Pan-India buzz. Following a global hit like ‘RRR,’ Tarak’s new film has been eagerly awaited by both his fans and cinema lovers. With the film set to release on September 27, the Devara team is busy with promotions. However, the focus on the North Indian market has led to dissatisfaction among the Telugu audience. So far, none of the promotional events for Devara have originated from the Telugu states, raising concerns that the Devara team is neglecting Tollywood.
Trolls on Chennai Promotions
As part of its promotions, the Devara team landed in Chennai on Tuesday (September 17). The event featured Tarak, along with actress Janhvi Kapoor, director Koratala Siva, music director Anirudh, and Tamil actor Kalaiyarasan. During this, Tarak expressed his desire to work with Tamil director Vetrimaaran, which although captivated the Tamil audience, left Telugu cinema lovers feeling slighted. Trolls are questioning why a star like Tarak would request a Tamil director to make a movie with him, suggesting he is diminishing his own stature.
Devara Team on The Kapil Sharma Show!
The Devara team has also been conducting back-to-back promotions in Mumbai, attempting to hype up the movie. As part of this, Tarak appeared on the very popular ‘The Kapil Sharma Show Season 2.’ Being a major Bollywood star, it’s almost obligatory to appear on this show, which has a fan base that transcends regional boundaries. Bollywood stars believe that appearing on this show greatly boosts their movie promotions. During the ‘RRR’ promotions, Rajamouli, Tarak, and Ram Charan had made an appearance on this show. Recently, Tarak revisited the show for Devara, along with Janhvi Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Saif Ali Khan. The promo, which also features Team India captain Rohit Sharma & Co, has been captivating. This episode is scheduled to stream on Netflix at 8 PM on September 21.
Tarak in Hindi Bigg Boss 18?
The Hindi Bigg Boss show enjoys significant popularity. With Salman Khan hosting the upcoming Hindi Bigg Boss Season 18, there is strong buzz that the Devara team will promote their movie on the show. Official confirmation from the Devara team is pending, but it is evident from the current strategy that Tarak & Co. are not missing any opportunity for promotions in the North. Bigg Boss 18 is set to stream starting October 4, by which time Devara will have already been released. It remains to be seen if the Devara team will participate in Hindi Bigg Boss.
Interview with Animal Director
Recently, the Devara team was interviewed by Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga. The chat session, which included Tarak, director Koratala Siva, Saif Ali Khan, and Janhvi Kapoor, was notably entertaining. Sandeep posed some intriguing questions to the Devara team, to which Janhvi and Tarak responded in their unique styles. Tarak mentioned that Devara is an action drama that will thrill the masses. Koratala Siva spoke about his long-standing friendship with Tarak, and the team mentioned that they had spent 35 days filming an underwater sequence. Janhvi claimed Devara would be the best movie in everyone’s careers. Sandeep playfully commented on the movie’s runtime, and when asked how long it was, he said with a laugh that it was 3 hours and 24 minutes. Despite Sandeep Reddy Vanga being a Telugu director, the entire interview was conducted in English, which has left Telugu viewers unable to connect. Click the link below for the full interview.
Where Are the Tollywood Promotions?
Lately, the Devara team has been focused predominantly on Bollywood, believing that effective promotions there could translate into significant box office returns. Even the movie’s key trailer was released in Mumbai. There have been comments suggesting it would be beneficial to similarly promote the movie in Telugu, given Tarak’s star image and expected box office pull in Telugu-speaking regions. Compared to the promotions conducted in the North, there seems to be little planning for significant promotional activities in Telugu. Fans are surprised that young heroes Siddhu and Vishwak are interviewing NTR and Koratala, raising questions about the level of NTR’s engagement. There are criticisms that leveraging his close relationships with big names like Mahesh, Prabhas, and Rajamouli for interviews would have been more beneficial for Telugu promotions. The interview Rajamouli conducted with the ‘Salaar’ team is often cited as an example. So far, the focus on Bollywood in promotions has been strongly criticized for overshadowing efforts in Tollywood. How the Devara team will address this remains to be seen.
