From Deepika Padukone’s controversial exits to Salman Khan’s tardy shoots, Bollywood’s fragile star system stands exposed against Tollywood’s disciplined work ethic.
Mumbai: The battle between commitment and stardom in Indian cinema has never been more evident than in the contrasting approaches of Tollywood and Bollywood. While Tollywood actors begin their day at 6 AM and wrap by 6 PM with a family-like dedication grounded in humility and free from excessive demands Bollywood’s star-driven culture is bleeding producers dry. Recent controversies involving Deepika Padukone’s exit from Kalki 2898 AD and Spirit, Salman Khan’s tardiness on Sikandar, and candid remarks from Aamir Khan and Anurag Kashyap have exposed Bollywood’s structural flaws. In contrast, Tollywood’s disciplined model has proven that mass-appeal films with stunning VFX can be made on modest budgets, leaving Bollywood struggling to keep up.
Tollywood’s Commitment: A Family-Like Work Ethic
Having worked on a South Indian film myself, I have witnessed how Tollywood stars such as Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, and Ram Charan treat the set like family. They arrive on time, work with focus, and place the story above personal whims. This grounded approach eliminates the need for inflated stardom.
Films like RRR and Pushpa became global hits on relatively modest budgets because of their disciplined storytelling. More recently, Lokah Chapter 1 and Mirai outperformed Bollywood’s Adipurush in VFX quality despite far smaller budgets, proving that commitment often trumps extravagance.
Nepotism in Tollywood: Talent Over Lineage
Nepotism certainly exists in Tollywood, but survival depends on merit. Star kids such as Mahesh Babu (son of Krishna), Allu Arjun (son of Allu Aravind), and Ram Charan (son of Chiranjeevi) earned their standing through hard work and consistency. According to Ormax Media, Tollywood stars are admired for sincerity, competence, and relatability qualities that translate into deeper audience loyalty.
Allu Arjun’s National Award-winning performance in Pushpa and Ram Charan’s global recognition from RRR are prime examples of this dedication. Nepotism may open doors, but in Tollywood, only talent sustains careers.
Bollywood’s Stardom: A Financial Burden
Bollywood, on the other hand, finds its star system turning into a liability. NDTV reported that Deepika Padukone was dropped from Kalki 2898 AD and Spirit following her demands for a 25% fee hike, five-star facilities for her 25-member entourage, and a 7–8 hour workday. Producers even offered her a luxury vanity van to accommodate longer hours, but she reportedly declined.
Similarly, Sikandar director A.R. Murugadoss revealed in an interview that Salman Khan often arrived on set at 8 PM, forcing daytime sequences to be shot at night with costly VFX adjustments. The result: despite a budget of ₹200 crore, the film managed only ₹184.6 crore, leaving producers at a loss.
Industry veterans have raised alarms too. Aamir Khan, on Komal Nahta’s Game Changers, called Bollywood’s entitlement culture “shameful,” criticising stars who pass costs for personal staff from drivers to trainers onto producers. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, speaking to Times of India, lamented how excessive star demands and fan pressures stifle directorial creativity.
These incidents Deepika’s high-profile exits and Salman’s tardiness highlight how Bollywood’s inflated stardom overshadows storytelling and burdens production.
Low Budget, High Impact: Tollywood’s Lesson
Tollywood’s model shows that mass-appeal films need not rely on bloated budgets. Lokah Chapter 1 and Mirai delivered superior VFX and stronger narratives compared to Adipurush, despite costing a fraction of its budget. Stars like Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun adhere to strict schedules, ensuring that resources are channelled into editing and post-production rather than personal luxuries.
The contrast is striking: in 2024, only six Bollywood films crossed the ₹100-crore mark, while Tollywood’s Pushpa 2 and Devara (dubbed into Hindi) outgrossed most Hindi releases, according to Ormax Media.
Conclusion: Bollywood Must Wake Up
Tollywood’s commitment provides a blueprint for Bollywood’s survival. Stars such as Deepika Padukone and Salman Khan need to embrace accountability, while producers and filmmakers must re-centre storytelling over stardom.
Tollywood has already proven that talent, discipline, and humility can outshine fleeting glamour. Unless Bollywood recalibrates its priorities, small producers will vanish, fresh stories will fade, and India’s largest film industry will continue to lose ground to its disciplined southern rivals.
