Horror is one of the most interesting genres of Cinema which one can come across because it focuses on the tantalizing emotion- that is fear. A horror film is known to offer thrill and a suspense element cannot be taken for granted either. Telugu Cinema has had its equal share of horror genre right from Black and White era which had a unique set of audiences. However, the trademark Indian notion of a ghost clad in white saree, latern and scary sound effects ruled the roost for many decades. This doesn’t mean there were experimental films in the middle. Movies like Krishna starrer Ave Kallu is a wonderful horror flick which had a good dose of entertainment and songs mingled in between.
Telugu Cinema loved the aspect of infusing sentiment with ghosts as well- in which every ghost has a sad back story and a reason for why it has become an evil spirit. Being natural lovers of sentimental and family oriented films, this new formula worked quite well in Tollywood. Ram Gopal Varma brought a new era of horror films in Telugu with realistic taking, scary camera angles and stylish interpretation. However, horror films took a backlash during 90s and early 2000s until Rajnikanth’s Chandramukhi became a massive hit. The concept of psychological disorder, classical dance fused with horror was like a magic potion for a new age horror films in India!
Maruthi’s Prema Katha Chitram opened new gates for horror films which blended with the most contrasting genre to it- that is comedy! Saptagiri’s reactions to the ghost in the second half became a trendsetter for many such low budget horror comedy films later. Omkar’s Raju Gaari Gadhi , Geethanjali, and even the recent hit flick Anando Brahma fall in the same category. These films are aimed at audience to provide nonstop entertainment with a horror backdrop and the ghosts are meant to look comical instead of scaring the audience away.
It is interesting to see new wave of filmmakers trying innovative genres such as intelligent thriller to a horror film where the existence of ghosts. Anushka’s latest offering Bhaagamathie paved a new wave of horror genre which was never seen in Telugu Films. Looks like Telugu Film Industry is getting into a novel style of making and looking for impressive blends of horror genre!
