There was a time when Telugu Desam Party was the hot favourite of the Telugu film industry. Especially between 1999 and 2004, TDP president and AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was like a superstar for Tollywood. There was not a film function wherein Naidu’s name was not raised for appreciation.
The craze among the Tollywood stars had gone to such an extent that in 2004 elections, they virtually competed with one another to campaign for the TDP. Everybody – starting from Chiranjeevi to Brahmanandam – extended his support to the TDP in one way or the other.
Unfortunately for them, the TDP faced a humiliating defeat in the 2004 elections. Subsequently, there is a change in the attitude of the Tollywood. Those who had blown the trumpet of Naidu shifted their loyalties to Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and started singing paens for him. Some of them even became active members of the Congress party.
After YSR’s death in 2009, a few of them remained with Kiran Kumar Reddy while others backed Jaganmohan Reddy.
After the bifurcation of erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, the entire scenario in the Telugu film industry has changed. Though Hyderabad was declared a common capital for two Telugu states, its administration has gone in to the hands of Telangana and KCR. Now, all the Tollywood biggies started pampering KCR. Whenever they get an opportunity, they are praising KCR and his efficient administration, so that he would not touch them.
And nobody is bothering about Andhra Pradesh and its chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, though it is also a Telugu state. Take for instance, the tree plantation programme. In fact, Naidu took up the programme in the name of “Neeru-Chettu” much before KCR launched his Haritha Haram. The media, too, gave a lot of publicity to Naidu programme, but the Tollywood care a damn for his call. At the same time, the entire Telugu film industry actively participated in the Haritha Haram programme of KCR.
So, one can understand the priorities of the Tollywood. They are not bothered about who is in power where. All that they are interested is Hyderabad. Whoever has control over Hyderabad, they pamper him. Going by this, it is more or less certain that the Tollywood has completely deserted Naidu!
