Of late, sequels have been ruling the roost in the Indian cinema space, particularly so in the Telugu cinema space. But apart from the usual big-event action franchises, Tollywood has started to nurture another viable trend and it has something to do with comedy franchises.
For instance, we have the DJ Tillu franchise. After the smashing success of the first part, the second part opened on a bright note at the box office. The makers have even announced Tillu 3 and this franchise will produce more outings in the future.
Another campus comedy Mad is gearing up for the second part. The sequel is titled Mad Max and it is hitting the floors this April. If the sequel clicks, there could be more subsequent outings.
Then there is Jathi Ratnalu 2 which has been in the news for a while now. The makers have announced that the second part will certainly happen but there is no fixed timeline on when it might happen.
There is a proposed plan to have a sequel for Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya as well. If this also happens, then it could be a new addition to the list of comedy-drama franchises in Tollywood.
We might see comedy franchises sparingly in other industries, but the number of outings and the franchises themselves are very low. But in the case of Tollywood, we are already seeing Tillu and Mad franchises in production, while Agent and Jathi Ratnalu are bound to happen in the future.
As of now, Tollywood appears to have the most number of franchise films in the making for any film industry in India. The list includes big event multiple-part films like Pushpa, Salaar, Devara, and others, along with the mentioned comedy dramas. This should be some sort of a record.
