Power Star Pawan Kalyan once stood firmly among the biggest stars of Tollywood and even competed seriously for the number one position. Films like Gabbar Singh and Attarintiki Daredi shattered box office records and ended up as the highest grossing Telugu films of their respective years.
However, the landscape changed dramatically after Baahubali and Pushpa. In that scenario, it became extremely difficult for Pawan Kalyan to match the box office numbers of Allu Arjun or Prabhas. Realistically, he can now emerge as the industry’s top grosser only in years when stars like Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan, or NTR either do not release films or deliver flops.
Another major turning point in Pawan Kalyan’s career was his deep involvement in politics. During this period, several Telugu actors aggressively built their brands, explored pan India markets, and strengthened their commercial consistency. As a result, Pawan Kalyan slowly drifted out of the box office rankings conversation, and discussions around records or industry domination faded for his films.
After returning to films, Pawan Kalyan went through a mixed phase. He acted in three consecutive remakes, all of which flopped. His straight film Hari Hara Veera Mallu turned into an epic disaster. Expectations dropped sharply, and many believed his peak as a box office force was over. That narrative changed slightly with OG. The film struck a chord with fans, generated strong word of mouth, and posted good collections. It went on to become the highest grossing film of Pawan Kalyan’s career. Though it didn’t achieve break even in many areas, it can still be termed a success for Pawan Kalyan and his fans.
It is disappointing that OG also emerged as Tollywood’s biggest grosser of the year, even though it was not a big hit. Until then, Venkatesh’s Sankranthiki Vastunnam had led the charts with around Rs. 300 crore gross. OG crossed that mark and finished its run above Rs. 300 crores, according to producers, claiming the top spot of the year. A Rs. 300 crore grosser being the highest grossing film of the year is utterly shameful and reflects how bad the situation is for Telugu cinema.
There were expectations from Boyapati Sreenu and Balakrishna’s Akhanda 2, but the film emerged as a massive disappointment, commercially as well as critically. The film is struggling to cross even the Rs. 100 crore gross mark.
Amid this scenario, a larger concern for Telugu cinema is haunting. After leading Indian cinema in 2021 and 2022, and once again dominating the top grossers list in 2024, Tollywood is now going through a dull phase. In 2025, not even one film crossed the Rs. 500 crore mark.
With several big-ticket projects pushed to 2027 and only a handful of potential films like Peddi, The Raja Saab, and Fauzi lined up, the industry is facing one of its toughest post COVID periods. As things stand, Telugu cinema may struggle to challenge Bollywood’s dominance in 2026.
