As 2025 comes to a close, Tollywood’s box-office report card throws up an interesting - and slightly uncomfortable - truth. Despite dozens of releases, big banners, and massive pre-release hype, only two Telugu heroes managed to deliver genuine back-to-back theatrical winners across 2024 and 2025: Nani and Teja Sajja.
No noise. No PR overdrive. Just films that worked.
Nani, who has long been the industry’s safest bet, continued his clinical run with Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, followed by the intense HIT: The Third Case. Both films reinforced his reputation as a star who balances content, scale, and box-office discipline better than most of his peers.
Teja Sajja, meanwhile, quietly entered the same conversation. After the industry-shaking success of HanuMan, all eyes were on whether he could repeat that magic. With Mirai, he answered that question convincingly, proving that his success wasn’t tied to a superhero costume but to audience trust.
What makes this duo stand out in 2025 is their predictability in an unpredictable market. Producers today aren’t chasing just opening numbers — they want sustainability and ROI. In that equation, Nani remains the gold standard, while Teja Sajja has emerged as the newest “minimum guarantee” hero.
As the industry looks ahead to 2026, this year-end takeaway is hard to ignore: consistency, not just stardom, is what truly ruled Tollywood in 2025.