Not only are Telugu heroes eyeing pan-India films, but so are directors. A successful Hindi film can set their careers for life.
However, remuneration in Telugu films differs from that in Bollywood. Telugu heroes are occupied with pan-India projects, making it difficult to schedule dates for films.
Only a few senior heroes are left with availability, and so Telugu directors are exploring opportunities with heroes from other languages.
Vamsi Paidipally, Venky Atluri, Shekhar Kammula, and Hanu Raghavapudi are among the Telugu directors working with actors from other languages.
Even in terms of remuneration, pan-India films offer more than Telugu films.
Sandeep Vanga, who became a pan-Indian director with Kabir Singh (the remake of his own Arjun Reddy), is now earning 50 crores plus profit sharing for a Hindi film, as per sources.
He would not have received such a sum for a Telugu film. Except for directors like Rajamouli, Sukumar, and Trivikram, many Telugu directors are still in the Rs 20 Cr bracket, unlike Sandeep Vanga.
The same goes for actors like Rana, who earn less in Telugu films than they do for web series. For instance, Venkatesh's remuneration for F3 was around 5-6 crores, while he reportedly received up to 12 crores for a web series. Rana took a cool Rs 8 Cr for the same.
Therefore, Telugu directors and actors are looking beyond their industry to achieve pan-India success, as it not only offers more opportunities but also better remuneration.