Regional film industries of India’s various states have acquired their own names akin to Hollywood. Likewise, the Telugu film industry is aptly named Tollywood and is a thriving movie and playback industry from the state of Telangana and Andra together (formerly Andra Pradesh). Despite the proud existence of great magnanimity, critiques of the industry have a lot of frustrations about the direction of this movie industry. Nepotism trends like advantages for people with a family background in the cine industry and lack of good dedicated artists (except a few like recent times seen a young guy called Vijay Devarakonda) are few on the list of major criticisms. Telugu music industry always looks farther south to find ideas for their movies and technicians. The storylines of movies go round and round with masala elements and no movie from this region ever shows up in any National awards or International movie festivals. Movie directors who directly admit in their interviews that they can’t make movies that have no typical masala elements tells volumes about their lack of commitment to good cinema. Almost every major heroine in a hit film is guaranteed to be a non-Telugu girl. Some of our friends from Telugu Smule whom we talked with tell a story very similar about the Telugu music industry as well.
Mid-year 2019 we are here trying to put out a list of prominent singers who grabbed the songs that climbed the top charts of Times countdown. In this note, we are listing or emphasizing singers and their respective songs that are up the top 20 half years through.
The first position is taken by Chinmayi Sripaada. Her Priyathama Priyatama is in the top position. She is a Tamil singer who has a very strong presence throughout the entire south and a few songs in Hindi as well. She was introduced to Tamil playback by Singer Srinivasan and the music director none other than ARR. She sang her very first song for ARR’s is titled oru daivam thantha poove , is an outstanding composition that gave her a great break in the south. Classically trained from a very young age itself, Chinmayi prove to be a very strong singer grabbing many opportunities from South and North. Her first song in Hindi films was for Mangal Pande Holi Re is another ARR direction. Her Tere Bina from Guru singing alongside ARR made her presence a National one and a really strong one. Clearly, she is ARR’s favorite and that made all the difference in her getting all the best opportunities one can get in India Playback. Here is her Priyathama Priyathama from blockbuster movie Majili on Telugu charts top 1.
Next in line is Sid Sriram, who took the entire South India under his spell through his amazing voice and singing. Sid with his magical number ‘Arerey Manasa‘ from the movie Falaknuma Das.
Top 3 position is also taken by Sid Sriram‘s song Mella Mellaagaa along with Aditi Bhavaraju from movie ABCD, another remake of a 2013 Dulquer Salman’s hit Malayalam movie.
Top 4 is taken by Anirudh Ravichander’s melody a beautiful one from the movie Jersey. As one might wonder is this movie industry is taken over by the Tamil music industry? Yes, that is the truth. Telugu music industry has no Artists of their own with creativity and they always looking to further south.
Top 5 is taken by Anurag Kulkarni. He came to fame from a reality show finally found a position in the top charts at position 5 in a tough competition and trending of Tamil singers. He is basically from Hyderabad and must be lot proud to find a place here to represent as an artist from the land. His singing is right on, and hope he finds more opportunities in Telugu and makes the land proud.
The top 6 is taken by Sudarshan Ashok. His grabbing this position here is very commendable. Sudharshan a year before one may find not so famous on YouTube with his Tamil independent videos. He has a lot to be proud to be in the sixth place with his Prema Vennala with music director Devi Sri Prasad. His voice is super quality and this is really good. Give a listen.
Position 7 is taken by Anirudh Ravichander’s Padhe Padhe Lyricist Krishna Kanth of this song is a very promising Lyricist of Tollywood. He is a proper Telugu and is a very proud artist with high-profile interviews given in last year and to watch for in the Tollywood. In the interviews, he seems like someone from Telugu with a lot of potentials. Here is his song Padhe Padhe at position 7. A very nice one.
Position 8 is taken by a song made by a big name Devi Prasad from Tollywood; music and sung by himself. Devi Prasad is a music director from proper Andra, with a lot of awards to his credit, which makes him one of the most successful music directors to watch from Tollywood. His voice reminds one of some Bollywood sensations, like Arijit. His voice texture is very very refreshing. With his huge talent, he is poised to make it big elsewhere nationally. Listen to his Choti Choti baatein.
Position 9 is taken by Sid Sriram and his beautiful Undiporathey. Amazing is his singing despite his language barrier and growing up outside of India. The movie is Hushaaru and the music is by Radhan. Listen
Position 10 is a very special one, don’t miss this. Favorite of all the top here. Singer Goutham Bharadwaj (again a Tamil) is AMAZING in all departments of singing. 2019 probably is his, since this year earlier Hindu’s Tollywood correspondent wrote about him as in direct competition to Sid. We really did not like that comparison. Goutham has his place without that competition as the main source. Yet, he is the most promising singer of this year, and we wish he win awards for his Nee Neeli Kannullona this year nationally as well. It is a must-listen, it is a loop for sure. Best of all the songs here in this feature. The music is by Justin Prabhakaran. Goutham had sung this song for four south Indian languages himself. Nee Neeli Kannullona…..
Position 11 is taken by Kaala Bhairava, (along with Nikitha Gandhi (she sung some songs from Majili on Smule) an unmistakable identity for that name associated with Lord Shiva, and he is the son of Telugu’s music industry king Keeravaani Sir. His son takes this proud place at ten with his Yedetthu Mallele under Malayalee music director Gopi Sundar. Keeravaani and traditions of the family business. Yet this is a lot to be proud of him and his son, with an amazing singing and voice quality for a sensational movie Majili.
Position 12 is taken by a Malayalee singer Yasin Nizar, His success story spans all south Indian movie industries. Yet, he is very less known in Kerala. He came to playback from winning many reality singing competitions like Gandharva Sangeetham, Sangeetha Mahayudham, etc. A classically trained singer, he found the most success in Telugu playback since his song Charusheela made a sensation on charts. Here he still enjoys the role of a leading singer with his Chandamame. Listen.
Position 13 is taken by Sid’s song sung for highly talented Vijay Devarakonda combination for the movie Dear Comrade; the song is Kadalalle (this song is a hit in all languages it is made). An absolute beauty by Justin Prabhakaran. The female voice is Aishwarya Ravichandran. She is a very notable voice from the south so beautiful in all the quality of a voice one can expect. Give a listen.
Position 14 is again taken by Yasin Nizar with his amazing different style of songs and singing. We are thinking that this singer is starting a new style and genre in India’s music scene. Give a listen. It is very westernized, but why not, he is revolutionary with his melodious classically trained voice to give a new touch to a foot-tapping number. Music is by Devi Sri Prasad.
Position 15 is taken by a very different-sounding singer Rahul Sipilgunj under the music direction of Devi Sri Prasad. As we saw above Devi Sri Prasad is a hugely successful singer, music director of the land who brings many hits. Sure this year belongs to him. Rahul’s songs are a touch of the local folk tunes that make him dear and near to the land of Telugu. He is seen as the son of the land who knows the slang and ways of Telugu men living. Is highly successful in singing many singles over the past four to five years. He is again blessed by music director Keeravani sir (although he is not related to him, and came to movies from an ordinary household in A.P.). He definitely found a niche in this industry by singing numbers like these. Here is his “Glassmates“. It is a little bit of TamilNadu’s dappankuthu style, which is very popular elsewhere.
Paragu paragu by a singer David Simon is unusually on the top charts. It is very refreshing with a lot of new influences and a new singing styles. Listen to another top chart by music director Devi Sri Prasad.
Position 17 is taken by Sid; another remake of the Tamil movie NGK. The female singer is Hemambika sounds refreshingly different.
Position 18 is taken by Everest Anchuna from Maharshi and again another song by Devi Sri Prasad top charts. The singers Hemachandra & Vishnupriya Ravi. Not really happy with any of these songs, nothing special in these tunes, they all sound like some sort of recipe for success.
Position 19 by Dhanush’s super hit this year all over India Rowdy baby. The female part of the song originally sung by phenomenal Tamil singer Dhee is replaced in the Telugu version by M. M Manasi; she did an excellent job with this song (who is also on Smule; a Tamil singer who made life in Telugu music, we did write about her in the Smule artist program features a few weeks ago). A song that tells volumes of how much Smule is a popular app across the world. Yuvan Shankar Raaja music director sure happy.
Position 20 is taken by Maate Vinaduga from Taxiwaala by Sid Sriram, Amazing Amazing is Sid’s popularity. Another remake from the Tamil industry.
END THOUGHTS
Telugu music predominantly lives on remakes of other successful south Indian language movies. A lack of originality, creativity, and artists of clear characters is very evident from this study which is still a problem.
Among new singers (although not a Telugu per se) Goutham Bharadwaj’s Nee Neeli Kannullona is an outstanding number, a class act by the young promising music director Justin Prabhakar.
Although A.P.s own Devi Sri Prasad made quite a few songs of which Chotti Chotti baatein, is noticeable; all other songs are forgettable numbers and made to fit some cookie cut style of music.
Malayalam singer Yasin Nissar’s continued success story and his singing style are very commendable; for this youngster to find a niche for his voice in Tollywood is an achievement in itself.
Sid Sriram is a phenomenon no music industry in India can stop. The prediction is this youngster from California, USA is the KING of 2019-2020 for sure. Chinmayi and Sid both are ARR’s favorites and discoveries, continue to rule in a way that their talents are overshadowing the entire South.
Hope is that songs made follow some diversified style so that everyone gets a chance to perform. There is definitely a lack of a willingness from directors to make meaningful Cinema and still be able to cater to the tastes of a Telugu audience. The Telugu movie industry although very vibrant lacks a lot of respect elsewhere with movies that are filled with masala elements of meaninglessness.
A movie industry that can make movies like Bahubali must be able to come up with a plan for sure. Raajamouli sir is one of the most thoughtful moviemakers the country has seen in the recent past. Hope in 2020 we will hear better original songs and get to see movies of reality in Tollywood.
We can not go without this Gopi Sundar’s beautiful composition Inkem Inkem Inkem Kavale from Geetha Govindam. A promising Telugu young actor Vijay Devarakonda singing in Sid Sriram’s magic voice that created a new wave in Telugu, listen.
The great India Singers on Smule Sing 
