Check out the depths to which the Telugu film industry has plunged. The much-hyped movie Robinhood, starring Nithin and Sreeleela, arrived... and disappeared without a ripple. Despite being led by two recognizable names, the film struggled to generate minimal buzz. It was almost as if the audience collectively shrugged and moved on.
But then came the twist — the promotional campaign decided to ride on the shoulders of an unexpected savior: David Warner, affectionately dubbed “Warner Mama” in Telugu-speaking states. Zee and the PR machinery tried to inject some oxygen into the movie’s dying pulse by giving Warner all the limelight. David Warner plays a cameo in the movie for two minutes and 50 seconds. And he was reportedly paid a sum of 3 crores!!
The implication? That a cameo by a cricket star — foreign, no less — was more valuable than the star power of the film’s actual leads. What does that say about the current standing of our Telugu heroes and the sorry state of content?
I sat through this lifeless flick for over 50 minutes — painfully — before giving up. Not a single glimpse of Warner Mama until then! Maybe his appearance is strategically buried deeper in the film, counting on curious viewers to fast-forward or wait it out. But perhaps that’s the trick — on OTT platforms, you only need to watch a few minutes for it to be marked as a "viewed movie." It’s not about compelling storytelling anymore; it’s about algorithms, impressions, and play counts.
Let’s also take a step back and consider this: cricketers have rarely succeeded in films. History is full of such experiments gone wrong. From Sandeep Patil’s forgettable stint to Sunil Gavaskar’s cameo, and even Varun Chakravarthy, who started in cinema and turned to cricket — the reverse journey! Salil Ankola is another telling case — once a promising cricketer, he lost his way chasing an elusive acting career.
Not to forget others like: Ajay Jadeja, Kapil Dev, Vinod Kambli, Harbhajan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar (in his biopic), Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Brett Lee, and Sreesanth.
Their appearances might amuse fans, but let’s be honest — star value in cinema is earned, not borrowed. So here's the big question: Is Telugu cinema so creatively bankrupt now that it has to bank on a cricketer’s cameo for survival? If the answer is yes, then Robinhood isn’t just a movie — it's a mirror to an industry that’s losing its plot."
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