Composers From Other Languages Gain Ground in Telugu Cinema, Raising Questions Over Its Own Sound

Big-budget Telugu films are increasingly relying on music directors from other languages. At the same time, Telugu cinema's own composers are struggling to land big projects. Excessive workloads, composing within short deadlines, and the pressure to go viral on social media have together created a new crisis in Telugu film music, the discussion notes.

Two songs are cited as examples of Telugu music's strength. 'Aa Ante Amalapuram' from the 2004 film 'Arya' became popular beyond Telugu-speaking audiences even before the era of social media promotion. And 'Naatu Naatu' from the 2022 film 'RRR' won an Oscar.

One major concern raised is that the number of established music directors in Telugu cinema is limited. Popular composer Devi Sri Prasad has worked on relatively fewer high-profile big projects in recent years. His recent work includes 'Thandel' and 'Kubera' in 2025, 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' in 2024, and the upcoming 'Ustaad Bhagat Singh'.

Thaman S, by contrast, remains one of the busiest composers. The number of projects linked to his name in 2025 and 2026 is about 16, including 'Game Changer' (2025), 'Daaku Maharaaj' (2025), 'They Call Him OG' (2025), 'Akhanda 2', 'The Raja Saab' and 'Ustaad Bhagat Singh'. Bheems Ceciroleo has also landed big work in films starring Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh.

In an interview, Thaman said music is the last of a production's 24 departments: work on the music begins only after everything else is finished. If a film's copy is ready two months ahead, he can deliver the music a month ahead, he said. The problem, in other words, is not always a lack of skill; a limited number of established composers, excessive workloads and short deadlines together have complicated the situation.

A review of 22 projects over the past two years featuring established and young Telugu stars found the presence of composers from other languages rising. Anirudh Ravichander, Ravi Basrur, G. V. Prakash, Santhosh Narayanan, A. R. Rahman, Jakes Bejoy, Gopi Sundar, Vishal Chandrasekhar and B. Ajaneesh Loknath are among those landing important work in Telugu cinema.

The trend is clearest in big stars' films. Jr NTR worked with Anirudh Ravichander on 'Devara' (2024); Ravi Basrur is handling the music for his next film, 'Dragon'. Santhosh Narayanan worked on Prabhas's 'Kalki 2898 AD' (2024), Thaman is on 'The Raja Saab', and Vishal Chandrasekhar and Harshavardhan Rameshwar are attached to 'Fauzi' and 'Spirit' respectively.

Sai Abhyankkar is on Allu Arjun's 'Raka', and Anirudh is attached to 'AA23'. A. R. Rahman is composing for Ram Charan's 'Peddi'. Mahesh Babu is an exception; he continues to work with Thaman and M. M. Keeravani.

The same trend appears among younger stars. Nani worked with Jakes Bejoy on the 2024 film 'Saripodhaa Sanivaaram'; Anirudh Ravichander is on his next film, 'The Paradise'. Vijay Deverakonda worked with Gopi Sundar on the 2024 film 'The Family Star' and with Anirudh on the 2025 film 'Kingdom', while the duo Ajay-Atul is working on 'Ranabali'.

Of the 22 projects reviewed, 10 — about 45 percent — tell stories rooted in local settings, communities, history, folklore or mythology. 'Pushpa', 'RRR', 'Devara', 'Thandel', 'Ranabali' and 'The Paradise' all carry a distinct cultural identity. The growing presence of outside composers in such locally rooted films is highlighted as the paradox in the discussion.

The discussion also says the trend cannot be viewed as purely negative. Outside composers can bring new tunes, technology and perspectives. Telugu cinema also has talented composers such as Vivek Sagar, Gaura Hari and Sinjith Yerramilli, but very few newcomers get to work consistently on big stars' films, it notes.