Cop thriller 'Gharshana' leads Telugu boxoffice

Hyderabad, Aug 19 (IANS): Cop thriller "Gharshana", replete with romantic songs and taut performances, has caught the audience's attention to emerge the top Telugu film this week.

1. "Gharshana": The pre-release hype helped draw huge initials and the film is doing very well in A centres, though gradually sliding down in B and C centres. Venkatesh's physique and performance, the love track and imaginative songs are the main attractions. The producers are satisfied with the mixed response since they have reached their target audience and anything other than that is a bonus. Director Gautam arrives with this success.

2. "Donga Dongadi": Debutant Manoj, son of veteran actor Mohan Babu, surprised everyone by drawing good crowds at the opening, but audiences are thinning. Besides the wafer-thin-plot, the repeated conflicts over petty issues between the protagonists has made audiences run out of patience. However, the film's youthful look is a saving grace and promises it a decent run.

3. "Naa Autograph": Bespectacled director Ravi Teja proves his drawing power with this film. Despite its mid-week release, the tragic tale of a 30-plus man has received decent response. However, it looks difficult to sustain the film's appeal for long. Ravi's image is one of the reasons, and another is the ending of the film that has left many disappointed. The film might not be able to repeat the success of the original Tamil hit "Autograph".

4. "Intlo Srimathi Veedhilo Kumari": The family entertainer starring Prabu Deva, Srikanth and Aarti Chabria has opened quite well since family subjects are safe bets. Director K. Vasu makes a comeback by rehashing his 1980's hit "Gopalaravugari Ammai" and the promos are interesting. Glam girl Aarti holds the interest in the comedy. The joint production of big producers Aswini Dutt and Allu Arvind has a good chance of turning out to be a winner.

5. "Yagnam": It still remains one of the choices for viewers in B and C centres. The film heralds the entry of action star Gopichand. His action and performance sustains the film's tempo. Pokuri Baburao proves yet again that he can score a hit even with a film with a message.