Thaman S, who composed music for the recently-released Akhanda 2, is making headlines once again. At the success meet of Akhanda 2, Thaman expressed his concerns about the lack of unity within the Telugu film industry. "Akhanda 2 was originally supposed to be released on December 5, but it was postponed to December 12. If someone wants to stop a film, they should do so well in advance, but instead, people take actions at the last minute that halt the film’s release. There is no unity, and no one is strong enough to stand up for it," Thaman said.
The music director further emphasised that the industry’s mindset should shift from "I" to "We." “When people start thinking that every film is theirs, and when they adapt the mindset of 'We' rather than just 'I,' only then will everyone come together to solve the issues. Many people give advice from the outside, but they don’t go and speak directly to the producers. If they did, they would gain strength,” Thaman explained.
He also praised producers Ram and Gopi Achanta, calling them "good and nice people," and condemned the negativity directed at them. “It is wrong to speak negatively about them. The Telugu film industry lacks unity. An issue that should be resolved behind closed doors ends up being exposed to the entire world,” he added. Thaman likely alluded to the legal troubles faced by Akhanda 2 at the last minute, with the film encountering complications with Eros.
Thaman also spoke about the global perception of Tollywood, highlighting the massive fan following of Telugu actors. “Only Telugu actors have such a huge fan base — nowhere else in the world is it like this. Tollywood is suffering from the 'Evil Eye,' which has led to an overwhelming amount of negativity surrounding it. I often tweet about many films, and people should start viewing every film as their own. The time has come for everyone to talk about this issue,” Thaman remarked.
While the music director refrained from naming anyone in particular, it was evident that the delay in Akhanda 2’s release had deeply affected him. “Akhanda 2 is a journey, and every Balayya film feels like a 10th-grade exam to me. I always wonder how I can bring something new to the music for his films,” said Thaman. He also expressed his gratitude to all the lyricists, singers, and technicians who contributed to the project. “Nearly 600 technicians worked on the music for this film,” he shared.
“It’s not just one or two people who work on a film — nearly 2,000 people contributed to this project, and hundreds of families depend on it. Why does everyone want to know about the business side of this film? Why did the producers have to tweet about it the evening before the release? We all know that whenever this film releases, the speakers and sound systems will break,” Thaman concluded.