In Telugu cinema, music has traditionally been its emotional heartbeat. From the era of NTR (NT Ram Rao) and ANR (Akineni Naj Ess Paddy Rao) to today’s star-stodic glasses, songs have shaped the identity and commercial fate of a film. But recently, a striking trend has been acquiring ground: popular songs that were shot, released on streaming platforms and YouTube, and are celebrated are being observed from the final cuts. Is this a sign of changing taste? Or singing songs are being displayed in the name of story accurates?

Removed, but not forgotten

The missing case of ‘Hardayam Lopala’ from Vijay Devarakonda ‘Kingdom’ has ruled the conversation. A melodious track taking social media from the storm was not found anywhere in the film. ‘Hrudayam Lopala’ was not a vague filler. It had all the hallmarks of a classic romantic number, with a cute chemistry between soothing music, compelling view, and lead. Its absence from the final editing surprised many.

Director Gautam Tinnuri clarified that this decision was not made lightly. He said in an interview, “Once we saw the final cuts, we felt collectively that the song could interrupt the tempo. While the audiences now ask for it, we had maintained it, some would have called it unnecessarily,” he said in an interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1iskzwrcfu

But ‘Kingdom’ is away from a separate case. In the last two years, many big-tick Telugu films have trimmed their songs or left the edited table: Dhanush and Nagarjuna’s ‘Kubera’ from ‘Kubera’ ‘Pippi Pipi Dum Dum’, Ram Charan’s ‘Game Changer’ and Davudi’s ‘Devra’ from ‘Devra’.

These are not small films with tight budget. These are star-powered, high-station ventures. The irony is that in many of these cases, the songs that were removed had already received online traction and served as part of the initial discussion of the film.

A heritage of musical storytelling

For decades, Telugu cinema has considered songs more than aesthetics – they have been emotional powerhouses, structural anchors and cultural identities. K in the hands of a masters like Vishwanath, music became an extension of character and philosophy. Along with SS Rajamouli, songs are scales, increasing stress, expanding scope, and acting as a bridge between imagination and emotion.

Commercial Telugu cinema once an forecast yet flourished on functional music templates: a high-voltage hero introduction, a romantic doubles in foreign places, an emotional family montage, a Russian item number, and often a climate, soul-surge track. These 4-6 songs were not just audio brakes; They were the necessary beats in the script, each with a specified location and purpose. He subtext, advanced the plot, or simply gave the audience time to breathe and experience large screen experience.

Beyond the needs of the story, the songs were the backbone of marketing of a film. The tracks were released months ago, which led to the discussion. A chartbuster can flip the fate of a film. For example, even when the Ram Charan’s ‘Orange’ failed to dramatically affected, its album by composer Harris Jayaraj turned into a cultural artifacts.

Similarly, Allu Arjun’s ‘Arya 2’ is more relevant for his firm story and for Goddess Shri Prasad’s timeless Soundtrack. In recent times, Mahesh Babu’s ‘Guntur Caram’ did not promise to tell the story of the pre-relaxation traction completely due to his album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh3fylt7wvg

Long before hashtags and reels, numbers such as ‘Ate Amlapuram’ and ‘Ringa Ringa’ were cut into states and languages. These were not just songs, they were the identity markers of an era. He played at weddings, college celebrations and street corners. Before films, he often oversee him, and stayed for long, years and decades after the credit rolled.

In an interview, as composer Anirudh, properly mentioned: “We can watch a film 5 or 10 times. If we love it, perhaps after 20 years, we will see it a hundred times. But this is the music that reminds us of the film.” His words talk to a deep reality that songs are not just compatible.

From property to later?

Filmmakers today often cite pacing and flow as reasons for cutting songs. The average focus duration is shrinking, they argue. Audiences demand tight screenplays. The songs, until systematically integrated, are seen as distracted. But this change increases some important concerns:

Impact on marketing and publicity

The songs have long served as campaigner columns. A hit song can ignite better publicity with a dozen posters. case in point:

• ‘Ramulu Ramula’ and ‘Batta Bomma’ in ‘Ala Vaikunthapuramulu’
• ‘Inkam Inkam Inkam Cavale’ in ‘Geth Govindam’
• ‘Ni Kallu Blue Samadram’ in ‘Appena’
• ‘Buji Thali’ in ‘Thhandel’
• ‘Srivalli’ and ‘Saami’ in ‘Pushpa’
• ‘Court’ in ‘Court’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m9syqjnowk

These tracks were not just background songs, they were part of the brand of the film. Even a large -scale background score like ‘Akhanda’ theme and ‘Devra’ from ‘Fear Song’ contributed to the promotion of films. When the songs are missing or weak, promotional campaigns suffer.

Female appearance on fall

Another unexpected result is less space for female characters. In many commercial films, songs gave women actors not only screen time but emotional visibility. Without songs, women recent films ‘Devra’, ‘Kingdom’, and even ‘Game Changer’ felt almost absent. His characters had neither influential scenes nor traditional song sequences that allowed him to register with the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqwdejfsvvc

Result? Barely 5–10 minutes of screen time for top stars. Lack of strong roles is already an old issue; The lack of songs only makes it worse.

Story pacing and emotional rhythm

The songs have traditionally helped manage the emotional flow of a film. Whether they offer relief after a huge moment or to build a romance, they were narrative tools. Removing them can make films more streamlined, but also risk that they can feel emotionally flat or too much.

For example, a film like ‘Sala’ can be benefited from not having traditional songs due to its intense mood. But a film with layered emotions can get value in music breaths that allow the audience to reorganize.

So, what’s next?

This is not the first time Telugu cinema has adapted to the behavior of the new audience. Now what is different is measure and stability with which the song is being sidelined, even when they are popular. This is a possible change not only in beauty but also in the cultural template of Indian cinema.

But before we leave the songs completely, it is important to find a balance. Not every film needs five songs, but not every song is also a problem. When used wisely, songs can still add emotions to the story and help promote the film. The answer is not to remove them, but to rethink how they are written, where they are placed, and how they are shot. Because in the end, it is not only about keeping the flow. It is about catching the rhythm which has always been a part of Indian cinema.