Want to be a hit? Sport a new look!

As a new generation of men stakes claim to the tag of a hero, the image of the typical hero is changing too.

To start with, the idea of a new look for every movie seems to be becoming more of a norm than an exception these days, with the fashion quotient becoming more and more important, points out Shanti Swaroop, an ad filmmaker.

"Change in look had so far been confined to wardrobe and minor alterations to hair and moustache in Tollywood. Be it Chiru, Venky, Balakrishna or Nag (a few more times for Nag), except on a handful of occasions, their look has been predominantly the same over the years. Maybe the films did not require it. But the man on the street these days is more fashion conscious than ever before, so it is only natural that the films follow suit," says Swaroop.

Seconding his view is Pramod Kumar, a film lover who makes an interesting observation. "Tollywood has probably never had as many moustache-less heroes in its history as it has today! Jokes apart, most young heroes like Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, Charan Tej, Raja flaunting the latest designer wear look more 'urbane' than their predecessors. While the films may not have changed much in content, the packaging has definitely become more stylised," says Pramod.

The reasons are rooted in simple market economics, feels T Jalapathi, a film critic. "The audience has to be able to relate to the hero. Now, a film has to be tailored in such a way that both the local masses and the NRI audience can connect the same way. It's a balancing act,” says Jalapathi. But purists like K Nagesh, professor of film studies, are of the opinion that the more things change in Tollywood, the more they remain the same.

Arguing that these superficial changes count for nothing, he says, "You hear filmmakers saying they conceived an idea keeping a certain hero in mind. A film essentially is about telling a story, which is why most Telugu films never have a good story. So, I believe it is just a gradual thing and has no profound reasons.
This month will see a release each from the new breed of young guns from Tollywood – Allu Arjun, NTR Junior, and Prabhas. Needless to say, how the heroes present themselves in the films will play an important role in determining their success.