Telugucinema.com: Where Telugu Film Fans Found Their Digital Home
Think back to 1997. The internet was just emerging. People were still figuring out how to use email. And in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a Telugu film enthusiast named Prasad V. Potluri decided to create something that didn’t exist yet — a website entirely dedicated to Telugu movies. That website became Telugucinema.com, and it changed everything.
When Potluri launched the site in 1997, he wasn’t just early to the game — he was the game. Telugucinema.com holds the distinction of being the first-ever website created specifically for Telugu Cinema, making it a true digital pioneer long before online film coverage became common.
At that time, movie fans relied on print magazines or word-of-mouth for updates. Getting reliable information about new releases meant waiting for the next day’s newspaper. Telugu Reviews depended on whether your local critic happened to watch the same film. Telugucinema.com turned that dynamic around completely.
What makes this platform special isn’t just its longevity (28 years is ancient in internet time). The site built a unique identity by going deeper than typical entertainment coverage. While other outlets began posting routine movie updates and box office collections, Telugucinema.com became known for its long-form articles — detailed retrospectives on classic films that shaped the industry, and extensive profiles of actors, directors, and technicians who defined eras of Telugu cinema.
Its interview archive is massive — decades of conversations with industry figures that researchers and film students still reference today.
Today, the site is led by Jalapathy Gudelli, who serves as publisher, editor, and chief film critic. He holds a postgraduate degree in Journalism from Osmania University and studied Film Appreciation at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.
Gudelli has been writing film reviews since 2002 — over twenty years of analyzing performances, dissecting storylines, and offering honest opinions. His direct and often blunt reviews have made him a respected voice in Telugu film criticism, frequently quoted by other media outlets.
Writers Sri Atluri and M. Patnaik complete the core team, ensuring a steady flow of news, reviews, and features that keep readers coming back.
Unlike some legacy websites that feel frozen in time, Telugucinema.com keeps evolving. Its core content includes film news, detailed reviews, box office reports, trailers, interviews, photo galleries, and video content.
Gudelli’s reviews are particularly notable for their honesty. He once called Laila “totally gibberish and crass,” describing its scenes as “an assault on our senses and sensibilities.” When Thammudu failed to deliver, he wrote that it “completely misses the target.” Yet when movies work — like Kannappa — he credits the strong elements, noting how “Prabhas and the climax save the film.”
This straightforward approach has earned the site deep reader trust — fans know they’re getting genuine criticism, not promotional fluff.
Running a Telugu film website today means competing with dozens of others — 123telugu.com, Filmy Focus, Track Tollywood, Greatandhra.com, and more. Social media has transformed how fans consume news. Threads and reels have replaced articles and photo galleries, while YouTube reviewers build massive followings.
Yet Telugucinema.com remains relevant because it never tried to be everything to everyone. It focuses on quality over trends — long-form, thoughtful content over clickbait.
IIT Kharagpur professor Anjali Gera Roy ranks it among the most successful websites dedicated to Indian language cinema. Even The Hindu called it “a big hit” with a loyal audience back in 2006 — and that loyalty continues today.