88 Years of Telugu film industry witnessed the blockbusters of several mass films. And the mass heroes, who played protagonists in those films earned great fame and recognized by their fans as demi gods.
However, it's observed that mass films do not suit to all heroes. Way back in 1950s and 1960s NTR and ANR would rule Tollywood. While NTR attracted mostly masses, ANR dominated in class films. Although ANR attempted mass films here and there, most of his attempts went to rags.
Tollywood was dominated by Krishna and Sobhan Babu apart from NTR and ANR in 1970s. Krishna enthralled mass audience with his mass films while Sobhan Babu was adored the class hero. Sobhan Babu tried some mass films. Unfortunately, most of his mass films stood as debacles.
Megastar Chiranjeevi has been dominating Tollywood since early 1980s. He won the applause of all sections. Yet, he merely dominated the industry with his mass hits. Among other top heroes, Natasimham Nandamuri Balakrishna won the hearts of mass audience with a good number of mass hits.
Some of the current generation stars are also trying their best to prove them mass heroes and got successded as super mass heroes. However, having seen the way a few contemporary stars' films performed at the box office and the impact they could create among masses, it's made out that 'Mass heroism should be inbuilt, but should not be forced'.