Idlebrain.com

Last updated

Idlebrain.com
Idlebrain logo.gif
Website logo
Type of site
Film news and reviews
Available inEnglish
OwnerG. V. Ramana (Jeevi)
IndustryInternet services
URL Idlebrain.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationFree/subscription
LaunchedDecember 1999
Current statusActive

Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website that features information, news, and reviews on Telugu cinema. It is one of the oldest websites on the Internet focusing on Telugu films. [1] The site is especially popular for its film reviews written by the founder Jeevi. [2] [3] It was founded in 1999 by G. V. Ramana (better know by his nom de plume Jeevi), a graduate of BITS Pilani, with the help of his friend Sunil Krishna. [4] [1] [5]

Contents

As of August 2022, it has an archive of nearly 1000 Telugu films reviewed by Jeevi starting with Iddaru Mitrulu (1999). [6] The site features entertainment news, reviews, box office results, trailers, interviews, movie schedules, chat room, photo galleries and other features related to Telugu cinema. It is considered to be among the most popular websites related to Telugu film industry. [1] [2] [7] [5]

History

G. V. Ramana (born c. 1974), [8] popularly known by his nom de plume Jeevi, is a graduate of BITS Pilani who had short stints in software and finance firms. While he was working in a private firm in Mumbai, his only connection with Telugu cinema was stray magazines. At that time, for a cinephile like him staying outside Andhra Pradesh, latest information related to Telugu films was scarce and hard to find and so he decided to launch a website. [4] [2] [5]

In December 1999 he launched Idlebrain.com, a website covering Telugu cinema, with the help of his friend Sunil Krishna who was based in Sunnyvale, California. Initially, Sunil hosted the site on his home computer. Jeevi used to contribute to the fledgling site personally while also keeping his dayjob. [4]

Armed with a digital camera, Jeevi used to stop on roads and click at wayside billboards with eye-catching posters and upload them on his site. In the summer of 2001, he resigned from his job and started working on the website fulltime. [1] In about a year, Jeevi started interacting with producers for getting the latest information from official sources. Producers like Shyam Prasad Reddy, K. S. Rama Rao, Chalasani Ramesh, and Sravanthi Ravi Kishore evinced interest regarding the information on the website. [4]

Jeevi also started writing reviews of films on the site. As of October 2008, he reviewed over 500 Telugu films and 100 Hindi films. His reviews quickly became popular in the industry and among movie buffs. His review format covers assessment of a film's plot, actors' performance, music, cinematography, and other technical aspects. [4]

In October 2008 Jeevi claimed that Idlebrain had about one lakh daily visitors, with about 40% of them from the US and 50% from metros in India. [4]

Reception

In August 2002, Geetanath V. of The Hindu opined that the website was "not only colourful, but also has several attractive features contrary to its name". It added that Idlebrain.com was the most happening among the various film websites. [9]

In April 2006, Y. Sunita Chowdhary of The Hindu called Idlebrain.com "a leading player in its segment." [1]

In its October 2008 issue, lifestyle magazine Hyderabad Josh noted that Idlebrain is popular among the NRI community especially in the US. It further mentioned that Idlebrain had a sizeable following among movie buffs in metropolitan cities of India like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, and Bangalore. [4]

In August 2009, CNBC TV18 wrote, "Idlebrain is an online Telugu movie ready reckoner for film buffs who find themselves working in a distant land." It also noted, "While most film websites run on industry gossip, what strikes you about Idlebrain.com is information about overseas screenings for Telugu expats starved of their regular dose of popular movie stars. Jeevi's reviews are particularly popular among the Telugu NRI community, so much so that DVD rental prices are decided based on his ratings." [2]

The website won the Andhra Pradesh Cinegoers’ Association award for the Best Telugu Film website in 2008. [7] It has been noted by distributors that Jeevi's reviews affect the box office performance of films in the overseas market and the DVD rental prices are decided based on his ratings. [2] [3]

In the 2017 book Revisiting Star Studies: Cultures, Themes and Methods edited by Sabrina Qiong Yu, Professor of Film and Chinese Studies at Newcastle University, Idlebrain.com is mentioned as a pioneer of a major shift in Telugu cinema in which the public consumption of film information widened from print media to internet and digital media. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Aithe</i> 2003 Indian film

Aithe... is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language thriller film written and directed by Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, and produced by Gangaraju Gunnam under his studio Just Yellow. It stars debutants Mohit Chadda, Shashank, Abhishek, Janardhan, and Sindhu Tolani, while Pavan Malhotra plays a pivotal role. The film deals with underworld criminal nexus and hijacking. The film was shot simultaneously in Hindi as 50 Lakh (2007).

<i>Mallela Theeram Lo Sirimalle Puvvu</i> 2013 film

Mallela Theeram Lo Sirimalle Puvvu is a 2013 Telugu film directed by GV Rama Raju starring Kranthi and Sri Divya in the lead roles. The film was produced by G Umadevi on Godavari Cinema Banner. The film was released on 5 July 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Divya</span> Indian actress

Sri Divya is an Indian actress who works primarily in Tamil and Telugu films. She won Nandi Award for Best Child Actress for Bharati, a Telugu film in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saptagiri (actor)</span> Indian comedian

Venkata Prabhu Prasad, known professionally as Saptagiri, is an Indian actor and comedian who works in Telugu films. He received Nandi Award as Best Male Comedian for his role in Express Raja (2016). He received Santosham Allu Ramalingaiah Smarakam Award at 15th Santosham Film Awards in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satyadev (actor)</span> Indian actor

Satyadev Kancharana is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is known for the movies Jyothi Lakshmi (2015), Kshanam (2016), Mana Oori Ramayanam (2016),Bluff Master (2018), Brochevarevarura (2019), and Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sai Dharam Tej</span> Indian actor

Panja Sai Dharam Tej is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. Related to the Allu–Konidela family, he made his acting debut with the box office success Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham (2014) for which he received SIIMA Award for Best Male Debut and CineMAA Awards Best Male Debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anish Kuruvilla</span> Indian actor and director

Anish Yohan Kuruvilla is an Indian actor and director who predominantly works in the Telugu film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upendra Madhav</span> Indian film screenwriter & director

Upendra Madhav is an Indian film screenwriter, director and dialogue writer known for his works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his works in box office hits such as Baadshah, Dookudu, Aagadu and Bruce Lee - The Fighter.

<i>Pressure Cooker</i> (2020 film) Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film

Pressure Cooker is a 2020 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Sujoi Karampuri and Sushil Karampuri. The film features Sai Ronak and Preethi Asrani in the lead roles. The film was released on 21 February 2020.

Aaptudu is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by Muthyala Subbaiah starring Rajasekhar and Anjala Zhaveri. The film is a remake of Ghaatak (1996).

<i>Pallakilo Pellikoothuru</i> 2004 Indian film

Pallakilo Pellikoothuru is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Suchitra Chandrabose. Its stars Gowtham and Rathi. The film introduces Brahmanandam's son Gowtham and Bangalore-based Rathi's Telugu debut. K. Raghavendra Rao scripted the film in addition to supervising the direction.

Priyudu (transl. Lover) is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Shravan and starring Varun Sandesh and Preetika Rao.

Aaduthu Paaduthu is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Devi Prasad. The film stars Srikanth, Sunil and Gayatri. The film was a box office success. It is a remake of the Malayalam film Ee Parakkum Thalika (2001).

It's My Love Story is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Madhura Sreedhar Reddy and starring Arvind Krishna and newcomer Nikitha Narayan. Author Chetan Bhagat attended the film's premiere. The film released to negative reviews while the songs were praised.

Kondaveeti Simhasanam is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao and starring himself, Mohan Babu and Soundarya with Harshavardhan, Deepti Bhatnagar, Laya and Udaya Bhanu in supporting roles. The film is modern retelling of the relationship between Lord Rama, the village head, and Anjaneya, his servant. The film released to highly negative reviews.

3G Love is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Govardhan Krishna, produced by Pratap Kolagatla and starring newcomers. The film is about the romantic relationships of the hi-tech generation. The film released on 15 March 2013.

Mr. Errababu is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by K Kishore and starring Sivaji and newcomer Roma.

Koduku: The Rising Sun (transl. Son) is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by M. S. Narayana. The film stars his son, Vikram, Aditi Agarwal and Mounika.

Telugucinema.com is an entertainment website that features information, news, and reviews on Telugu films. It is the first website that was established on the internet focusing on Telugu film industry. It is founded in 1997 by Prasad V. Potluri in Pittsburgh, United States. The site is particularly known for its long-form articles on yesteryear film personalities, retrospectives of classic films etc. It is also known for its extensive archive of interviews with people related to Telugu cinema.

Raghava is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Y. Nageswara Rao and starring Suresh and Rajasree. The film was a box office failure.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (3 April 2006). "Log in, drink in the cinema". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014. When G.Venkata Ramana aka Jeevi, a B.Tech grad from BITS, Pilani, started idlebrain.com in 1999 to keep his pals informed on the Telugu film industry, there wasn't much competition.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Idlebrain.com: Hobby that turned into a successful venture". Moneycontrol. 17 August 2009. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2014. Jeevi's reviews are particularly popular among the Telugu NRI community, so much so that DVD rental prices are decided based on his ratings.
  3. 1 2 Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (2 April 2006). "Log in, drink in the cinema". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2022. Most distributors have informed Jeevi that his reviews affect BO performances.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Interview with Jeevi". Hyderabad Josh. 13 October 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Yu, Sabrina Qiong; Indraganti, Kiranmayi (13 April 2017). Revisiting Star Studies: Cultures, Themes and Methods. Edinburgh University Press. p. 92. ISBN   978-1-4744-0432-7. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Telugu cinema reviews by Jeevi". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Lifetime Achievement Award for Jayasudha". The Hindu. 28 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2015. Idlebrain.com got the award for the Best Telugu Film website ...
  8. ↑ "Idlebrain Jeevi - Birthday wishes to Megastar Chiranjeevi". Twitter . 22 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  9. ↑ V., Geetanath (1 August 2002). "For film buffs, verily". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 20 October 2002. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.