Starring Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun And Vijay Deverakonda: Nine Trending Scenes of 2020 from Tollywood

At a time when everyone kept stressing over the COVID-19 pandemic, OTT platforms and memes on social media provided a breather. You know some scenes and dialogues worked their magic when they trend  as memes, reels, snippets and carousels all over social media. As we head towards the end of 2020, here's revisiting scenes that brought a smile on our faces this year. 

Boardroom dance in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo 

Logically, it might seem a bit bizarre to have multiple songs being played in the boardroom. "Idi Boardroom aa Ballroom aa?!" asks Paidithalli (Govid). Nonetheless, the conviction with which Allu Arjun (Buntu) steals the screen is impeccable! Buntu barges into the boardroom in his dashing red blazer. This was less about a business negotiation and more about dominance. He intends to spoil the deal but does in a very cool, swagger style. Super hit songs — from Mahesh Babu's Vacchadayyo Saami to the famous duet of Chiranjeevi and Sridevi Abbani Teeyani — are fantastically aligned to build the conversation. We also hear popular "meme words" such as Fasak, Niladeesify, Peekify etc which makes it sound even more comical. Seetharam (Sunil) represents the audience, because irrespective of where the story is leading, he enjoys the moment and so do the masses. The scene ends with a Trivikram-style warning dialogue with a hint of self-appraisal. The songs are the soul of this scene, and revisiting them triggers  joyful nostalgia. 

Never Beforuuu Ever Afteruuu of Sarileru Neekevvaru 

The credit for this quirky iconic dialogue goes to writer-director Anil Ravipudi who nails the commercial aspects of filmmaking. Samskruti (Rashmika Mandanna) and her family express their amusement towards Ajay (Mahesh Babu) through this pet phrase. Never before, ever after intends to mean something that has never occurred in the past and maybe, won't occur in the future as well. It sounds like a perfect one-liner for 2020, considering all we have experienced this year. From memes to colloquial conversation, these catchy phrases like I'm impressed!!, Meow meow billi milk boy tho pelli, Meeku ardham avutundaaaa…  people owned these dialogues and slipped them into conversations whenever  possible.

Pick-up line in Krishna and His Leela 

The romance in this film thrives on some beautiful dialogues. A scene where Krishna (Sidhu Jonnalagadda) apologises to Radha (Shalini Vadnikatti) for ragging her during the college farewell has set a benchmark among youngsters. "Nuvvu navvithe chala danger telusaa… stringulu tegipotunnayi" — this line glorifies a woman's blush. What adds to the charm is the local slang, and the fact that  it puts the female on a pedestal.  Netizens used this one a lot in memes for anything kickass they saw or felt this year. 

Meme-maker's dialogues in Bheeshma  

If one probably meets a meme-maker, their life would be as interesting and funny as that of Bheeshma's (played by Nithin) in the film. The dialogues of the protagonist revolve around some silly logic and sarcastic comments. The one liner 'Naa adhurustam avaginja anta unte, duradhrustam dabbankayya anta undi andi' trended a lot in memes, and this was used for everything from online classes and the lockdown to relationships, COVID cases, exams and mobile games. 

Flash mob of Uma Maheswara Ugraroopasya

Director Venkatesh Maha owned the original film Maheshinte Prathikaaram and gave it a touch of Telugu nativity. The flash mob scene is one of the elements that brings out the local vibe of Telugu states. Jyothi (Roopa Koduvayur) performs in a flash mob organised to spread awareness among people to save the forest. 

Uma Maheswar Rao (Satyadev) is one among the audience and is impressed by Joythi. The college students pick up blockbuster songs such as Michael Jackson's Beat It,  Chiranjeevi's Ee Petaku Nene Mestri, Rajnikanth's Naa Peru Narasimha and Venkatesh's Cheli Chedugudu Gemini for grabbing the attention of the crowd. The choreography and expressions by Jyothi turned this into a lovely scene. 

Satire on religious differences and hypocrisy in Colour Photo 

Though set in the 90s, this movie has a lot of significance even now. Jayakrishna (Suhas) is confronted by his best friend Bala Yesu aka Balu (Hasha Chemudu) about his love affair with his neighbour-cum-college mate Deepthi Indukuri (Chandhini Chowdary). Balu is shocked, slightly upset yet excited to be introduced to his close friend's lover. The satirical dialogue depicts three things — the religious difference they have, some common practices among their families and hypocrisy they manage to maintain. Writer-director Sandeep Raj is to be lauded for his sensibility and ability to create a subtle comic track around a sensitive topic. No wonder, it trended for its relevance in the year 2020. 

Nani's dark comedy in the bus in V  

Vikramaditya (Nani) is travelling to Mumbai to commit a crime. In the bus he meets a co-passenger who loves violent films. Vikram pranks that he is a contract killer hired by the man's daughter-in-law to kill him. A host of factors, including Nani's hoarse voice, turns this into a chilling scene.

Sandhya's struggle with the shopkeeper in Middle Class Melodies 

What happens when one is racing against time and destiny? Well, we see poor Sandhya (Varsha Bollamma) put her maximum effort to stop the land registration process that would push Raghava (Anand Deverakonda) and his family into losses. The entire sequence of scenes from Sandhya's conversation with her mother till she gets irritated by Raghava ignoring her calls, is hilarious. The usage of towel as dupatta, random excuses to slip out of the house, saving her lover's number with nicknames such as 'Picchiidi' – all seem extremely natural and relatable. Varsha's frustration with the slow  shopkeeper to recharge her phone makes you laugh and feel for her.  

Opening the charm tap in World Famous Lover 

Gautham (Vijay Deverakonda) bumps into Yamini (Rashi Khanna) at the examination centre and we hear the dialogue: "Were you born beautiful or you grow up to be beautiful?" This one gained a lot of traction on social media.

Vijay's Rowdy Anthem says 'Rowdy is loved, Rowdy is hated, Rowdy is never ignored'. Vijay's stardom has taken the conversation around this film to higher levels. Though the film was not a commercial success, it did create a lot of buzz among meme-makers and trolls.