 Website logo | |
Type of site | Film news and reviews |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | G. V. Ramana (Jeevi) |
| Industry | Internet services |
| URL | Idlebrain.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Free/subscription |
| Launched | December 1999 |
| Current status | Active |
Idlebrain.com is an Indian entertainment website dedicated toTelugu cinema. Established in 1999 by G. V. Ramana, popularly known as Jeevi, a graduate ofBITS Pilani, the site is among the oldest websites on the Internet focused on Telugu films.[1]
The site features film reviews, news, box office updates, trailers, interviews, photo galleries, and movie schedules. Jeevi's film reviews, starting withIddaru Mitrulu (1999), have made the site particularly popular, with an archive of over 1,000 reviews as of April 2023.[2][3] It is regarded as a prominent online resource for Telugu cinema.[4]
G. V. Ramana (bornc. 1974),[5] popularly known by hisnom de plume Jeevi, is a graduate ofBITS Pilani who had short stints in software and finance firms. While he was working in a private firm inMumbai, his only connection with Telugu cinema was stray magazines. At that time, for a cinephile like him staying outsideAndhra Pradesh, latest information related to Telugu films was scarce and hard to find and so he decided to launch a website.[6][2]
In December 1999 he launchedIdlebrain.com, a website covering Telugu cinema, with the help of his friend Sunil Krishna who was based inSunnyvale,California. Initially, Sunil hosted the site on his home computer. Jeevi used to contribute to the fledgling site personally while also keeping his dayjob.[6]
Armed with adigital 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 likeShyam Prasad Reddy,K. S. Rama Rao, Chalasani Ramesh, andSravanthi Ravi Kishore evinced interest regarding the information on the website.[6]
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.[6]
In October 2008 Jeevi claimed thatIdlebrain had about onelakh daily visitors, with about 40% of them from the US and 50% from metros in India.[6]
In August 2002, Geetanath V. ofThe Hindu opined that the website was "not only colourful, but also has several attractive features contrary to its name". It added thatIdlebrain.com was the most happening among the various film websites.[7]
In April 2006, Y. Sunita Chowdhary ofThe Hindu calledIdlebrain.com "a leading player in its segment."[1]
In its October 2008 issue, lifestyle magazineHyderabad Josh noted thatIdlebrain is popular among theNRI community especially in the US. It further mentioned thatIdlebrain had a sizeable following among movie buffs in metropolitan cities of India likeHyderabad,Mumbai,Delhi,Chennai,Pune, andBangalore.[6]
In August 2009,CNBC TV18 wrote, "Idlebrain is an online Telugu movieready 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 aboutIdlebrain.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 theTelugu 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.[8] 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]
InRevisiting Star Studies: Cultures, Themes and Methods (2017), Kiranmayi Indraganti remarked thatIdlebrain.com was 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.[4]
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.
Jeevi's reviews are particularly popular among the Telugu NRI community, so much so that DVD rental prices are decided based on his ratings.
Most distributors have informed Jeevi that his reviews affect BO performances.
Idlebrain.com got the award for the Best Telugu Film website ...