People Media Factory started by mainly producing small and mid-range films in partnership with other banners. During that phase, the company delivered successes like Goodachari, Raja Raja Chora, and Karthikeya 2. These films helped the banner gain a good reputation, and its journey progressed smoothly.
Later, producer TG Vishwa Prasad decided to produce films independently under the People Media Factory banner. The budgets increased, the number of films multiplied, and PMF soon reached a stage where it put more than 10 projects on floors simultaneously. As a result, it became one of the most talked about banners in Tollywood.
However, while the quantity of films increased, the success rate dropped sharply. Except for Dhamaka and Mirai, the banner has not delivered a clear success in the last four years. Since 2023, almost every PMF release, such as Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi, Takkar, Adipurush Telugu distribution, Bro The Avatar, Rama Banam, Bubblegum, Mr Bachchan, Swag, Viswam, Telusu Kada, Mowgli, and The Raja Saab, ended as a disaster or a loss making venture.
Because of these repeated failures, PMF became the target of heavy trolling on social media. Memes mocked the banner, with some jokingly comparing Vishwa Prasad to Rajinikanth's character in Arunachalam, suggesting he was intentionally wasting money as if he were on a secret mission. Vishwa Prasad addressed this backlash at a public event, where he confidently stated that all past losses would be recovered through The Raja Saab.
Prabhas's association with PMF traces back to Adipurush, whose Telugu state distribution rights PMF acquired for around Rs.185 crore. The film collected only about Rs.100 crore share in the South, resulting in losses exceeding Rs.80 crores. To recover those losses, PMF went on to invest heavily in The Raja Saab. Massive sets, prolonged production delays, and extensive VFX work reportedly pushed losses close to another Rs.150 crore.
Now, all eyes are on Spirit, which PMF will again distribute in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The industry believes that Spirit must not only recover its own investment but also compensate, at least partially, for the combined losses of Adipurush and The Raja Saab. The collaboration with Prabhas has turned out to be a nightmare for PMF till now. How Vishwa Prasad manages to recover from this most difficult phase remains to be seen.