Telugu cinema

Not to be confused with Cinema of West Bengal, also called Tollywood.

Telugu cinema
No. of screens1726 screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India (2022)[1]
Main distributorsSuresh Productions
Geetha Arts
Vyjayanthi Movies
DVV Entertainment
Annapurna Studios
Arka Media Works
Sri Venkateswara Creations
Mythri Movie Makers
Haarika & Hassine Creations
Varahi Chalana Chitram
Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra
Produced feature films (2022)[2]
Total219
Number of admissions (2022)[3][4]
Total233 million
Indian cinema

Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Telugu cinema has become the largest film industry in India by box-office revenue as of 2021.[5][6] Telugu films sold 23.3 crore (233 million) tickets in 2022, the highest among all Indian film industries.[4] As of 2023, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of movie screens in India.[7]

Since 1909, filmmaker Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was involved in producing short films and exhibiting them in different regions of South Asia. He established the first Indian-owned cinema halls in South India. In 1921, he produced the silent film, Bhishma Pratigna, generally considered to be the first Telugu feature film.[14] As the first Telugu film producer and exhibitor, Naidu is regarded as the 'Father of Telugu cinema'.[15] The first Telugu talkie film, Bhakta Prahlada (1932) was directed by H. M. Reddy. The 1950s and 1960s are considered the golden age of Telugu cinema, featuring enhanced production quality, influential filmmakers, and notable studios, resulting in a variety of films that were both popular and critically acclaimed.[16]

The industry, initially based in Madras, began shifting to Hyderabad in the 1970s, completing the transition by the 1990s. This period also saw the rise of star-driven commercial films, technological advancements, and the development of major studios like Ramoji Film City, which holds the Guinness World Record as the largest film studio complex in the world.[17] The 2010s marked a new era for Telugu cinema as a pioneer of the pan-Indian film movement, expanding its reach across India and globally. This established the industry as a major force in Indian and world cinema and boosted the nationwide popularity of Telugu actors. Baahubali 2 (2017) won the Saturn Award for Best International Film, while RRR (2022) became the first Indian feature film to win an Academy Award and received various international accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song "Naatu Naatu" and a Critics' Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[18]

From its inception, Telugu cinema has been renowned as the preeminent centre of Hindu mythological films in India. Today, it is also recognised for its advanced technical crafts, particularly in visual effects and cinematography, making it one of the most sophisticated in Indian cinema.[19] Telugu cinema has produced some of India's most expensive and highest-grossing films, including Baahubali 2 (2017), which holds the record as the highest-grossing film of all time in India. Over the years, Telugu filmmakers have also ventured into parallel and arthouse cinema.[20] Films like Daasi (1988), Thilaadanam (2000), and Vanaja (2006), among others, received acclaim at major international film festivals such as Venice, Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Moscow, and Busan.[note 1] Additionally, ten Telugu films have been featured in CNN-IBN's list of the "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time."[note 2]

  1. ^ Vinayak, A. J. (28 September 2022). "Why films from the South set the box office on fire". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  2. ^ Srinivasan, Latha (3 January 2023). "KGF 2 to RRR, South Indian film industry saw THESE many releases across 4 languages in 2022!". India Today. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023.
  3. ^ Jha, Lata (31 January 2023). "Footfalls for Hindi films slump up to 50%". Mint. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b "10K Crore: Return of the box office". Ormax Media. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. ^ Kohli-Khandekar, Vanita (4 February 2022). "Rise of the South: Telugu cinema sets Indian box office on fire". Business Standard. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Why Telugu films gave Hindi films a run for their money in the pandemic". Business Today. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  7. ^ Jha, Lata (22 April 2024). "Hindi markets add more cinema theatres in 2023, with a 6% rise". Mint.
  8. ^ Encyclopaedia of early cinema, by Richard Abel, pp. 677, Bhishma Pratigya, 1921 film
  9. ^ Thoraval, Yves (2000). The Cinemas of India. Macmillan India. ISBN 978-0-333-93410-4.
  10. ^ W. Chandrakanth. "Nijam cheppamantara, abaddham cheppamantara...". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007.
  11. ^ Hindi Cinema Year Book. Screen World Publication. 2002.
  12. ^ Asian Film Directory and Who's who. 1952.
  13. ^ Mareswara Rao 1997, p. 93.
  14. ^ [8][9][10][11][12][13]
  15. ^ Mareswara Rao 1997, p. 95.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Largest film studio". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Oscars 2023: 'RRR' creates history, 'Naatu Naatu' wins Best Original Song". The Hindu. 13 March 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  19. ^ Ali, Maaz; Khan, Maaz; Hussain, Anum (24 March 2021). Bollywood For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 250. ISBN 978-1-119-78070-0.
  20. ^ Senapati, Udai (13 March 2022). Film Making. K. K. Publications. p. 56.
  21. ^ Narasimham, M. L. (7 November 2010). "Sati Savithri (1933)". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  22. ^ Frontline. Vol. 13. The Hindu Group. 1996. p. 80. It was adjudged the best Telugu picture of the year and also won the Special Jury Award at the Karlovy Vary festival.
  23. ^ "29th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. April 1982. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2018.
  24. ^ "K Viswanath's film at the Oscars". The Times of India. 29 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  25. ^ "Mediawave Archive - 1992 Film Award List". Mediawave International Film Festival.
  26. ^ Indian Cinema. Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 1992. p. 16. Daasi, made by B. Narasingh Rao in 1988, won five national awards in addition to a Diploma of Merit at the Moscow Film Festival.
  27. ^ "17th Moscow International Film Festival (1991)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014.
  28. ^ "2002 Awards". Busan International Film Festival.
  29. ^ "2007 Awards". Berlin International Film Festival.
  30. ^ "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time". IBNLive. 17 April 2013. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2022.


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