Telugu film industry
| Telugu cinema | |
|---|---|
|
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| No. of screens | 2409 Single-screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India. |
| Main distributors |
Arka Media Works Suresh Productions Sri Venkateswara Creations Geetha Arts 14 Reels Entertainment PVP Cinema Prasad Art Pictures Pawan Kalyan Creative Works Konidela Production Company Eros International |
| Produced feature films (2015) | |
| Total | 349 |
| Gross box office (2013) | |
| National films | India: ₹1,350 crore (US$210 million) |
|
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| Industry | Motion pictures |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1921 Madras Presidency |
| Headquarters | Film Nagar, Hyderabad, India |
| Website |
Filchamber Producerscouncil |
Telugu cinema, also known by its sobriquet Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language. The industry is based in Film Nagar, a neighbourhood of Hyderabad, Telangana. Since 1909, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, an Indian film maker, was involved in producing short films and travelling to different regions in Asia to promote film work. In 1921, he produced the first Telugu silent film, Bhishma Pratigna. He is cited as the father of Telugu cinema.
In 1933, East India Film Company produced its first Indian film, Savitri, in Telugu. Shot in Calcutta on a budget of ₹ 75 thousand, and based on a popular stage play by Mylavaram Bala Bharathi Samajam, the film was directed by father of the "Telugu theatre Movement" Chittajallu Pullaiah and cast stage actors Vemuri Gaggaiah and Dasari Ramathilakam as "Yama" and "Savithri" respectively. The blockbuster film has received an honorary diploma at Venice Film Festival. Multilingual actor Vuppaladadiyam Nagaiah was known as the Paul Muni of India, one of the influential actors of south Indian cinema, Nagaiah is regarded as the first super star of Telugu cinema.
The 1951 film Patala Bhairavi was the first South Indian film, premiering at the first India International Film Festival, held in Mumbai on 24 January 1952.CNN-IBN listed Patala Bhairavi (1951), Malliswari (1951), Devadasu (1953), Mayabazar (1957), Nartanasala (1963), Maro Charithra (1978), Maa Bhoomi (1979), Sankarabharanam (1979), Sagara Sangamam (1983), and Siva (1989), among The 100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time. The first film studio in South India, Durga Cinetone, was built in 1936 by Nidamarthi Surayya in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. In the years 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2014 the industry has produced the largest number of films in India, exceeding the number of films produced in Bollywood.
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