Telugu 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. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, a neighbourhood of Hyderabad, Telangana. The nickname "Tollywood" is a portmanteau of the words Telugu and Hollywood. In 2021, it has emerged as the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office. Since 1909, filmmaker Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was involved in producing short films and travelling to different regions in Asia to promote film work. In  1921, he produced the silent film, "Bhishma Pratigna". He is cited as the father of Telugu cinema. In 1933, East India Film Company has produced its first Indian film, "Savitri" in Telugu. The film was based on a popular stage play by Mylavaram Bala Bharathi Samajam, 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 film was shot with a budget of estimated in Calcutta. It received an honorary diploma at the 2nd Venice International Film Festival. "Pathala Bhairavi" (1951) was the only South  Indian film screened at the first India International Film Festival. "Pathala Bhairavi" (1951), "Malliswari" (1951), "Devadasu" (1953), "Mayabazar" (1957), "Nartanasala" (1963), "Maro Charitra" (1978), "Maa Bhoomi" (1979), "Sankarabharanam" (1980), "Sagara Sangamam" (1983), and "Siva" (1989), have been showcased among CNN-IBN's "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time". Parallel's such as B. Narsing Rao's ethnographic film "Maa Ooru" won the 1992 Hungarian Visual Arts "Main Prize – Media Wave Award". K. N. T. Sastry's "Thilaadanam" received "New Currents Award" at the 7th Busan International Film Festival. K. Viswanath's "Swati Mutyam" was India's official entry to  the 59th Academy Awards. Rajnesh Domalpalli's "Vanaja" was nominated for the Best First Feature and Best Cinematography awards at the "23rd American Independent Spirit Awards". S. S. Rajamouli's epic film "", was nominated for "42nd American Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film." "" is the only Indian film to receive the "Best International Film" at the "44th American Saturn Awards". Produced by Tollywood studio Arka Media Works, it is the highest grossing Indian film of all time within India. History. Early development. The Telugu film industry was originated with silent films in 1921, with the production and release of "Anusha  Adusumalli" in 1921 Rise of the "talkie". The first Telugu film with audible dialogue, "Bhakta Prahlada", was produced by H.M. Reddy, who directed the first bilingual (Telugu and Tamil) talkie Kalidas (1931). Bhakta Prahlada was completed on 15 September 1931, which henceforth became known as "Telugu Film Day" to commemorate its completion. Popularly known as talkies, films with sound quickly grew in number and popularity. In 1934, the industry saw its first major commercial success with "Lavakusa". Directed by C. Pullaiah and starring Parupalli Subbarao and Sriranjani, the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theatres and thrust the young  industry into mainstream culture. By 1936, the mass appeal of film allowed directors to move away from religious and mythological themes. That year, under the direction of Krithiventi Nageswara Rao, "Prema Vijayam", a film focusing on social issues, was released. Its success prompted the production of dozens of other immensely successful 'social films', notably 1939's "Vandemataram", touching on societal problems like the practice of giving dowry, Telugu films increasingly focused on contemporary living: 29 of the 96 films released between 1937 and 1947 had social themes. Cinema during the Crown Rule. In 1938, Gudavalli Ramabrahmam, has co-produced and  directed the social problem film, "Mala Pilla" starring, Kanchanamala, the film dealt with the crusade against untouchability, prevailing in pre-independent India. In 1939, he directed "Raithu Bidda", starring thespian Bellary Raghava. The film was banned by the British administration in the region, for depicting the uprise of the peasantry among the Zamindar's during the British raj. 1940 film, "Viswa Mohini", is the first Indian film, depicting the Indian movie world. The film was directed by Y. V. Rao and scripted by Balijepalli Lakshmikanta Kavi, starring super-star V. Nagaiah. Rao subsequently made the sequel films "Savithri" and "Sathyabhama  (1941–42) casting thespian Sthanam Narasimha Rao. The outbreak of World War II and the subsequent resource scarcity caused the British Raj to impose a limit on the use of filmstrip in 1943 to 11,000 feet, a sharp reduction from the 20,000 feet that had been common till then. As a result, the number of films produced during the war was substantially lower than in previous years. Nonetheless, before the ban, an important shift occurred in the industry: Independent studios formed, actors and actresses were signed to contracts limiting whom they could work for, and films moved from social themes to 	Telugu cinema
8785243	folklore legends. Ghantasala Balaramayya, has directed the mythological Seetarama Jananam" under his home production, Prathiba Picture, marking veteran Akkineni Nageswara Rao's Telugu screen debut in 1944. Classical cinema and Golden Age. "Malliswari" is the first Telugu film which had a public release with thirteen prints along with Chinese subtitles at Beijing on 14, March 1953, and a 16 mm film print was also screened in the United States. The film was directed by B. N. Reddy, a recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and the Doctor of Letters honour. The industry is one of the largest producers of  folklore, fantasy, mythological and melodrama films. Filmmakers like K. V. Reddy, B. Vittalacharya and Kodi Ramakrishna have pioneered this genre. 1956 film Tenali Ramakrishna has garnered the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film. In 2013, IBN Live's poll cited Mayabazar as the Greatest Indian film of all time. Relangi, and Ramana Reddy were a comedy double act during this era. "Nartanasala" won the best art direction award at the Afro Asian film festival in Jakarta. "Donga Ramudu" directed by K. V. Reddy was archived in the curriculum of the Film and Television Institute of India. "Nammina  Bantu" received critical reception at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. 1967 film "Ummadi Kutumbam" was selected by Film Federation of India as one of its entries to the Moscow Film Festival. The 1968 cult classic Sudigundalu was screened at the Tashkent and Moscow Film Festivals. Rise of Tollywood. Moola Narayana Swamy and B. N. Reddy founded Vijaya Vauhini Studios in 1948 in the city of Chennai. Indian film doyen L. V. Prasad, who started his film career with "Bhakta Prahlada", founded Prasad Studios in 1956 based in Chennai. However, through the efforts of D. V. S. Raju, the Telugu  film industry completely shifted its base from Chennai to Hyderabad in the early 1990s, during N. T. Rama Rao's political reign. Veteran actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao relocated to Hyderabad and has developed Annapurna Studios. The Telugu film industry is one of the three largest film producers in India. About 245 Telugu films were produced in 2006, the highest in India for that year. Film studios in Hyderabad, developed by D. Ramanaidu and Ramoji Rao, are involved in prolific film production and employment. There is a fair amount of dispersion among the Indian film industries. Many successful Telugu films have  been largely remade by the Bengali cinema and Hindi film industries. The digital cinema network company UFO Moviez marketed by Southern Digital Screenz (SDS) has digitized several cinemas in the region. The Film and Television Institute of Telangana, Film and Television Institute of Andhra Pradesh, Ramanaidu Film School and Annapurna International School of Film and Media are some of the largest film schools in India. The Telugu states consist of approximately 2800 theaters, the largest number of cinema halls of any state in India. The industry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest film production facility in the world , Ramoji Film City. The "Prasads IMAX" located in Hyderabad is one of the largest 3D IMAX screens, and the most attended cinema screen in the world. As per the CBFC report of 2014, the industry is placed first in India, in terms of films produced yearly. The industry holds a memorandum of understanding with the Motion Picture Association of America to combat video piracy. 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. Known for being commercially consistent, Telugu cinema had its  influence over commercial cinema in India. Telugu film production accounts for one percent of the gross domestic product of the region. Spread to World markets. "Athadu" was released with 6 prints in United States and was distributed by Vishnu Mudda and Soma Kancherla of Crown DVD distribution company in San Jose, Dallas, Detroit, Virginia, New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Phoenix at Arizona and also in centers like Lowell at Massachusetts, MA, Tulsa at Oklahoma, West Virginia, Springfield, Boulder at Colorado and Corpus Christi at South Texas. Because of the demand, another print was imported from India for  screening. The film's first screening in USA happened at Cine Plaza 13 at North Bergen on the night of 11 August 2005. At Connecticut, a special screening was conducted on 19 August 2005. Initially one show was planned but because of the demand another show was screened. There at the theater, a turn out of 442 people was observed which included standing audience for 434 seats and about 60 could not be accommodated. Apart from USA, the film released in selected screens in United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany and Australia. "Bommarillu" was released worldwide with 72 prints. Owing to its  success, the number of reels grew to about hundred. It collected a distributors share of 5 crore in its opening week in India. Released in six major metros in the United States, the film collected $73,200 (then approximately 0.3 crore) within the first four days of screening. A 2006 survey conducted by a popular entertainment portal in the United States revealed that the film was watched by an Indian expatriate population of 65,000, which generated a revenue of 3 crore at that time. A cumulative gross revenue for the film was reported to be as 25 crore including 3.5  crore from overseas, the largest for any Telugu film at that time. Owing to this path breaking trade, the film was remade into Tamil, Bengali, Oriya and Urdu/Hindi. 2006 action film, "Pokiri" has been remade in Hindi, Tamil and Kannada in the following two years owing to the film's commercial success. It was screened at the IIFA film festival held in Dubai in 2006. Post-classical cinema. Bapu's directorial venture "Sakshi" was showcased at Tashkent International film festival in 1968. In 1976, he directed "Sita Kalyanam" got critical acclaim at the BFI London Film Festival and Chicago  International Film Festival, and is part of the curriculum at British Film Institute. Pan-Indian film "Oka Oori Katha" (1977) won special awards at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and Carthage Film Festival. "Sankarabharanam" won the Prize of the Public at the Besançon Film Festival of France in the year 1981. B. Narsing Rao scripted and produced "Maa Bhoomi" which was showcased at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, and Cork Film Festivals. He directed, "Daasi" "(Bonded Woman)" and "Matti Manushulu" "(Mud People)" which won the Diploma of Merit awards at the 16th, and 17th Moscow International Film Festivals in 1989 and  1991 respectively. M. V. Raghu's Neo-realistic film "Kallu" (1988), scripted by Gollapudi Maruti Rao has received thirty state awards and has garnered special mention from the CBFC Jury. "Vanaja" (2006). won several international awards including the first prize in the live-action feature film category at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. "Dream" (2012), has garnered the Royal Reel Award at the Canada International Film Festival. 2013 Social problem film, "Naa Bangaaru Talli" won Best Film award at the Trinity International Film Festival in Detroit, and four Awards at the Indonesian International Film Festival. 2014 film Minugurulu  was selected as "Best Indian Film" at the 9th "India International Children's Film Festival", held at Bangalore. 2013 Cultural film, O Friend, This Waiting! has received special mention at the "Erasing Borders" Festival of Classical Dance, Indo-American Arts Council, New York, 2013. 2014 film "Parampara" has garnered the "Platinum Award for Best Feature" at the International Indonesian Movie Awards. 2018 biographical film Mahanati based on the life of veteran actress Savitri has garnered the "Equality in Cinema Award" at the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. After 2014, another important development in Telugu cinema is the increased presence  of other regional dialects, particularly Telangana Telugu. Traditionally, Coastal Andhra Telugu has been the language of film (along with being the basis of 'standard' and written Telugu), although the Telangana dialect was used to portray comedic and villainous characters and the Rayalaseema dialect was portrayed in films about the factional conflicts in the area starting in the 1990s. After the formation of the state of Telangana in 2014, Telangana culture gained more prominence, and more films were produced portraying Telangana tradition and language in a positive light, with 2017's "Fidaa" being a major example of this shift. New Tollywood . Ram Gopal Varma's "Siva", which attained cult status in Telugu cinema, is one of the first Telugu films produced after the migration of Telugu film industry from Madras to Hyderabad to feature characters speaking the Telangana dialect. Varma was credited with the introduction of steadicams and new sound recording techniques in Telugu films. Within a year of the film's release, more than ten steadicams were imported into India. "Siva" attracted the young audience during its theatrical run, and its success encouraged filmmakers to explore a variety of themes and make experimental Telugu films. Subsequently, Varma introduced road movie  and film-noir to Indian screen with "Kshana Kshanam". Varma experimented with close-to-life performances by the lead actors, which bought a rather fictional storyline a sense of authenticity at a time when the industry was being filled with unnecessary commercial fillers. It went on to gather a cult following in south India, with a dubbed Hindi version titled "Hairaan" released to positive reports from bollywood critics, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and the Fribourg Festival. Singeetam Srinivasa Rao introduced science fiction to the Telugu screen with "Aditya 369", the film dealt with exploratory dystopian and apocalyptic themes. The  edge of the seat thriller had characters which stayed human, inconsistent and insecure. The film's narrative takes the audience into the post apocalyptic experience through time travel, as well as folklore generation of 1500 A.D, which including a romantic backstory, the "Time Machine" made it a brilliant work of fiction. Chiranjeevi's works such as the comedy thriller, "Chantabbai", the Vigilante thriller, "Kondaveeti Donga" the first Telugu film to be released on a 70 mm 6-Track Stereophonic sound, the Western thriller "Kodama Simham", and the action thriller, "Gang Leader", popularized genre films with the highest estimated footfall. Reddiff.com  cited Sekhar Kammula's, National Award-winning "Dollar Dreams" as a take off from where Nagesh Kukunoor's "Hyderabad Blues" ends. Dollar Dreams explored the conflict between American dreams and human feelings. The film re-introduced Social realism to Telugu screen, and brought back its lost glory which until then was stuck in its run of the mill commercial pot-boilers. Sub-Genres and off beat films. Screenwriters such as Chandra Sekhar Yeleti experimented with the off beat film "Aithe" with a caption "all movies are not the same" Aithe was made on a shoestring budget of about 1.5 crores  and went on to collect more than 6 crores. After almost two years he delivered another thriller "Anukokunda Oka Roju" both films were a refreshing change of pace to the audiences, produced by Gunnam Gangaraju. AIthe was remade in Tamil as "Naam" (2003) and in Malayalam as "Wanted" (2004). Speaking about the centenary of Indian cinema at the CII Media and Entertainment Summit 2012, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said regional cinema is surpassing Hindi cinema in content and story, and cited "Eega" as an example. Kapur said he was impressed with its story and use of technology, and called it "no  less than a Hollywood superhero film". Shah Rukh Khan called "Eega" an "awesomely original" film and a "must watch" with children. Eega has garnered "Best Film to watch with a crowd" at the 8th Annual Edition Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Sub Genre war drama "Kanche" by Krish Jagarlamudi explored the 1944 Nazis attack on the Indian army in the Italian campaign, during World War II in an engrossing background tale of caste-ism while giving it a technically brilliant cinematic rendition. Sankalp Reddy explored submarine warfare in his directorial debut The Ghazi Attack based on the mysterious altercation between  PNS Ghazi and INS Karanj during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Indo-Asian News Service called new-generation film maker Sandeep Vanga's Arjun Reddy the "most original, experimental work to come out of Telugu cinema in a long time", and said the protagonist's (played by Vijay Deverakonda) "rise, fall and rise ... is nothing short of poetic and heart wrenching". Adivi Sesh scripted the Neo-noir Kshanam based on a real life incident of a missing three-year-old girl child. Sesh followed it up with the coming-of-age R.A.W. thriller Goodachari. Actor-dancer Allu Arjun produced  and acted in the short film, "I Am That Change" (2014), to spread awareness on individual social responsibility. The movie was directed by Sukumar, which was screened in theatres across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Indian Independence day, 2014. Cast and crew. V. Nagaiah was one of the most influential actors of South Indian cinema. Vemuri Gaggaiah, Kalyanam Raghuramaiah, R. Nageswara Rao, C.S.R. Anjaneyulu, Yadavalli Suryanarayana, C. H. Narayana Rao, Mudigonda Lingamurthy etc., are some of the finest method actors during the golden era. S. V. Ranga Rao, was one of the first south Indian actors to win the Best  Actor Award for his portrayal of Kichaka in Nartanasala at the Indonesian Film Festival held in Jakarta. N. T. Rama Rao was one of the commercially successful Telugu actors of his time. Savitri was the most popular Telugu actress during the Golden Age of Telugu Cinema.K. N. T. Sastry and Pattabhirama Reddy have garnered international recognition for their pioneering work in Parallel Cinema. Adurthi Subba Rao, has garnered seven National Film Awards, for his pioneering work on drama films. Akkineni Kutumba Rao's "Patha Nagaramlo Pasivadu" received Cairo International Film Festival's, Merit Certificate for best feature. Dasari Narayana  Rao directed the most films in Telugu, including works such as "Meghasandesam" (1982), "Tandra Paparayudu" (1986) casting Krishnam Raju, and "Kante Koothurne Kanu" (1998). Krishna Ghattamaneni is credited with producing many technological firsts such as the first Cinemascope film Alluri Seetharama Raju, first 70mm film "Simhasanam", first DTS film "Telugu Veera Levara" (1988) and introducing cowboy and James Bond styles to the Telugu screen. Jandhyala is known for his dramedy film's. Noted film editor from the state, A. Sreekar Prasad, known for his initial works in Telugu films of the 1980s, has garnered national recognition for film editing  across multiple languages of Indian cinema. N. T. Rama Rao, S. V. Ranga Rao, Jaggayya, Kanta Rao, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, Anjali Devi, Suryakantam, Savitri, Krishnam Raju and Sobhan Babu are the actors who received the erstwhile Rashtrapati Award for best performance in a leading role. Nagarjuna Akkineni, Sharada, Archana, Vijayashanti, Rohini, Keerthy Suresh, and P. L. Narayana are the actors to receive the Indian National Film Award for best performance in acting. Veteran actor Chiranjeevi, was listed among "The men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by IBN-live India. Brahmanandam, holds a Guinness World Record for acting in  the most films in the same language. Cinematography. Cinematographers such as V. N. Reddy, K. S. Prasad, Jaya Gummadi, Sudhakar Yakkanti, and C. Rajendra Prasad have garnered national recognition. Film Critics and Jury Members. Vasiraju Prakasam and K. N. T. Sastry are one of the noted Indian film critics from the state. B. S. Narayana was a member of the Indian delegation to the "Tashkent Film Festival" in 1974, and the "Moscow International Film Festival" in 1975. Gummadi, served as official member of the Indian delegation from South India to the "Tashkent Film Festival" in 1978 and 1982. He served  as the Jury Member thrice for the 28th, 33rd, and 39th National Film Awards. Chandra Siddhartha served in South Jury at the 57th, 61st and 65th National Film Awards, as well as the 49th IFFI. Film Score. Sri Sri was one of the influential film lyricists of his time, who garnered national honors such as Sahitya Akademi Award, Best Lyricist and Soviet Land Nehru Award for his pioneering work. Susarla Dakshinamurthi, Parupalli Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu, Ogirala Ramachandra Rao, Pithapuram Nageswara Rao, Tanguturi Suryakumari, and Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna are some of the influential music composers of Southern Indian cinema. Music composers such as  Pendyala Nageswara Rao, R. Sudarshanam and R. Goverdhanam made contributions to folklore and mythological films. Madhavapeddi Satyam, P. Adinarayana Rao, Gali Penchala Narasimha Rao, Chellapilla Satyam, P. B. Sreenivas, S. P. Kodandapani, G. K. Venkatesh, S. Hanumantha Rao, have contributed their work extensively for films containing themes of social relevance. S.P. Balasubrahmanyam is a multilingual playback singer from Telugu cinema to win National Film Awards across four languages. He holds the record of having recorded more songs than any other male playback singer and has received 25 state Nandi Awards. S. Rajeswara Rao pioneered the use of light music in  Telugu cinema; Rao's most rewarding assignments came from Gemini Studios, which he joined in 1940 and with which he remained for a decade. Ghantasala, performed in the United States, England, and Germany. According to "The Hindu", and "The Indian Express" he was "Such a divine talent and with his songs he could move the hearts of the people. Ghantasala's blending of classical improvisations to the art of light music combined with his virtuosity and sensitivity puts him a class apart, above all others in the field of playback singing". P. Susheela, has been recognized by both the "Guinness  Book of World Records" and the "Asia Book of Records" for singing most songs in Indian languages. She is also the recipient of five National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer and numerous state awards. Works by S. Janaki, M. M. Keeravani, and Ramesh Naidu have received National recognition. K. S. Chitra has received highest Nandi awards for best female playback singer. Multi-instrumentalists duo Raj–Koti holds a notable career spanning a decade, the duo has garnered particular acclaim for redefining contemporary music. R. P. Patnaik is the current president of the Telugu Cine Music Association. Visual Effects . Enhanced technology among live action animation, digital compositing, and special effects paved the way for upgrading from established cinematic norms. Visual effects based high fantasy works such as "Magadheera" (2009), "Arundhati" (2009), "Eega" (2012) and "Dhamarukam" (2012) have tasted success. Pete Draper, P. C. Sanath, Chakri Toleti and V. Srinivas Mohan are some of the visual effects professional's from the state known for their works in Telugu films. Nandi Awards. The Nandi Awards is the most prominent government funded award ceremony for excellence in the production of Telugu film, theatre and television. It is presented annually at "Lalitha Kala  Thoranam" in Hyderabad, by the Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation" of Telugu state. "Nandi" means "bull", the awards being named after the big granite bull at Lepakshi — a cultural and historical symbol of the Telugu culture. Dubbed films. The 1949 film "Keelu Gurram" was the first Telugu film to be dubbed into the Tamil language, being subsequently released under the name "Maya Kudhirai". According to the Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce, "as per the Judgement of Supreme Court in Ashirwad Films in W.P.(Civil) No.709 there will be no difference in taxation of films between the dubbed films coming  in from other states and the films produced in the Telugu States"., Aarya movie was later dubbed to Malayalam Distribution. The Telugu-speaking areas are broadly divided into three areas for the purposes of Film Distribution, namely, Nizam, Ceded and Andhra. Nizam alone contributes to nearly 45% of the revenue. Telugu film distribution territories. Apart from the above, there is also an emerging Overseas territory, especially United States which accounts for a significant amount of revenue. Awards. National Award for Best Feature Film Dadasaheb Phalke awardees State awards Other major film awards Regional awards Studios. Major Filmmaking studios Visual effects  and animation studios