Global InformationTelugu cinema information
| Telugu cinema | |
|---|---|
 | |
| No. of screens | 1726 screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states of India (2022)[1] |
| Main distributors | Suresh Productions Vyjayanthi Movies DVV Entertainments Annapurna Studios Geetha Arts Arka Media Works Sri Venkateswara Creations Mythri Movie Makers Parameswara Art Productions UV Creations N.T.R. Arts Sri Sai Ganesh Productions Konidela Production Company G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment Varahi Chalana Chitram Haarika & Hassine Creations 14 Reels Entertainments |
| Produced feature films (2022)[2] | |
| Total | 219 |
| Number of admissions (2022)[3][4] | |
| Total | 233 million |
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, Hyderabad. As of 2021[update], Telugu cinema is the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office.[5][6] Telugu films sold 23.3 crore (233 million) tickets in 2022, the highest among various film industries in India.[3][4]
Technical crafts of Telugu cinema, especially visual effects and cinematography, are considered as one of the most advanced in Indian cinema.[7] The industry has produced some of India's most expensive and highest-grossing films of all time. Telugu production Baahubali 2 (2017) is currently the highest-grossing film of all time in India. The Telugu film industry is home to Ramoji Film City, certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest film studio complex in the world measuring over 1,666 acres (674 ha).[8][9]
Since 1909, filmmaker Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was involved in producing short films and exhibiting them in different regions of Asia. He established the first Indian-owned cinema halls in South India.[10] In 1921, he produced the silent film, Bhishma Pratigna, generally considered to be the first Telugu feature film.[17] As the first Telugu film exhibitor and producer, Naidu is regarded as the 'Father of Telugu cinema'.[18] The first Telugu film with audible dialogue, Bhakta Prahlada (1932) was directed by H. M. Reddy. In 1933, Sati Savitri directed by C. Pullayya received an honorary diploma at the 2nd Venice Film Festival.[19] Since its inception, Telugu cinema was known as the pre-eminent centre of Hindu mythological films in India.[20] From the late 1930s, films focused on contemporary living and social issues, like Raithu Bidda (1939), were produced and gradually gained prominence.
Ten Telugu films were featured in CNN-IBN's list of "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time".[note 1] Though known for big-ticket, and masala films catering to wider audience, Telugu filmmakers have also forayed into parallel and arthouse films.[22] Parallel films like Daasi (1988), Thilaadanam (2000), Vanaja (2006) among others have won accolades at major film festivals including Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Moscow, and Busan.[note 2]
Since the mid-2010s, Telugu cinema has pioneered the pan-Indian film movement, cutting across ethnic and linguistic barriers. Baahubali 2 (2017) won the Saturn Award for Best International Film. RRR (2022) is only the second non-English language film ever to make it to the National Board of Review's Top Ten Films. It received various international accolades including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song "Naatu Naatu" and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "KGF 2 to RRR, South Indian film industry saw THESE many releases across 4 languages in 2022!". India Today.
- ^ a b Jha, Lata (31 January 2023). "Footfalls for Hindi films slump up to 50%". Mint. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ a b "10K Crore: Return of the box office". Ormax Media. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ Kohli-Khandekar, Vanita (4 February 2022). "Rise of the South: Telugu cinema sets Indian box office on fire". Business Standard. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Why Telugu films gave Hindi films a run for their money in the pandemic". Business Today. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Ali, Maaz; Khan, Maaz; Hussain, Anum (24 March 2021). Bollywood For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 250. ISBN 978-1-119-78070-0.
- ^ "Largest film studio". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ Reith-Banks, Tash (29 January 2019). "Tollywood confidential: inside the world's biggest film city". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Kasbekar, Asha (2006). Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. ABC-CLIO. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-85109-636-7.
- ^ Encyclopaedia of early cinema, by Richard Abel, pp. 677, Bhishma Pratigya, 1921 film
- ^ Thoraval, Yves (2000). The Cinemas of India. Macmillan India. ISBN 978-0-333-93410-4.
- ^ W. Chandrakanth. "Nijam cheppamantara, abaddham cheppamantara...". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007.
- ^ Hindi Cinema Year Book. Screen World Publication. 2002.
- ^ Asian Film Directory and Who's who. 1952.
- ^ Mareswara Rao 1997, p. 93.
- ^ [11][12][13][14][15][16]
- ^ Mareswara Rao 1997, p. 95.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Narayanan, Sujatha (9 May 2017). "SS Rajamouli's Baahubali follows Telugu cinema's long tradition of mythological films". Firstpost. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
Telugu cinema is where the genre of mythology has its deep-set roots in Indian motion picture history.
- ^ "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time". IBNLive. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Senapati, Udai (13 March 2022). Film Making. K. K. Publications. p. 56.
- ^ "25th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ^ "K. Viswanath Film craft Page 6 DFF" (PDF). Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "8th IFFI Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Mediawave Archívum (1991-2022) :: 1992 :: Filmes Díjlista". mwave.irq.hu.
- ^ "Metro Plus Hyderabad / Travel : Unsung moments". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005.
- ^ "Awards". Busan International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ "Vanaja Best First Feature". 57th Berlinale. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
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