Telugu film industry
| South Asian cinema |
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Tollywood( Telugu:టాలీవుడ్/తెలుగు సినీపరిశ్రమ ) refers to the Telugu film industry. The origins of that name are disputed, but it is generally considered a portmanteau of "Telugu" and "Hollywood".
Industry
The film industry based in Andhra Pradesh is referred as Tollywood, a portmanteau of the words Telugu, the Language where this industry is based, and Hollywood.
The Telugu movie industry is based in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The Telugu film industry produces the largest number of films every year in India, with about 245 films produced in 2006.[1] Popular movies tend to open during the three festive/holiday seasons of the region: Sankranthi, Ugadi, and Dussera. In 2004, total revenue for the Sankranthi season was around Rs. 1.5 billion (US$37 million, as of July 17, 2007). There are number of TV channels ( Teja TV [2] etc.,) dedicated exclusively to feature programs related to Telugu movies.
Box Office Collections
The Telugu film industry accounts for 1% of the gross domestic product of Andhra Pradesh.[3] Telugu films enjoy significant patronage in the neighboring southern States like Karnataka.
There is a fair amount of dispersion amongst the Indian film industries. Many successful Telugu films have been remade by the Hindi and Tamil film industries. For instance, Pokiri which was a Telugu film starring Tollywood heartthrob Mahesh Babu, was remade into Tamil and now being remade in Hindi with Salman Khan as the lead actor.Pokiri rewrote 75 years of Tollywood History.Tollywood has also remade a fair number of Hindi, Tamil and other language films. Nowadays most Telugu films are subsequently dubbed into Malayalam on release. In the last 2 years, about 30 Telugu films were simultaneously released in Malayalam. Films like ARYA, HAPPY,HAPPY DAYS and DON (Dubbed into Malayalam as "BHAI") gained huge popularity across Kerala.
The state of Andhra Pradesh has more than 2700 Cinema theaters, of which 150 are in the city of Hyderabad alone.
The Tollywood film distribution is divided into 12 areas:-
| Area | Cities |
|---|---|
| Nizam | Hyderabad |
| Rangareddy | |
| Medak | |
| Nalgonda | |
| Nizamabad (Induru) | |
| Warangal | |
| Adilabad | |
| Khammam | |
| Mahabubnagar (Palamuru) | |
| Karimnagar (Srirampuru) | |
| Raichur (Karnataka) | |
| Rayalaseema | Kurnool |
| Cuddapah | |
| Anantapur | |
| Chittoor | |
| Bellary(Karnataka) | |
| Nellore | |
| Guntur | Guntur |
| Prakasam | |
| Krishna | |
| East Godavari | |
| West Godavari | |
| Vizag | Vishakapatnam |
| Vijayanagaram | |
| Srikakulam | |
| Tamil Nadu | |
| Karnataka | |
| Orissa | |
| Overseas |
History
Early development: 1921-1930
The Telugu film industry originated with the silent film in 1921, with the production of Bhisma Pratighna. The film was directed by Raghupati Venkaiah and his son R.S. Prakash[4]. The two would go on to produce and direct dozens of films throughout the decade, casting theater actors in major roles[5]. They established a long-lasting precedent of focusing exclusively on religious themes; Nandanar[6], Gajendra Moksham, and Matsyavatar, three of their most famous productions, centered on religious figures, parables, and morals[7].
Rise of the Talkie: 1931-1947
In 1931, the first Telugu film with audible dialogue, Bhakta Prahlad, was produced by H.M. Reddy[8]. Popularly known as 'talkies', films with sound quickly grew in number and fanbase. In 1934, the industry saw its first major commercial success with Lavakusa. Directed by C. Pullaiah and starring Parupalli Subbarao and Sriranjani in lead roles, the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theaters and thrust the young film industry into mainstream culture[9].
By 1936, the mass appeal of film allowed directors to move away from religious and mythological themes[9]. 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 and Malli Pelli. Touching on societal problems like the status of Untouchables and the practice of giving dowry, Telugu films increasingly focused on contemporary living: twenty-nine of the ninety-six films released between 1937 and 1947 had social themes[10].
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[11], a sharp reduction from the 20,000 feet that was common till then[12]. As a result, the number of films produced during the War was substantially lower than in previous years. Nonetheless, prior to the ban, an important shift occurred in the industry: independent studios formed, actors and actresses were signed to contracts limiting who they could work for, and films moved from social themes to folklore legends[13]. 1942's Balanagamma typified these changes: the film featured fantasy elements of cultural lore, was produced by Gemini Studios, and its producers added a restricting clause to the lead actress' contract. By 1947, nearly all films were produced by studios with contracted actors.
Budgets
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2008) |
The budgets for Telugu movies typically range from 15 to 40 crore per film. Pre-lease revenues for popular films can range from 12 to 20 crores per film, and post-release business for these movies can be 25 to 40 crore depending on the success of the movie.
Popular Actors
Well-known actors of Telugu film industry include,
Male: NTR , Akkineni Nageswara Rao , Krishna , S.V. Ranga Rao , Harnath , Krishnamraju , Shoban Babu , Gummadi , Jaggaiah , Kantha Rao , Rajababu , Relangi Venkateswara Rao , Satyanarayana , Chalam , Padmanabham , Raavi Kondala Rao , Rajanala , Nagabhushanam , Ravi Kondala Rao , Chandramohan , Somayajulu , Chiranjeevi , Balakrishna , Nagarjuna Akkineni , Venkatesh , Rajendra Prasad , Suman , Jagapathi Babu , Srikanth , Bramhanandam , Kota Srinivasa Rao , Tanikella Bharani , Mahesh Babu , Pawan Kalyan , Jr. NTR , Prabhas , Ravi Teja , Gopi Chand , Uday Kiran ,Kalyanram, Ramcharan Tej , Allu Arjun , 'Allari' Naresh , Tarun, Siddharth, Raja, Nithin ,Mohan babu etc..
Female: 'Mahanati' Savithri , Jamuna , Anjali Devi , 'Sowcar' Janaki , Vanisri , Sarada , Krishna Kumari , Kanchana , Jayanthi , Surya Kantham , Chaaya Devi , Sri Devi , Vijayasanthi , Meena , Roja , Aamani , Soundarya , Ramya Krishna , Rambha , Keerthi Reddy, Laya , Shriya , Trisha , Sameera Reddy , Charmi, Radha, Radhika, Aarthi agarwal, Genelia D'Souza , Ileana etc.. are very popular and enjoy a significant fan following among the Telugu movie audience.
Awards
The following Telugu movies received a national award.
- Saptapadi, National award for best film on national integration (directed by K. Vishwanath)
- Rudraveena, National award for best film on national integration (directed by K. Balachander)
- Hope, National award for best film on social issues (directed by Satish Kasetty)
- Sankarabharanam, National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (directed by K. Vishwanath)
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (May 2008) |
- 80 Telugu films were made in the first five years after the release of Bhakta Prahlada.
- Chiranjeevi, who is one of the most popular actors of Telugu Cinema is planning a grand entry into Andhra Pradesh politics.
- A long-time Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao, was another most popular actor of Telugu Cinema.
See also
- Bollywood
- Kollywood
- Lollywood
- Hollywood
- Kariwood
- Somaliwood
- List of Telugu films
- Cinema of India
- List of popular Telugu films
- Santosham Film Awards
- Telugu Filmfare Awards
- Nandi Awards
- Filmfare Awards
References
- ^ Telugu film industry enters new era
- ^ Welcome To MAA TV,ETV,Teja tv,
- ^ Telugu film industry, Ind: msg#00117
- ^ http://www.totaltollywood.com/articles/history/index.php?id=1
- ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
- ^ Land Marks in Tamil Cinema
- ^ 1916-1936
- ^ Idle Brain
- ^ a b The Hindu : Friday Review Hyderabad [ Bhagyanagaram : Reliving the reel and the real]
- ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
- ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
- ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
- ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
External links
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