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Telugu film industry

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South Asian cinema

Tollywood 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

(1 crore = 10,000,000 rupees, approximately US$247,249.36 on Mar 13, 2008.)

The Telugu movie industry is based in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.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. Tollywood has also remade a fair number of Hindi, Tamil and other language films.

The state of Andhra Pradesh has more than 2700 theaters, of which 150 are in the city of Hyderabad alone.

File:GntCinePlex.JPG
A Cineplex at Guntur.

The Tollywood film distribution is divided into 12 areas:-

Area Cities
Nizam Hyderabad [Bhagyanagaram]
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[10]. 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[11].

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[12], a sharp reduction from the 20,000 feet that was common till then[13]. 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[14]. 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

The budgets for Telugu movies typically range from 15 to 40 crores 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 25–40 crores depending on the success of the movie.


Fans

Well-known stars of Telugu film industry have devoted fan followings in the southern India. NTR,Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Krishna, Krishnamraju, Shoban Babu, Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Venkatesh,Mahesh Babu,Pawan Kalyan,Jr. NTR,Prabhas are very popular and enjoy a significant fan following among the Telugu movie audience.

Trivia

  • 80 Telugu films were made in the first five years after the release of Bhakta Prahlada.
  • A long-time Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. T. Rama Rao, was a popular actor of Telugu Cinema.
  • Chiranjeevi, well known as Mega Star is the most popular actor in Tollywood

See also

References

  1. ^ Telugu film industry enters new era
  2. ^ Welcome To TejaTV
  3. ^ Telugu film industry, Ind: msg#00117
  4. ^ http://www.totaltollywood.com/articles/history/index.php?id=1
  5. ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
  6. ^ Land Marks in Tamil Cinema
  7. ^ 1916-1936
  8. ^ Idle Brain
  9. ^ The Hindu : Friday Review Hyderabad [ Bhagyanagaram : Reliving the reel and the real]
  10. ^ The Hindu : Friday Review Hyderabad [ Bhagyanagaram : Reliving the reel and the real]
  11. ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
  12. ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
  13. ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
  14. ^ CineGoer.com - Articles - History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema
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