Telugu Cinema

The cinema of Andhra Pradesh is the Telugu language film industry in India It is popularly known as Tollywood, as an analogue to the Hindi-language industry of Bollywood.

The state of Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of cinema halls in India. The industry has earned several Guinness records, including nods for the most films directed by male and female directors, the most films produced by a person and for having the largest film studio in the world.

The Telugu film industry originated with the silent film in 1912, with the production of Bhisma Pratighna. The film was directed by Raghupathi Venkaiah and his son R.S. Prakash. The two would go on to produce and direct dozens of films throughout the decade, casting theatre actors in major roles. They established a long-lasting precedent of focusing exclusively on religious themes; Nandanar; Gajendra Moksham and Matsyavatar three of their most famous productions, centred on religious figures, parables, and morals.

In 1931, the first Telugu film with audible dialogue, Bhakta Prahlada was produced by H.M. Reddy. 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 Srianjani in lead roles, the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theatres and thrust the young film industry into mainstream culture.

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 was common till then. 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. 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. Till date 11567 films are made.