telugu cinema

The first Telugu film, 'Bhatka Prahalada', was made in 1931. It was

directed by Hanumappa Muniappa Reddy. Most of the initial Telugu

talkies released had mythological stories that drew inspiration from

the vibrant Telugu drama and stage industry.

Tollywood, as the Telugu film industry is often called, moved from

Kolkata to Rajahmundry in 1936-37, but soon shifted to Madras (now

Chennai) where it remained for decades.

The industry started shifting to Hyderabad in 1955 when Sarathi

Studios was set up here. But it was only in mid 1990s that the entire

Telugu movie-making business moved to Hyderabad. Even now, about 10

percent of the music for Telugu films is made in Chennai.

Second only to Bollywood in terms of the number of films made,

Tollywood makes about 150 films every year. The industry, which

accounts for one percent of the state's GDP, registered a turnover of

Rs.3.0 billion last year.