Tollywood

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. Based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Telugu films sold 23.3 crore (233 million) tickets in 2022, the highest among all Indian film industries. As of 2023, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of movie screens in India.

Since 1909, filmmaker Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was involved in producing short films and exhibiting them in different regions of South Asia. He established the first Indian-owned cinema halls in South India. In 1921, he produced the silent film, Bhishma Pratigna, generally considered to be the first Telugu feature film. As the first Telugu film producer and exhibitor, Naidu is regarded as the 'Father of Telugu cinema'. The first Telugu talkie (sound) film is considered to be Kalidas (1931), directed by H. M. Reddy, due to full-length dialogues in Telugu. However, Bhakta Prahlada (1932) featured the entire soundtrack in Telugu along with dialogues. The 1950s and 1960s are considered the golden age of Telugu cinema, featuring enhanced production quality, influential filmmakers, and notable studios, resulting in a variety of films that were both popular and critically acclaimed.