2015 Hit Movies Telugu

[Tony Phan]

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. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad. As of 2021[update], Telugu cinema is the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office.[5][6] Telugu films sold 23.3 crore (233 million) tickets in 2022, the highest among various film industries in India.[3][4]

Technical crafts of Telugu cinema, especially visual effects and cinematography, are considered as one of the most advanced in Indian cinema.[7] The industry has produced some of India's most expensive and highest-grossing films of all time. Telugu production Baahubali 2 (2017) is currently the highest-grossing film of all time in India. The Telugu film industry is home to Ramoji Film City, certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest film studio complex in the world measuring over 1,666 acres (674 ha).[8][9]

Since 1909, filmmaker Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was involved in producing short films and exhibiting them in different regions of Asia. He established the first Indian-owned cinema halls in South India.[10] In 1921, he produced the silent film, Bhishma Pratigna, generally considered to be the first Telugu feature film.[17] As the first Telugu film exhibitor and producer, Naidu is regarded as the 'Father of Telugu cinema'.[18] The first Telugu film with audible dialogue, Bhakta Prahlada (1932) was directed by H. M. Reddy. In 1933, Sati Savitri directed by C. Pullayya received an honorary diploma at the 2nd Venice Film Festival.[19] Since its inception, Telugu cinema was known as the pre-eminent centre of Hindu mythological films in India.[20] From the late 1930s, films focused on contemporary living and social issues, like Raithu Bidda (1939), were produced and gradually gained prominence.

Ten Telugu films were featured in CNN-IBN's list of "100 Greatest Indian Films of All Time".[note 1] Though known for big-ticket and blockbuster films catering to wider audience, Telugu filmmakers have also forayed into parallel and arthouse films.[22] Parallel films like Daasi (1988), Thilaadanam (2000), Vanaja (2006) among others have won accolades at major film festivals including Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Moscow, and Busan.[note 2]

Since the mid-2010s, Telugu cinema has pioneered the Pan-Indian film movement, cutting across ethnic and linguistic barriers. Baahubali 2 (2017) won the Saturn Award for Best International Film. RRR (2022) is only the second non-English language film ever to make it to the National Board of Review's Top Ten Films. It received various international accolades including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song "Naatu Naatu" and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film. RRR is also the first Indian feature film to win an Academy Award.[30]

In 1919, he started a film production company called 'Star of East Films' also called 'Glass Studio', the first production company established by a Telugu person.[36][33] He sent his son, Raghupati Surya Prakash Naidu (R. S. Prakash) to study filmmaking in the studios of England, Germany, and United States.[10] In 1921, they made Bhishma Pratigna, generally considered as the first Telugu feature film.[17] Venkaiah Naidu produced the film, while R. S. Prakash directed and produced it along with playing the title character Bhishma.[36] As the first Telugu film exhibitor and producer, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu is regarded as the 'Father of Telugu cinema'.[18]

The first Telugu film with audible dialogue, Bhakta Prahlada, was directed by H. M. Reddy, who directed the first bilingual (Tamil and Telugu) talkie Kalidas (1931). Bhakta Prahlada was shot over 18 or 20 days at Imperial Studios, Bombay and was produced by Ardeshir Irani who also produced Alam Ara, India's first sound film.[40] The film had an all-Telugu starcast featuring Sindhoori Krishna Rao as the titular Prahlada, Munipalle Subbayya as Hiranyakasyapa, and Surabhi Kamalabai as Leelavathy.[35] Bhakta Prahlada was completed on 15 September 1931,[41] which henceforth became known as "Telugu Film Day" to commemorate its completion.[42][43][44]

Popularly known as talkies, films with sound quickly grew in number and popularity. In 1932, Sagar Movietone produced Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam and Sakunthala, both directed by Sarvottam Badami.[45] Neither the producer nor the director of these two films were Telugus. In 1933, Pruthviputra, based on the story of Narakasura was released.[46] It starred Kalyanam Raghuramayya and was produced by Pothina Srinivasa Rao, who had previously built the first cinema hall in Andhra in 1921. This was the first Telugu talkie entirely financed by Telugu people.[46]

In 1934, the industry saw its first major commercial success with Lava Kusa. Directed by C. Pullayya and starring Parupalli Subbarao and Sriranjani, the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theatres and thrust the young industry into mainstream culture.[35][46] Dasari Kotiratnam produced Anasuya in 1935 and became the first female producer of Telugu film industry.[47] The first film studio in Andhra, Durga Cinetone, was built in 1936 by Nidamarthi Surayya in Rajahmundry.[48][49] Sampurna Ramayanam (1936) was the first film produced by the studio relying mostly on local talent.[48] In 1937, another studio called Andhra Cinetone was built in Visakhapatnam.[50][10] However, both the studios were short-lived.

By 1936, the mass appeal of film allowed directors to move away from religious and mythological themes.[35] That year, under the direction of Kruthiventi Nageswara Rao, Prema Vijayam, a film with a contemporary setting, was released. It was the first Telugu film with a modern-day setting as opposed to mythological and folklore films.[51] Later, more 'social films' i.e. films based on contemporary life and social issues, were made by filmmakers. Notable among them was Vandemataram (1939), touching on societal problems like the practice of dowry. Telugu films increasingly focused on contemporary living: 29 of the 96 films released between 1937 and 1947 had social themes.[52]

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,[60] a sharp reduction from the 20,000 feet that had been common till then.[61] As a result, the number of films produced during the war was substantially lower than in previous years. Nonetheless, before the ban, an important shift occurred in the industry: Independent studios formed, actors and actresses were signed to contracts limiting whom they could work for, and films moved from social themes to folklore legends.[62] Ghantasala Balaramayya, has directed the mythological Sri Seeta Rama Jananam (1944) under his home production, Prathiba Picture, marking veteran Akkineni Nageswara Rao's debut in a lead role.[63]

Malliswari is the first Telugu film which had a public release with thirteen prints along with Chinese subtitles at Beijing on 14 March 1953, and a 16 mm film print was also screened in the United States.[64][65] The film was directed by B. N. Reddy, a recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and the Doctor of Letters honour.[65]

The industry is one of the largest producers of folklore, fantasy, and mythological films.[66][67][68] Filmmakers like K. V. Reddy, B. Vittalacharya and Kodi Ramakrishna have pioneered this genre.[69][70] 1956 film Tenali Ramakrishna has garnered the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film.

K. V. Reddy's Mayabazar (1957) is a landmark film in Indian cinema, a classic of Telugu cinema that inspired generations of filmmakers. It blends myth, fantasy, romance and humour in a timeless story, captivating audiences with its fantastical elements. The film excelled in various departments like cast performances, production design, music, cinematography and is particularly revered for its use of technology. The use of special effects, innovative for the 1950s, like the first illusion of moonlight, showcased technical brilliance.. Powerful performances and relatable themes ensure Mayabazar stays relevant, a classic enjoyed by new generations. On the centenary of Indian cinema in 2013, CNN-IBN included Mayabazar in its list of "100 greatest Indian films of all time". In a poll conducted by CNN-IBN among those 100 films, Mayabazar was voted by the public as the "greatest Indian film of all time."

Relangi and Ramana Reddy were a comedy double act during this era.[71] Nartanasala (1963) won three awards at the third Afro-Asian Film Festival in Jakarta.[72] Donga Ramudu directed by K. V. Reddy was archived in the curriculum of the Film and Television Institute of India.[73] Nammina Bantu received critical reception at the San Sebastin International Film Festival.[74][75] 1967 film Ummadi Kutumbam was selected by Film Federation of India as one of its entries to the Moscow Film Festival.[73][76] The 1968 cult classic Sudigundalu was screened at the Tashkent and Moscow Film Festivals.[77] Bapu's directorial venture Sakshi was showcased at Tashkent International film festival in 1968.[78] In 1976, he directed Sita Kalyanam got critical acclaim at the BFI London Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival, and is part of the curriculum at British Film Institute.[79][80]

The nickname Tollywood is a portmanteau of the words Telugu and Hollywood.[81] Moola Narayana Swamy and B. N. Reddy founded Vijaya Vauhini Studios in 1948 in the city of Chennai.[82] Indian film doyen L. V. Prasad, who started his film career with Bhakta Prahlada, founded Prasad Studios in 1956 based in Chennai.[83] However, through the efforts of D. V. S. Raju, the Telugu film industry completely shifted its base from Chennai to Hyderabad in the early 1990s, during N. T. Rama Rao's political reign.[84]

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