Tamil cinema (also known as the Kollywood, the Tamil film industry, the Cinema of Tamil Nadu or the Chennai film industry) is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of feature films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam area, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered. With reference to this, the industry is also colloquially referred to as Kollywood, a portmanteau of Kodambakkam and Hollywood. Tamil cinema is known for being India's second largest film industry in terms of films produced, revenue and worldwide distribution, with audiences mainly including people from the four southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, placing the industry among the largest in the world.

Silent films were produced in Chennai since 1917 and the era of talkies dawned in 1931 with the film Kalidas. By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939. Tamil cinema later had a profound effect on other filmmaking industries of India, establishing Chennai as a secondary hub for Telugu cinema, Malayalam cinema, Kannada cinema, and Hindi cinema. In its modern era, Tamil films from Chennai have been distributed to various overseas theatres in Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia, Japan, Oceania, the Middle East, Western Europe, and Northern America. The industry also inspired filmmaking in Tamil diaspora populations in other regions, such as in Europe and Canada.

Balanathan "Balu" Mahendran (born 20 May 1939 in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, and cinematographer widely regarded as part of the first in a wave of directors and screenwriters from the Chennai film industry who revitalized Tamil cinema. He initially developed an early interest in photography.

A cinematography graduate and a gold medalist from the FTII in Pune. He started his film career as a cameraman for the Malayalam film Nellu in 1974, which earned him the best cinematographer award from the Government of Kerala. He has been chosen as the best cinematographer for as many as ten films. He pioneered innovative camera style for colour in South India. He has won five National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South for Best Director.

Balu's first film as a director was Kokila, a Kannada film, which earned him a National Film Award. Azhiyadha Kolangal (1979) was his first directorial venture in Tamil. He is considered as one of the few film makers in Tamil who can tell a story visually. He writes the script for his films, handles the camera and edits the film himself, thus retaining a firm control over his creative output. He mentioned in an interview to Anu Hassan on Koffee with Anu that he was inspired to become a director at a very young age when he saw David Lean directing the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai during a school field trip in Sri Lanka.

Shruti Haasan (born January 28, 1986) is an Indian actress, singer and music composer who has worked in South Indian film industry and Bollywood. Her parents are noted actors, Kamal Haasan and Sarika.

As a child artist, she sang in films and appeared in a guest role, before making her adult acting debut in the 2009 action drama, Luck. She later went on to win critical acclaim for her role in the Walt Disney fantasy film, Anaganaga O Dheerudu, Oh My Friend and 7aam Arivu. In 2012, she starred in Gabbar Singh, Telugu remake of Dabangg.

She has also continued her stint in music through work as a singer in Indian languages, a career in music direction beginning with her father's production Unnaipol Oruvan and her own music band and album.

Shruti Rajalakshmi Hassan was born to actors Kamal Hassan and Sarika in Chennai, India. Her younger sister Akshara represents India nationally for Ballroom Latin dancing. Haasan studied at Abacus in Chennai and moved to Mumbai to study psychology at St. Andrew’s College.

Aishwarya Rai, known also as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after her marriage (Tulu pronunciation [əjɕʋərjaː rəj]; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994. Rai has featured in films in various languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali.

Often cited by the media as the "most beautiful woman in the world", Rai made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar (1997), and had her first commercial success in Jeans (1998). She found success in Bollywood with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002) and eventually won two Filmfare Awards in the Best Actress category.

After a series of unsuccessful films during 2003–2005, she appeared in the blockbuster action thriller Dhoom 2 (2006) and subsequently featured in such films as Guru (2007), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Enthiran (2010). She gained critical acclaim for her performances in offbeat, independent films such as Chokher Bali (2003), Raincoat (2004), and Provoked (2007). Rai has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses of Indian cinema.

Amy Louise Jackson (born 31 January 1991) is a British beauty pageant titleholder, model and actress. She won the Miss Teen World competition in 2008, went on to win Miss Liverpool in 2009, and was hotly tipped to be Miss England in 2010 but lost out to Jessica Linley in the final. She made her acting debut with the successful 2010 Tamil period-drama Madrasapattinam, which won her plaudits for her role and launched her acting career. She made her Bollywood debut with Ekk Deewana Tha (2012), starring along side Prateik Babbar.

Born in the Isle of Man to Alan and Marguerita Jackson, she has an elder sister Alicia. The family returned to their parents' home of Woolton, Liverpool, two years later so that her father could continue in his media career, where he is BBC Radio Merseyside's sports presenter. Jackson attended St. Edward's College, gaining 10 GCSEs, and then went on to Sixth form to study English Language, English Literature and Philosophy and Ethics.

Some sources have reported that Amy is dating Bollywood actor Prateik Babbar, who has moved into her apartment in Bandra, Mumbai However, Prateik denies that they live together, or that they are dating each other.