Tollywood (Telugu) cinema
Top-grossing
1930s
1940s
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s
2010 2011 2012

A list of films produced by the Tollywood film industry based in Hyderabad in the 1956:

Tollywood

Mughal Gardens replica in Ramoji Film City, a movie studio in Hyderabad
Industry	Motion pictures
Founded	1921 - Madras, Madras Presidency (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
Headquarters	Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, India
Website	www.apfilmchamber.com

The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh (also known as Telugu cinema or Tollywood) is a South Indian film industry based in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The Telugu language film industry, being the second largest in India, in terms of market capitalization and infrastructure, holds a memorandum of understanding with Motion Picture Association of America to combat video piracy.^[1][2][3] As per the CBFC report of 2010, the industry stood third in India, in terms of films produced yearly.^[4] The industry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest film production facility in the world.^[5]

Industry[link]

Moola Narayana Swamy and B. N. Reddy founded Vijaya Vauhini Studios in 1948 based in Chennai.^[6] Indian film doyen, L. V. Prasad who started his film career with Bhakta Prahlada has founded Prasad Studios in 1956 based in Chennai.^[7] However, through the efforts of D. V. S. Raju, the Telugu film industry has completely shifted its base from Chennai to Hyderabad in the early 1990s, during N. T. Rama Rao's political realm.^[8]

Veteran actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao was the first person to come to Hyderabad and build a studio, which he named Annapurna Studios. The Telugu film industry is one of the three largest film producers in India. About 245 Telugu films were produced in 2006, the highest in India for that year. Film producing studios in Andhra Pradesh, developed by D. Ramanaidu and Ramoji Rao are involved in prolific film production and employment.^[9]

The industry accounts for 1% of the gross domestic product of Andhra Pradesh.^[10] There is a fair amount of dispersion among the Indian film industries. Many successful Telugu films have been remade by the Hindi and Tamil film industries. The industry also remakes a few Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam movies. Many Tamil films are dubbed into Telugu on release.^[11]. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the biggest IMAX 3D screens in the world.^[12]

History[link]

Early development: 1912–1930[link]

The Telugu film industry originated with silent films in 1912, with the production and release of Bhisma Pratighna in 1921 ^[13] The film was directed by Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu and his son R. S. Prakash.^[14] The two, along with Yaragudipati Varada Rao, would go on to produce and direct dozens of films throughout the decade, casting theater actors in major roles.^[15] They established a long-lasting precedent of focusing exclusively on religious themes; Nandanar,^[16] Gajendra Moksham, and Matsyavatar, three of their most famous productions, centered on religious figures, parables, and morals.^[17]

Rise of the talkie: 1931–1947[link]

In 1931, the first Telugu film with audible dialogue, Bhakta Prahlada, was produced by H.M. Reddy.^[21] Popularly known as talkies, films with sound quickly grew in number and popularity. In 1934, the industry saw its first major commercial success with Lavakusa. Directed by C. Pullaiah and starring Parupalli Subbarao and Sriranjani in lead roles, the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theaters and thrust the young film industry into mainstream culture.^[22]

By 1936, the mass appeal of film allowed directors to move away from religious and mythological themes.^[22] That year, under the direction of Krithiventi Nageswara Rao, Prema Vijayam, a film focusing on social issues, was released. Its success prompted the production of dozens of other immensely successful 'social films', notably 1939's Vandemataram and Maala Pilla. Touching on societal problems like the status of Untouchables and the practice of giving dowry, Telugu films increasingly focused on contemporary living: 29 of the 96 films released between 1937 and 1947 had social themes.^[23]

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,^[24] a sharp reduction from the 20,000 feet that had been common till then.^[25] 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 who they could work for, and films moved from social themes to folklore legends.^[26]

Commercial stance[link]

The industry is one of the commercially consistent film industry in India, ^[27][28] Telugu cinema had its influence over commercial cinema in India. ^[29] As one of the few revenue generating film industries of India, Telugu film production accounts for one percent of the gross domestic product of Andhra Pradesh.^[30][28]

Pokiri has been remade in Hindi, Tamil and Kannada in a span of 2 years owing to the film's commercial success, the film was screened at the IIFA film festival held in Dubai in 2006.^[31] With the strategic increase in production costs, films like Pokiri, Bommarillu, Arundhati, Magadheera and Dookudu have been the biggest blockbusters in the last few years.

Critical reception[link]

The industry is one of the largest producers of folklore, historical, fantasy and mythological films in Indian cinema, a considerable contribution has been made in this genre.^[32][33][34] Veteran B. Vittalacharya is considered as a pioneer in the fantasy genre film making and special effects.^[35]

There is a market driven tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy tales, song and dance, action sequences, large than life characterization of lead actors in Telugu films.^[36]

Swathi Muthyam was the only Telugu film to be sent by India as its official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1986.^[27][37][38]

Cast and crew[link]

Chittor V. Nagaiah was one of the most influential actors of South Indian cinema.^[19] S. V. Ranga Rao is one of the first Indian actors of the time to receive international award at Indonesian Film Festival, held in Jakarta for the film Narthanasala in 1963.^[39] Chiranjeevi, known popularly as Megastar in the Indian media, has won nine Filmfare Awards South, and was one of the most commercially successful Telugu actor of his time.^[40]

Brahmanandam, a Telugu actor, holds a Guinness World Record for acting in the most films in the same language.^[41][42] S.P. Balasubrahmanyam is a multilingual playback singer from Telugu film industry, to have won National Film Awards across four languages. He holds the record of having recorded the most number of songs for any male playback singer and has received twenty five Nandi Awards from Andhra Pradesh.^[43] Mahesh Babu, the most sought after contemporary Telugu actor was listed among Times 50 Most Desirable Men for the year 2011 at 5th position.^[44][45]

Hyderabad International Convention Center^[46] has been the Hyderabad home for Filmfare Awards South from 2007^[47][48]

Dubbed films[link]

Tamil films are regularly dubbed into Telugu and have a decent market in Andhra Pradesh. There have been instances of dubbed films from Tamil overtaking profits of Telugu films in the state which made the Andhra government increase the entertainment tax for dubbed films.^[49] In 2005, the Telugu box office was entirely dominated by dubs from Tamil.^[50] The dubbed version of Enthiran (Robot) grossed 60 crore in Andhra Pradesh, becoming the second highest grossing film in the state.^[51]

From the early 90's to the mid 90's; many Malayalam action thrillers and sometimes even period films, had excellent outing in Andhra Pradesh; the most popular ones being Police Commissioner, Samrajyam, Mafia, New Delhi and Kaalapani.

Film schools[link]

The Film and Television Institute of Andhra Pradesh, Ramanaidu Film School and Annapurna International School of Film and Media are some of the largest film schools of India.^[52][53]

State awards[link]

• Nandi Awards
• Raghupathi Venkaiah Award
• NTR National Award
• B. N. Reddy National Award
• Nagi Reddy Chakrapani National Award

Other awards[link]

• Filmfare Awards South
• CineMAA Awards
• Sangam Academy Award
• Allu Rama Lingaiah Award
• Gollapudi Srinivas Award
• FNCC Awards
• Santosham Film Awards
• ANR National Award
• T. Subbarami Reddy Award ^[54]

Other studios in Hyderabad[link]

• Ramanaidu Studios
• Saradhi Studios
• Ramakrishna Studios
• Padmalaya Studios
• Annapurna Studios
• Fire Fly Creative Studios^[55][56]

See also[link]

• Cinema of India
• Cinema of the world

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cinema of Andhra Pradesh

v t e Cinema of India Industries Assamese Bengali Bhojpuri Hindi Kannada Konkani Malayalam Marathi Oriya Punjabi Rajasthani Tamil Telugu Tulu Indian films Assamese Bengali Bhojpuri English Gujarati Hindi Kannada Konkani Malayalam Marathi Oriya Punjabi Sindhi Tamil Telugu Tulu Urdu Other topics Actors Art Directors Awards Directors Choreographers Cinematographers Composers Costume designers Editors Festivals Lyricists Playback singers Producers Screenwriters Studios

Not to be confused with Shamshad Begum (classical singer) (d. 1998), mother of Naseem Banu, and grandmother of actress Saira Banu.

Shamshad Begum (born April 14, 1919^[1]) is an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry.

Begum was born in Amritsar, Punjab. She was a big fan of K.L. Saigal and watched Devdas 14 times. She earned 15 rupees per song and was awarded 5,000 on the completion of the contract on Xenophone, a renowned music recording company.

Sometime back, a controversy erupted in the media, when several publications gave the false news of her death, before it was clarified that the Shamshad Begum who died in 1998 was Saira Banu's (Dilip Kumar's wife) grandmother with the same name. The singer has been living with her daughter Usha Ratra and son-in-law in Mumbai, ever since her husband Ganpat Lal Batto died in 1955.^[2] Recently, she celebrated her 89th birthday at her elder sister's house and now she stays at - Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, Mumbai ^[3] She was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2009.^[4]

Career[link]

Begum made her debut on radio on Peshawar Radio in Lahore on December 16, 1947, captivating the hearts of her listeners with the enchanting depth of her voice. Shamshad was very much conscious of her not so beautiful face and she never posed for any pictures and not many people saw her pictures anywhere. Until the end of the 1970s, nobody knew her face at all, though everybody could recognise her melodious voice as it was used by the great maestros like Naushad Ali and O. P. Nayyar. Even today, her songs from the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s are popular and continue to be remixed by music directors.

Begum sang for the All India Radio (AIR) through her musical group 'The Crown Imperial Theatrical Company of Performing Arts', set up in Delhi. The then AIR Lahore helped her entering the world of movies as they frequently broadcast her songs, which induced music directors to use her voice for their films. Shamshad also recorded naats and devotional music for a couple of gramophone recording companies.

Her crystal-clear voice caught the attention of sarangi maestro Ustad Hussain Bakshwale Saheb, who took her as his disciple. Lahore-based composer Ghulam Haider used her voice skillfully in some of his earlier films like Khazanchi (1941) and Khandaan (1942). When he moved to Bombay in 1944, Shamshad went with him as a member of his team, leaving behind her family and staying with her Chacha (paternal uncle). She is credited with singing one of the first Westernised songs, Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday by C. Ramchandra. O.P. Nayyar describes her voice as that of a "temple bell" for its clarity of tone. Begum became a national rage between the 1940s and the late 1950s, having a voice different from her peers like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Geeta Dutt and Amirbai Karnataki. In 2009, she was conferred with the prestigious O P Nayyar award for her contribution to Hindi film music.^[5]

Songs[link]

• Leke pehla pehla pyar, (CID 1956), (music: O.P. Nayyar)
• Milte hi aankhen dil hua, (Duet with Talat Mehmood), (Babul), (music: Naushad)
• Chali chali kaisi yeh hawa yeh, (Duet with Usha Mangeshkar), (Bluffmaster 1965), (music: Kalyanji Anandji)
• Kabhi aar kabhi paar zara dere chalo, (Aar Paar), (music: O.P. Nayyar)
• O Gadiwale - Mother India - Naushad
• Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishana - CID (1956) - music O.P. Nayyar
• Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re - (1956) - music O.P.Nayyar
• Mere piya gaye Rangoon - Patanga - music C.Ramchandra
• Ek Tera Sahara – Shama - music Master Ghulam Haider
• Holi aayee re Kanhaai - Mother India (1957) - Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni, Music: Naushad
• Naina Bhar aye neer - Humayun - music Master Ghulam Haider
• Chod Babul Ka Ghar - Babul - music Naushad
• Kajra Mohabbatwala Ankhiyon mein Aisa dala (Duet with Asha Bhosle) - Kismat (1968) - Music: O.P. Nayyar
• Meri neendon main tum, meri khwabon mein tum (Duet with Kishore Kumar) - Naya Andaz - Music: O.P.Nayyar
• Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat (Duet with Lata Mangeshkar) - Mughal-E-Azam
• Saiyan Dil mein aana re - Bahar

'

References[link]

External links[link]

• Legends - Shamshad Begum: Her profile, Interview, complete list of her songs and her work with Music Directors and Co-Singers
• Shamshad Begum at the Internet Movie Database
• Indianetzone - Shamshad Begum
• PLANET POWAI - Shamshad Begum
• IndianMelody.com - Shamshad Begum, The Legendary Singer This link refers to the wrong Shamshad Begum, which says she has died.
• PRO BOLLYWOOD - Dharti Ko Aakash Pukare by Manohar Iyer
• PRO BOLLYWOOD - Shamshad Begum's Photos at Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards
• Dhool.com - Song of the Day # 691
• Shamshad Begum -The Eternal Voice

Video links

• Shamshad begum Film songs

v t e Bollywood (Hindi cinema) Directors · Actors · Playback singers · Music Directors · Songs · Bibliography Hindi films A–Z—Highest-grossing Films by year: 1930s · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012

Tadepalli Lakshmi Kanta Rao, better known as Kanta Rao a.k.a. Katthi Kanta Rao (Telugu: తాడేపల్లి లక్ష్మీ కాంతారావు) (16 November 1923 – March 22, 2009), was an Indian film actor and film producer from Andhra Pradesh, India. He acted in more than 400 Telugu mythological, social and folklore movies. He also acted in a few Hindi, Kannada and Tamil movies. He produced about five films under the banner Hema/Hyma Films. In the 1960s he was one of the primary actors in Telugu cinema, along with N. T. Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageshwara Rao.

Kanta Rao was very famous for portraying the role of Narada in mythological Telugu cinema. He played other roles, notably those of Lord Krishna, Arjuna, Panduraj and Lakshmana.

Kanta Rao acted in many folklore movies and was famous for his fencing and sword fighting. Therefore he was also famous as Kattula Kanta Rao. Most of these movies were directed by "Janapada Brahma" B. Vittalacharya.

Early life[link]

Kanta Rao was born to Keshavarao and Seetaramamma at Gudibanda village on November 16, 1923. According to Hindu calendar, it corresponds to Rudhirodgari Samvatsara Kartika Sudha Ashtami day. Their ancestors belongs to Tadepalli village, hence it became their family name. He lost his father next year. His primary education was done in Gudibanda and Khammam. He was exposed to puranas and Hindu epic stories from his grandmother.

Surabhi Drama troup has visited their village. Impressed by their professional performances, he established "Balamitra Natya Mandali" and used to play Gayopakhyanam and Madhuseva plays with his friends. He played the character Brahma in Sri Krishna Leelalu in Surabhi group and subsequently in Madhuseva, Kanakatara, Telugu Talli plays.

He was sent to Tenali to deviate from the drama activities. Tenali used to be very active in drama activities with stalwarts like Pulipati Lakshminarayana. He used to stay in same street wherein Rentachintala Satyanarayana, Banda Kanakalingeswara Rao used to live in.

He then shifted to Madras in 1950 and used stay with T. Krishnamachari, who used to work as assistant director for H. M. Reddy's Rohini Pictures.

H. M. Reddy gave him chance to play a small role in Nirdoshi in 1951 and as his hero for Pratigna in 1953. He has acted in 450 films and in about 100 films as hero, whereas in others as different character roles. They include some popular roles in films like Jayasimha (1955), Shri Krishna Pandaviyam (1966), Guruvunu Minchina Sishyudu (1963), Lava Kusha (1963), Nartanasala (1963), Pandava Vanavasam (1965) and Muthyala Muggu (1975). His last movie was ‘Pandurangadu’ with Balakrishna and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao in 2008.^[1]

Though he was never as rich as his contemporaries, he was comfortable. He made four films in between 1969 and 1974, Saptaswaralu, Gandara Gandadu, Premajeevulu and Gundelu Theesina Monagadu and lost all his previous earnings. The last film he made was Swathi Chinukulu. Subsequently he shifted to Hyderabad.^[2]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

This is the complete list of his films according to his autobiographical work, Anaganaga Oka Rakumarudu.