Telugu language history

TELUGU MOVIES HISTORY

HYDERABAD IMAX CINEMA HALL

                               
                          Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is a part of Indian cinema based in Hyderabad, India. Since 1909, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu was involved in many aspects of Indian cinemas history like producing short films, travelling to different regions in Asia to promote film work. In 1921, he produced the first silent film Bhishma Pratigna. He is cited as the father of Telugu cinema.

The 1951 film Patala Bhairavi was the first South Indian film which was showcased at the first India International Film Festival, held in Mumbai on 24 January 1952. CNN-IBN's poll of the 100 landmark Indian Films of All Time listed Patala Bhairavi (1951),Malliswari (1951), Devadasu (1953), Mayabazar (1957), Nartanasala (1963), Maro Charithra (1978), Maa Bhoomi (1979),Sankarabharanam (1979), Sagara Sangamam (1983), and Siva (1989).

In the years 2005, 2006 and 2008 the Telugu language film industry has produced the largest number of films in India exceeding the number of films produced in Bollywood. The industry holds the Guinness World Record for the largest film production facility in the world. The Prasads IMAX located in Hyderabad is one of the largest 3D IMAX screen, and the most attended cinema screen in the world.

As per the CBFC report of 2012, the industry is placed second in India, in terms of films produced yearly. The industry holds amemorandum of understanding with Motion Picture Association of America to combat video piracy. Contemporary films likeDookudu (2011), Eega (2012), and Attarintiki Daredi (2013) have each grossed more than  100 crore at the box office.

Early development

The Telugu film industry originated with silent films in 1912, with the production and release of Bhisma Pratighna in 1921  The film was directed byRaghupathi Venkaiah Naidu and his son R. S. Prakash. On the other hand, Yaragudipati Varada Rao and, R. S. Prakash Rao have established a long-lasting precedent of focusing exclusively on religious themes; Nandanar, Gajendra Moksham, and Matsyavatar, three of their most noted productions, centred on religious figures, parables, and morals. In 1935, Andhra Cine Tone was built in Visakhapatnam by Gottumukkala Jagannadha Raju. He introduced digital theater sound with the 1933 film Jagadamba.

Rise of the talkie

In 1933, East India Film Company has produced its first Indian film Sati Savithri in Telugu, Shot in Calcutta on a budget of  75 thousand, based on a popular stage play by Mylavaram Bala Bharathi Samajam, the film was directed by father of Telugu theater movement, C. Pullaiah, casting stage actorsVemuri Gaggaiah and Dasari Ramathilakam as Yama and Savithri, respectively. The blockbuster film has received an honorary diploma at Venice Film Festival. The first film studio in South India, Durga Cinetone was built in 1936 by Nidamarthi Surayya in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.

By 1936, the mass appeal of film allowed directors to move away from religious and mythological themes.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, touching on societal problems like 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.

In 1938, Gudavalli Ramabrahmam, has co-produced and directed the social problem film, Mala Pilla which dealt with the crusade against untouchability, prevailing in pre-independent India.  In 1939, He directed Raithu Bidda, starring thespian Bellary Raghava. The film was banned by the British administration in the region, for depicting the uprise of the peasantry among the Zamindar's during the British raj.

1940 film, Vishwa Mohini, is the first Indian film, depicting the Indian movie world. The film was directed by Y. V. Rao and scripted by Balijepalli Lakshmikanta Kavi, starring Chittor V. Nagaiah in the lead role. 1951 film Malliswari is the first Telugu film, to be screened at International film festivals like Asia Pacific Film Festival. The film 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. The film was directed by Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy, the first person to receive the Dada Saheb Phalke Award from South Indian film industry. He was the first Indian film personality, to receivePadmabhushan in 1974, and the Doctor of Letters honour.

INDUSTRY:

Moola Narayana Swamy and B. N. Reddy founded Vijaya Vauhini Studios in 1948 based in Chennai. Indian film doyen L. V. Prasad, who started his film career with Bhakta Prahlada, founded Prasad Studios in 1956 based in Chennai. 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.

Veteran actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao relocated to Hyderabad and has developed 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 studios in Andhra Pradesh, developed by D. Ramanaidu and Ramoji Rao, are involved in prolific film production and employment. 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 films. Some Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films are dubbed into Telugu on release.

The digital cinema network company UFO Moviez marketed by Southern Digital Screenz (SDS) has digitized several cinemas in the region.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. The Seemandhra and Telangana regions consists of approximately 2800 theatres, the largest number of screens in India.

The Nandi Awards is the highest award ceremony for excellence in Telugu cinema, Theatre and Television, presented annually at Lalitha Kala Thoranam in Hyderabad, India, by Film, Television and Theatre Development Corporation of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. "Nandi" means "bull", the awards being named after the big granite bull at Lepakshi — a cultural and historical symbol of Andhra Pradesh.