Cinema of South India

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Indian cinema

Cinema of South India, refers to the cinema of the four major film industries in

Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam
. They are often colloquially referred to as Tollywood, Kollywood, Sandalwood and Mollywood, respectively.

Although the four industries developed independently for a long period of time, gross exchange of artists and technicians, as well as

globalisation helped to shape this new identity.[1] By 2010, South India became the home for 6320, or about 62% of the 10,167 cinema theatres in India.[2]

For the financial year of 2013, the combined net box office revenue of Tamil and Telugu film industries stood at 36% of the total net revenue of Indian cinema.[3] In 2021, the combined domestic box-office of the four South Indian film industries totalled ₹2,400 crore, surpassing that of Hindi film markets, where box office collection stood at ₹800 crore.[4] In 2021, Telugu film industry emerged as the largest film industry of India in terms of box office revenue.[5][6][7]

Setting aside state language boundaries, the beginning of the year 2022 saw South Indian actors, writers and directors from Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada industries collaborating with each other as a single 'South Indian Cinema' entity to produce movies. This collaboration resulted in major hits such as 'Vikram', 'Jailer', 'Pushpa', 'Leo' and 'Salaar'. Critics say that this marks the beginning of the unification of a pan-South Indian film industry as one.[8] After the emergence of South Indian Cinema, Hindi film actors and actresses who experienced a decline in their star value began participating in South Indian films to sustain their careers in the industry[9]

History

During the Madras Presidency

In 1897, a European exhibitor first screened a selection of silent short films at the

talkies and also built a cinema in Coimbatore.[13]

To celebrate the event of

Madras. Its major attraction was the screening of short films accompanied by sound. A British company imported a Crone megaphone, made up of a film projector to which a gramophone with a disc containing prerecorded sound was linked, and both were run in unison, producing picture and sound simultaneously. However, there was no synched dialogue. Raghupathy Venkaiah Naidu, a successful photographer, took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court.[10] R. Venkaiah, flush with funds, in 1912 built a permanent cinema in the Mount Road area named Gaiety Theatre. It was the first in Madras to screen films on a full-time basis. The theatre later closed for commercial developments.[14]

Vijaya Vauhini Studios and Gemini Studios. Thus, with the undivided Madras Presidency, being the Capital to most of South India
, Chennai became the center for South Indian language films.

AVM studios in Chennai, the oldest surviving studio in India

First South Indian films

The first Madras production was

Yaragudipati Varada Rao, would go on to produce and direct dozens of films throughout the decade, casting theater actors in major roles.[18] They established a long-lasting precedent of focusing exclusively on religious themes; Nandanar,[19] Gajendra Moksham, and Matsyavatar, three of their most famous productions, centered on religious figures, parables, and morals.[citation needed
]

Bhakta Prahlada, a 1932 Telugu talkie film directed by H. M. Reddy[20]

The first Tamil silent film,

Sriranjani, the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theaters and thrust the young film industry into mainstream culture.[23]

During the same time, the first Kannada

Alleppey, Kerala by Kunchacko
, who earned fame as a film producer and director.

Social influence and rise of superstars

The Madras presidency was divided into linguistic States, known today as

Maala Pilla, have been released in Telugu. 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.[25]
Attempts made by some
S.S.Rajendran
, as a film actor, became the first elected 'Member of legislative assembly in the industry from Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, Tamil film Chandralekha crossed all language borders. It was the time, when M. G. Ramachandran became one of the most remembered actors of India. His popularity enabled him to found a political party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is regularly part of the Government of Tamil Nadu. He posthumously won Bharat Ratna.

The time was hailed as "the period of giants" in Malayalam film industry, due to the work of film stars

Bangaaradha Manushya
created a record at the box office for successfully running in the main theaters for more than two continuous years. He later spearheaded the Kannada language movement, followed by millions of his fans, however the star remained away from politics.

Characteristics and popularity

South Indian films, whether Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, or Tamil, have been predominantly rooted in their specific geography. They tell stories that are in tune with the culture, dialect, politics, social structure, and lifestyle of the people in their respective regions. This can be seen in the films of

Malayali or Tamil milieu respectively. Similarly, K. Viswanath directed films based on arts — performing and visual, aesthetics, social structure and lifestyle of Telugu people. South Indian cinema has been able to find audiences across India, and even outside because of its ability to remain rooted in a certain milieu, while appealing to the collective “Indian” sensibility, whereas Hindi films, of late aren't able to strike this balance because of their essential non-rootedness. For many years, films in Hindi have gone urbane and elitist, while down South, they remained rooted in telling the stories of people in a way they can enjoy as their own.[29][30]

Recent South Indian cinema sees a trend of violent heroes, deviating from virtuous protagonists of the past and embracing "bad boy" personas, with violence integrated into their characters gaining popularity. Directors, taking on quasi-action director roles, break from traditional templates, earning commendation for creativity. Despite critics questioning the rationale, the enduring appeal of violent scenes persists, driven by fans of star-centric films. The CBFC's inconsistent certification approach adds to ongoing discourse, reflecting changing preferences in the South Indian cinema landscape.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ ET Bureau. "Southern movies account for over 75% of film revenues". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  2. ^ "STATEWISE NUMBER OF SINGLE SCREENS". filmfederation.in. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  3. ^ "The Digital March Media & Entertainment in South India" (PDF). Deloitte. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  4. Moneycontrol
    . Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  5. ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  6. ^ Mukherjee, Nairita; Joshi, Tushar (22 December 2021). "Is South cinema the new Bollywood?". India Today. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Tollywood | ఆ విషయంలో బాలీవుడ్‌ను వెనక్కి నెట్టేసిన టాలీవుడ్." Namasthe Telangana. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Tamil and Telugu stars and directors collaborate for better cinema-Opinion News , Firstpost". 18 July 2022.
  9. ^ "From Vivek Oberoi to Janhvi Kapoor, why Bollywood stars are rushing South".
  10. ^
    ISBN 9788190148146
    .
  11. ^ "Pioneers In Indian Cinema – Swamikannu Vincent". Indiaheritage.org. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013.
  12. ISBN 9788182053663
    .
  13. ^ Brahmanyan (21 September 2007). "Down Memory Lane – Bioscope in Coimbatore". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015.
  14. ^ "Cinema at Round Tana". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 June 2003. Archived from the original on 23 October 2003. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  15. ^ "He brought cinema to South". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  16. ISBN 978-0-415-39680-6
    .
  17. ^ "Telugu Cinema Biography". Totaltollywood.com. 3 May 1913. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  18. ^ "CineGoer.com – Articles – History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema". Archived from the original on 10 April 2007.
  19. ^ Land Marks in Tamil Cinema Archived 10 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ Narasimham, M. L. (10 September 2011). "Eighty glorious years of Telugu talkie". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  21. ^ "Metro Plus Chennai / Madras Miscellany : The pioneer'Tamil' film-maker". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  22. ISBN 978-0-415-39680-6
    .
  23. ^ a b "Reliving the reel and the real". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 19 January 2007. Archived from the original on 1 May 2007.
  24. ^ "First film to talk in Kannada"[usurped] article in The Hindu
  25. ^ "CineGoer.com – Articles – History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema". Archived from the original on 18 February 2012.
  26. ^ a b c d e Devdas, Vijay (2006). "Rethinking Transnational Cinema: The Case of Tamil Cinema". Scenes of Cinema. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  27. ^ Sarah, Dickey (1993). "The Politics of Adulation: Cinema and the Production of Politicians in South India". The Journal of Asian Studies 52 (2): 340–372.
  28. ^ Hardgrave, Jr, Robert L (March 1973). "Politics and the Film in Tamilnadu: The Stars and the DMK". Asian Survey (JSTOR) 13 (3): 288–305
  29. ^ "The secret of the pan-Indian success of films from the south: Balancing the local and universal". 3 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Explained: Why Korean, Hollywood and South Indian remakes should be a big no for Bollywood". 4 August 2022.
  31. ^ Rajendran, Sowmya (8 December 2020). "The rise of the violent hero in south cinema: What explains it?". The News Minute. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
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