We can’t imagine our lives without movies. Watching a movie with your loved ones can be a wonderful past time.Meaningful movies can influence our lives in a positive or a negative way. 

Film industry has millions of followers and fans across the world. With more than billions of dollars of value, film industry have a seen a significant growth in the recent years.  Nowadays, movies can be created on a range of topics, like social, political, biopic,, romance, action, thriller, comedy, and a lot more.

Table of Contents

  • The Indian Film Industry
  • Bollywood
  • Kollywood
  • Tollywood
  • Mollywood
  • Sandalwood

The Indian Film Industry

Indian Film Industry

Indian cinema has been around for more than a century. Dadasaheb Phalke, a veteran director-producer has been dubbed as the “Father of Indian Cinema”. This was for his film release of Raja Harishchandra in 1913.

The success of films like Pathaan, RRR, Baahubali (sequels 1 and 2), KGF (Chapters 1 and 2), and many more, has made Indian cinema popular across the globe. The Indian film industry has benefited greatly from the country’s bilingual culture. Not just that,  the industry has been dominated by regional films, not merely in terms of monetary success, but also in terms of the quality of films produced.

This article will articulate the Top 5 Film Industries in India. Yes, you read it right! India not only has bollywood and tollywood film industry, but it has more than these two film industries. So let’s take a deep insight of these film industries in India.

List of Top 5 Film Industries in India 

1. Bollywood  

Bollywood 

Throughout our childhood, we’ve been exposed to a wide variety of Hindi-language films. “Bollywood” is an abbreviation for the Hindi film industry. Mayanagari Mumbai, the center of Bollywood, is a mashup of Bombay (the previous name of Mumbai) and Hollywood. 

In 1934, Himansu Rai created Bombay Talkies, which paved the way for the development of Indian cinema. For decades, Bollywood has produced a number of rising genres, including the historical epic, the curry western, the courtesan film, and the mythical movies, etc. They are all famous for eye catching  photography and dance choreography . 

MFamous performers like Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, etc. have been the greatest actors of all time. ” Bollywood has grown into a multibillion-dollar entertainment business, thanks to films like Mughal-e-Azam, Mother India, Salaam Bombay, and many more.

With the  increase of watching films trend today, most of the movies are produced on the OTT platforms. THe OTT craze was developed in India at the time of Covid-19. 

Adding to the list of famous films is Bahubali (Beginning and Part 2), Dangal, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, PK are some of the Bollywood movies with highest revenue and box office collection.

2. Kollywood – Tamil Film Industry

Kollywood

Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is home to K-Town and Kollywood, the two most renowned names in the Tamil film industry. In addition to Bollywood, it is one of India’s earliest film industries. Thalaiva hails from Tamil cinema, India’s second-largest film industry. The first Tamil talkie, Keechaka Vadham, was released in 1918. Wheever  a Rajinikanth film is released , fans go crazy and there’s no way to explain why. 

Because of Kollywood’s impact on film theatre, there are several films that have been dubbed into English, recreated, or even released in other languages because of Kollywood. The Hindi and Telugu versions of Enthiran, a sci-fi action-packed movie, were released with a dubbed version. It was the most successful Indian film in the last year.

3. Tollywood – Telugu Film Industry 

Tollywood

Film Nagar in the neighbourhood of  Hyderabad, is home to the Telugu film industry. It is the world’s biggest film studio, according to Guinness World Records (Ramoji Film City). Tollywood films are almost always re-released in dubbed forms. Tollywood gained worldwide acclaim after  Baahubali became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time with the Baahubali series. 

As a result of their unique narratives, Telugu films enjoy a devoted following. One recent example is Arjun Reddy, who was recently recreated in Hindi as Kabir Singh. 

There are some of the most skilled filmmakers in the Telugu cinema business who have received several Guinness World Records. The most prolific producer, Dasary Narayana Rao, has directed more than 100 films, while Brahmanandam has appeared in over 1000 films in a single language.

4. Mollywood – Indian Film Industry of Malayalam-language 

Mollywood

Mollywood is the Kerala film industry that produces films in Malayalam. Despite their little viewership, Malayalam films are perceived for their storylines and cinematography across the world. My Dear Kuttichathan was the first 3D film which became very popular among raving fans..

Drishyam, a Malayalam film featuring Mohanlal, turned into a gigantic blockbuster in 2013. And again in 2022, its sequel Drishyam 2 was another masterpiece. It was long since duplicated in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi. Every one of its sequel performed very well in the cinematic world. 

5. Sandalwood Film Industry :

Sandalwood Film Industry

Sandalwood is the normal name for the Kannada film industry, in Bangalore, Karnataka. It is also called Chandanavana, which is Kannada for sandalwood. With the splendor of Dr. Rajkumar, Shankar Nag, and Vishnuvardhan, the Kannada film industry has flourished over a period of time.

KGF-Chapter 1 was simply delivered in Kannada and translated into Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi. It became the highest-earning Kannada film ever, and it won two National Film Awards. That’s just not it, its sequel KGF-Chapter 2, released in 2022, was one of the most expensive Kannada films ever made. It won three titles at Critics’ Awards; Best Cinematography for Bhuvan Gowda, Best Editing for Ujwal Kulkarni, and Best VFX for Udaya Ravi Hegde.

In conclusion 

The film industry in India has been growing successfully. Actors of each of these industries are looked up to by the common people.

These are the five most notable Indian entertainment worlds, every one of which has been very popular  in the Indian entertainment world. The trend and craze of movies top the list.. This trend will continue and the film industry will see a massive growth in the upcoming years as well. Undoubtedly, the young generation is crazy for their actors, and actresses. Connecting with underlying emotions of people by reflecting the harsh realities of society makes the works in every film industry commendable.  FAQ

Q1. Which film industry or industries are most popular in India?

Ans. India is a vast country with many diverse people and diverse languages, when it comes to movies people love :

  • Bollywood
  • Tollywood 
  • Kollywood 
  • Sandalwood
  • Mollywood

Q2. KGF Ch- 1 belongs to which Industry?

Ans. KGF-Chapter 1 was released in Kannada and translated into Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi.

Q3. Which industry has the world’s biggest studio?

Ans. Film Nagar in Hyderabad is home to the Telugu film industry. And, it is the world’s biggest film studio, according to Guinness World Records, which is Ramoji Film City.

Q4. Who is the star of India’s 2nd largest film industry?

Ans. In addition to Bollywood, Kollywood is one of India’s earliest film industries. Thalaiva, Rajni Kanth hails from Tamil cinema, India’s second-largest film industry.

Q5. Who created Bombay Talkies?

Ans. In 1934, Himansu Rai created Bombay Talkies, which paved the way for the development of Indian cinema.

Q6. Who is the Father of Indian Cinema? 

Ans. Dadasaheb Phalke, a veteran director-producer is the “Father of Indian Cinema”.