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{{short description|Southern Indian cinema industries}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}
{{Indian cinema|area served=Worldwide|languages= [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Malayalam]], [[Kannada]]}}
[[File:India_film_clapperboard.svg|thumb|256x256px]]
The '''Cinema of South India''' is used to refer collectively the four distinct film industries of [[South India|Southern region of India]] - [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]], [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]], [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam]] and [[Kannada cinema|Kannada]] film industries – as a single entity. They are based in [[Hyderabad]], [[Chennai]], [[Kochi]] and [[Bengaluru]] respectively.

Although developed independently for a long period of time, gross exchange of film performers and technicians as well as [[globalisation]] helped to shape this new identity in Indian Cinema.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ET Bureau|title=Southern movies account for over 75% of film revenues|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-11-18/news/27638208_1_film-industry-small-budget-movies-farokh-balsara|website=The Economic Times|publisher=The Economic Times|access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref> The industry is regulated by the [[South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce]]. The combined revenue of [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Tamil language|Tamil]] film industries represent nearly 40% of the total revenue of <ref name="deloitte">{{cite web|url=http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/in/Documents/technology-media-telecommunications/in-tmt-economic-contribution-of-motion-picture-and-television-industry-noexp.pdf|title=The Digital March Media & Entertainment in South India|publisher=Deloitte|access-date=21 April 2014}}</ref> [[Cinema of India|Indian cinema]].

== History ==
=== During the Madras Presidency ===
In 1897, a European exhibitor first screened a selection of silent short films at the [[Victoria Public Hall]] in [[Madras]] (Present-day [[Chennai]]).<ref name="folklore">{{cite book|title=Folklore, public sphere, and civil society|page=116|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xsrgg1Mel8UC&q=Victoria+Public+Hall&pg=PA117|isbn=9788190148146|last1=Muthukumaraswamy|first1=M. D|last2=Kaushal|first2=Molly|year=2004}}</ref> The films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. In Madras (present-day [[Chennai]]), the ''Electric Theatre'' was established for the screening of [[silent film]]s.<ref name="folklore" /> It was a favourite haunt of the British community in Madras. The theatre was shut down after a few years. This building is now part of a post office complex on [[Anna Salai]] ([[Mount Road]]). The ''Lyric Theatre'' was also built in the Mount Road area.<ref name="folklore" /> This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, [[Western culture|Western]] classical music concerts, and [[ballroom]] dances. Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction. [[Swamikannu Vincent]], an employee of the South Indian Railways in [[Coimbatore]], purchased a [[Movie projector|film projector]] and silent films from the Frenchman [[Du Pont]] and set up a business as [[film exhibitor]].<ref>[http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/history/vincent.htm Pioneers In Indian Cinema – Swamikannu Vincent] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509052024/http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/history/vincent.htm |date=9 May 2013 }}. Indiaheritage.org. Retrieved on 29 July 2013.</ref> He erected tents for screening films. His tent cinema became popular and he travelled throughout the state with his mobile unit.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rajmohan|first=Joshi|title=Encyclopaedia of Journalism and Mass Communication: Media and mass communication|page=68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_aoH81IN8SsC&q=Swamikannu+Vincent&pg=PA68|isbn=9788182053663|year=2006}}</ref> In later years, he produced [[talkies]] and also built a cinema in [[Coimbatore]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://o3.indiatimes.com/brahmanyan/archive/2007/09/21/4783241.aspx | work=The Times Of India | url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630202911/http://o3.indiatimes.com/brahmanyan/archive/2007/09/21/4783241.aspx | title=Down Memory Lane – Bioscope in Coimbatore | author=Brahmanyan | date=21 September 2007 | archive-date=30 June 2015 }}</ref>

To celebrate the event of [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V's]] visit in 1909, a grand [[art exhibition|exhibition]] was organised in [[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 [[phonograph|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]].<ref name="folklore" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/25/stories/2003062500120300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031023142920/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/25/stories/2003062500120300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 October 2003|title=Cinema at Round Tana|access-date=26 September 2011|location=Chennai, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=25 June 2003}}</ref>

[[Swamikannu Vincent]], who had built the first cinema of [[South India]] in [[Coimbatore]], introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to a town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in [[Madras]], called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/30/stories/2010043051340400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505150330/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/30/stories/2010043051340400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2010|title=He brought cinema to South|access-date=26 September 2011|location=Chennai, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=30 April 2010}}</ref> Full-fledged film studios were built in [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]] ([[Modern Theatres]] Studio) and [[Coimbatore]] ([[Central Studios]], Neptune, and Pakshiraja). Chennai became the hub of studio activity with two more movie studios built in Chennai, [[Vijaya Studios|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.
[[File:AVM Studios Globe.jpg|thumb|left|[[AVM Productions|AVM studios]] in Chennai, the oldest surviving studio in [[India]]]]

=== First South Indian films ===
The first Madras production was ''[[Keechaka Vadham]]'' (The Destruction of Keechaka), produced and directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar, who established the ''India Film Company Limited''.<ref name=tcp>{{cite book | title= Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film wenr Industry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=65Aqrna4o5oC&q=Tamil+cinema| last=Velayutham|first=Selvaraj|chapter='India' in Tamil silent era cinema| year=2008| page=156| publisher=Routledge| isbn=978-0-415-39680-6}}</ref> During the 1920s, silent Tamil language films were shot at makeshift locations in and around Chennai, and for technical processing, they were sent to [[Pune]] or [[Calcutta]]. Later, some films featuring [[M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar]] were shot in those cities as well. Telugu artists became active with the production of ''Bhisma Pratighna'', a silent film, in 1921. The film was directed by [[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]] and his son R. S. Prakash.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.totaltollywood.com/articles/history/index.php?id=1 |title=Telugu Cinema Biography |publisher=Totaltollywood.com |date=3 May 1913 |access-date=21 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929110429/http://www.totaltollywood.com/articles/history/index.php?id=1 |archive-date=29 September 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cinegoer.com/telugucinema8.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410122843/http://www.cinegoer.com/telugucinema8.htm|url-status=dead|title=CineGoer.com – Articles – History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema|archive-date=10 April 2007}}</ref> They established a long-lasting precedent of focusing exclusively on religious themes; ''Nandanar'',<ref>[http://www.indiafilm.com/lm.htm Land Marks in Tamil Cinema] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410001605/http://www.indiafilm.com/lm.htm |date=10 April 2008 }}</ref> ''Gajendra Moksham'', and ''Matsyavatar'', three of their most famous productions, centered on religious figures, parables, and morals.<ref>[http://www.tamilentertainment.com/Memories/98/fna/fna1.htm 1916–1936] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821191409/http://www.tamilentertainment.com/Memories/98/fna/fna1.htm |date=21 August 2008 }}</ref>

[[File:Bhakta Prahlada.jpg|thumb|100px|right|''[[Bhakta Prahlada (1932 film)|Bhakta Prahlada]]'', a 1932 Telugu talkie film directed by [[H. M. Reddy]]<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article2442172.ece | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | first=M. L. | last=Narasimham | title=Eighty glorious years of Telugu talkie | date=10 September 2011 | access-date=19 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104073753/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/article2442172.ece | archive-date=4 November 2013 | url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

The first Tamil silent film, ''[[Keechaka Vadham]]'', was made by [[R. Nataraja Mudaliar]] in 1918.<ref name=RANDOR>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/09/07/stories/2009090750790300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912035730/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/09/07/stories/2009090750790300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 September 2009 |title=Metro Plus Chennai / Madras Miscellany : The pioneer'Tamil' film-maker |date=7 September 2009 |access-date=29 June 2011 |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> The first talking motion picture, ''[[Kalidas (film)|Kalidas]]'', was a multilingual and was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture ''[[Alam Ara]]''.<ref name="velayutham2">{{cite book|last=Velayutham|first=Selvaraj|title=Tamil cinema: the cultural politics of India's other film industry|page=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=65Aqrna4o5oC&q=Tamil+cinema+industry|isbn=978-0-415-39680-6|year=2008}}</ref> 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 (actress)|Sriranjani]], the film attracted unprecedented numbers of viewers to theaters and thrust the young film industry into mainstream culture.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2007/01/19/stories/2007011901020100.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501115359/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2007/01/19/stories/2007011901020100.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=1 May 2007 | location=Chennai, India | work=[[The Hindu]] | title=Reliving the reel and the real | date=19 January 2007}}</ref>

During the same time, the first Kannada [[talkie]], ''[[Sati Sulochana]]'',<ref>{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20070105012711/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2004/12/31/stories/2004123102420300.htm "First film to talk in Kannada"]}} article in ''The Hindu''</ref> appeared in theatres, followed by ''Bhakta Dhruva'' (aka ''Dhruva Kumar''). Both ''[[Sati Sulochana]]'' and ''Bhakta Dhruva'' were major successes. But prospective filmmakers in [[Karnataka]] were handicapped by the lack of studios and technical crews. ''Sati Sulochana'' was shot in [[Kolhapur]] at the Chatrapathi studio; most filming, sound recording, and post-production was done in Madras. It was difficult, as well, to find financial backing for new film projects in the region; thus, very few movies in [[Kannada]] were released during the early years of [[Cinema of India|Indian sound cinema]]. The first [[talkie]] in Malayalam was ''[[Balan (film)|Balan]]'', released in 1938. It was directed by [[S. Nottani]] with a screenplay and songs written by [[Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai]]. Malayalam films continued to be made mainly by Tamil producers until 1947, when the first major [[movie studio|film studio]], [[Udaya Studio|Udaya]], was established in [[Alleppey]], Kerala by [[Kunchacko]], who earned fame as a film producer and director.

=== Social influences and superstars ===
The Madras presidency was divided into linguistic States, known today as [[Karnataka]], Kerala, [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Tamil Nadu]]. The division marked the beginning of a new era in South Indian cinema. Cinema was celebrated regionally and exclusively in the language of the respective State. By 1936, the mass appeal of film allowed directors to move away from religious and mythological themes.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> One such film, ''[[Jeevitha Nouka]]'' (1951), was a musical drama which spoke about the problems in a joint family. Earlier, dozens of 'social films', notably ''Prema Vijayam'', ''Vandemataram'' and ''[[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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cinegoer.com/telugucinema5.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218150028/http://www.cinegoer.com/telugucinema5.htm|url-status=dead|title=CineGoer.com – Articles – History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema|archive-date=18 February 2012}}</ref>
Attempts made by some [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] leaders in [[Tamil Nadu]] to use stars of Tamil cinema were limited since this media remained inaccessible to the rural population, who were in the majority.<ref name=arch /> The politicizing of movies by the Congress virtually stopped soon after [[Partition of India|Indian Independence]] in 1947.<ref name=Dickey>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.</ref> With the introduction of electricity to rural areas in the 1950s [[Dravidian politics|Dravidian politicians]] could implement movies as a major political organ.<ref name=arch>{{cite web
| last = Devdas
| first = Vijay
| title = Rethinking Transnational Cinema: The Case of Tamil Cinema
| publisher = Scenes of Cinema
| year = 2006
| url = http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/06/41/transnational-tamil-cinema.html
| access-date = 13 December 2008
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081205041300/http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/06/41/transnational-tamil-cinema.html
| archive-date = 5 December 2008
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (DMK) was the first – and at the time the only – party to take advantage of visual movie media.<ref name=arch /> Actors and writers of [[guerrilla theater]], who were inspired by the ideologies of [[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy]], brought the philosophies of [[Tamil nationalism]] and [[anti-Brahminism]] to celluloid media.<ref name=Hardgrave>Hardgrave, Jr, Robert L (March 1973). "Politics and the Film in Tamilnadu: The Stars and the DMK". Asian Survey (JSTOR) 13 (3): 288–305</ref> The movies not only made direct references to the independent [[Dravida Nadu]] that its leaders preached for<ref name=arch /> but also at many times displayed party symbols within the movie.<ref name="arch" /> When the DMK began using cinema for political purposes and actors like MGR and [[S. S. Rajendran]] rode into politics on their popularity as actors, Tamil cinema began to be noticed by academics, [[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 (1948 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 [[Sathyaneshan Nadar|Sathyan]] and [[Prem Nazir]]. Nazir catapulted to the row of the finest actors of India with the film ''[[Iruttinte Athmavu]]'' (1967). Playing a demented youth – Velayadhan, Nazir discovered his prowess as a dramatic actor of great intensity. Many critics have evaluated this role as his masterpiece, and as one of the finest onscreen performances ever. He holds the record for having acted in the most leading roles – about 700 films. Another record is for the most enduring screen team along with actress [[Sheela]]. They played opposite each other in 130 movies. It was also the time when [[Dr. Rajkumar|Rajkumar]] shot to fame. Rajkumar acted in more than 200 movies who also won National Awards for singing songs like "Naadamaya Ee Lokavella" from the movie ''[[Jeevana Chaitra]]''. His film [[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.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Cinema of India]]
[[Category:South India]]
[[Category:Telugu cinema]]
[[Category:Tamil cinema]]
[[Category:Kannada cinema]]
[[Category:Malayalam cinema]]
[[Category:Tulu cinema]]

Cinema of South India - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 20:50, 13 August 2023