About Tollywood

Tollywood is the largest producer of films in India. The first Telugu film Bhishma Pratigna was made in 1922 by R.S. Prakash. The first Telugu talkie Bhakta Prahlada, was released in 1931. It was directed by Hanumappa Muniappa Reddy. Akkineni Nageswara Rao is one of the first fully commercial Telugu Cinema heroes. Nageswara Rao was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1990 for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. He is also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was awarded the Padma Sree by the Government of India in the 1960s, recognizing his contribution to Telugu cinema. Though widely recognised for his mythological characters, NTR is considered one of the greatest actors in Telugu film, and in South Indian film generally. Ghattamaneni Sivarama Krishna Murthy more preferred to as Krishna, is one of Tollywood's famous actors who acted in more than 350 movies. He is well known for the title role he played in "Alluri Sitaramaraju". Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad more popularly known as Chiranjeevi, is a popular Telugu film actor fondly known by his fans as Mega Star. He founded the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT), which includes Chiranjeevi Blood and Eye Banks. In January 2006, Chiranjeevi was honored with the Padma Bhushan. Chiranjeevi won Southern Filmfare Award (Best Actor) for seven years. The Nandi Awards are the most significant awards given in Andhra Pradesh, more specifically for Telugu Cinema. Each year, awards are given by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The Nandi Awards are presented in four categories: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Copper.