Is Telugu cinema set for a change of scene?

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy wants the Telugu film industry to relocate to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad. While the sops he has offered are attractive, there is reluctance in the industry to move. Appaji Reddem reports on a dilemma that the industry has faced once before 

The Telugu film industry is caught in a dilemma and struck by a sense of déjà vu. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy harbours a 70 mm-sized dream that he is keen to fulfil, which is to see the industry move base to the scenic and populous city of Visakhapatnam. This, he hopes, will help the port city grow into “a mega city like Hyderabad or Chennai”. Reddy has been assiduously persuading the industry, popularly known as Tollywood, to shift from Hyderabad, which is located in Telangana and has been home for the industry for decades.

For the industry, this is a case of history repeating itself. About 50 years ago, established as well as upcoming directors, producers and actors were hesitant to move from Madras, where the industry was born and nurtured, to Hyderabad in united Andhra Pradesh. Back then, it was actor-producer Akkineni Nageswara Rao who was trying to convince reluctant producers and directors to shoot their movies in Andhra Pradesh, where he founded the Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad. The move, slow and steady, proved to do wonders for Telugu cinema.

Discussions today over the second move have reached a fever pitch. On February 10, the State seemed star-struck. Television channels and social media were awash with photos and videos as the Chief Minister met Chiranjeevi, Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, S.S. Rajamouli and Koratala Siva, among others. Apart from listening to their concerns, Reddy offered them sops such as land for studios and residential townships in Visakhapatnam. He reminded them that the industry earns more revenue (60%) from Andhra Pradesh than Telangana. He promised to construct a locality similar to Jubilee Hills, the affluent suburban neighbourhood in Hyderabad where many actors live. The Chief Minister left no stone unturned in his pursuit of getting the show on the road.

Chiranjeevi told the press after the meeting that the industry too wants to develop equally in the two Telugu-speaking States. But whether the industry wants to shift lock, stock and barrel to Visakhapatnam is still unclear.

The journey of the Telugu film industry began in the Madras Presidency. In the early 1900s, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, known as the father of the Telugu film industry and a pioneer of Indian cinema, started a south Indian cinematograph company called Star of East Films. He also set up a film studio named Glass Studio, which had a roof made of glass to allow the sun to shine through in the days of no electricity. Naidu, a native of Machilipatnam in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, had moved to Madras at the age of 18 and had managed to make it big in the film industry. His audacious ideas soon turned into reality. He and his London-educated son, Raghupathi Surya Prakash Naidu, produced several films over the years, including Bhishma Pratigna (a silent film), Gajendra Moksham, Mathsyavatharam and Nandanaar.

But the going was tough. The company was expected to import technology and compete with European firms in the Indian market. A resolute Naidu swam against the tide. He made short films. He established Esplanade Ten House to exhibit his films, Gaiety Talkies on Mount Road, Crown Theatre on Mint Street, and Globe Theatre in Parasuwakka, all over a span of a few years. These theatres exhibited Indian, American and British films. But in the following years, Naidu faced severe financial issues due to intense competition from the East India Film Company.

Over the next decade, other Telugu-speaking filmmakers also pushed the envelope. The first Telugu talkie, Bhakta Prahlada, was made by H.M. Reddi on the sets of Alam Ara, in 1932. Many Telugu films were shot in Calcutta and Bombay. The previous year, Reddi made the first Indian multilingual (Telugu and Tamil) sound film, Kalidas. The commercially successful film, Lavakusa, was directed by C. Pullaiah, in 1934. Socially aware films such as Vande Mataram (1939), which presented the problems of uneven development, and Mala Pilla (1938), on the issue of untouchability and produced by Sri Sarathi Studios, ruled the roost till India achieved Independence in 1947.