Tollywood

Between 100 and 150 Tollywood films are released each year. There are generally at least two releases each week. Popular movies tend to open during the three festive seasons of the region: Sankranthi (Pongal), Summer and Dushera. In the 2004 the total business for the Pongal season was around 150 crores greater than that of the Bollywood industry. There are at least three TV channels which exclusively feature programming relating to Telugu movies.

Many famous Bollywood actresses often take time to do Telegu movies, mainly due to the large salaries, and the quick pace of production. Well known stars like Sonali Bendre are paid approximately 70 lakhs per movie and the newer talent like Katrina Kaif are offered around 40 lakhs.

The budget of Telugu movies is usually between 7-15 crores per film, and the pre-release revenue range for popular films is about 12-20 crores per film. The post release business of super hits is around 25-35 crores.

Well known stars of Tollywood have devoted fan followings. Many fans participate in social activities during movie releases. Celebrations 50 or 100 days after a films release, on Silver Jubilees and on the stars' birthdays are also common. In recent years, many fans have taken to running websites spotlighting their favorite celebrities. For example, Nagarjuna fans have setup the site http://www.nagfans.com.

The longtime Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, NT Rama Rao, was a famous alumnus of Tollywood.

See also: List of Telugu films

Tollywood can also refer to the Bengali film industry, based in Tollygunge.

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