Movie making is arguably amongst the most glamorous and profit-churning professions. The socio-cultural impact of films is such that state and national governments have been using it a soft power tool for decades. Like Hollywood in the West, Japanese anime and Korean cinema in the East, India too has its very influential film industries. In fact, the world’s biggest film studio is also in India.
Mumbai houses some of the popular film studios in the country. Film City in Goregaon, the Yash Raj Films Studio, K Kamalistan Studios, Mehboob Studios and many more witness stars move in and out of the premises everyday for shoots. However, the “mayanagri’ isn’t the place where world’s largest film studio is located. It’s in fact in Hyderabad.
Tollywood or the Telugu film industry primarily operates out of Hyderabad, which is home to Ramoji Film City. The 1,666-acre (674-hectare) facility, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest film studio complex, houses massive film studio complexes, dozens of production houses, warehouses, movie sets and post-production facilities. The industry churns out around 300 films every year — fewer than Bollywood but still enough to make it one of India’s largest regional industries.
From Pushpa, Ponniyin Selvan and Baahubali to Chennai Express, Ghajini and Robot, the most iconic movies from all parts of India have been shot at Ramoji Film City. It is also a popular tourist attraction in Hyderabad. Visitors can experience behind-the-scenes looks at filmmaking and enjoy diverse entertainment options for families and cine buffs.
As per the website of Ramoji Film City, annually, around 200 film units realise their cinematic visions here, with over 3,300 films shot in various Indian languages.
