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{{short description|India based Tamil language film industry}}
{{short description|India-based Tamil-language film industry}}
{{Redirect|Kollywood|Kathmandu cinema|Cinema of Nepal}}
{{Redirect|Kollywood|other uses|Kollywood (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox cinema market
{{Infobox cinema market
| name                = Tamil cinema
| name                = Tamil cinema
| image= File:Indiafilm.svg
| image= File:Indiafilm.svg
| image_size          =
| image_size           =
| alt                  =  
| alt                  =  
| caption              =
| caption              =
| screens             = 1671 ([[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Pondicherry]])<ref>{{cite web|title=STATEWISE NUMBER OF SINGLE SCREENS|url=http://www.filmfed.org/singlescreen.html|publisher=Film Federation of India|access-date=21 April 2014}}</ref>  
| screens             = 1671 ([[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Pondicherry]])<ref>{{cite web|title=STATEWISE NUMBER OF SINGLE SCREENS|url=http://www.filmfed.org/singlescreen.html|publisher=Film Federation of India|access-date=21 April 2014}}</ref>  
| screens_per_capita  =
| screens_per_capita  =
| distributors        = {{br separated entries|[[AVM Productions]]
| distributors        = {{br separated entries|[[AVM Productions]]
|[[Modern Theatres]]
|[[Modern Theatres]]
|[[National Pictures]]
|[[National Pictures]]
|[[Lyca Productions]]|[[Studio Green]]|[[Madras Talkies]]|[[2D Entertainment]]|[[Sun Pictures]]|[[Avni Cinemax]]|[[Sri Thenandal Films|Thenandal Studio Limited]]|[[S. Thanu|V Creations]]|[[Wunderbar Films]]|[[Red Giant Movies]]|[[Aascar Films]]|[[AGS Entertainment]]}}
|[[Super Good Films]]|[[Lyca Productions]]|[[Studio Green]]|[[Madras Talkies]]|[[2D Entertainment]]|[[Sun Pictures]]|[[Avni Cinemax]]|[[Sri Thenandal Films|Thenandal Studio Limited]]|[[S. Thanu|V Creations]]|[[Wunderbar Films]]|[[Red Giant Movies]]|[[Aascar Films]]|[[AGS Entertainment]]}}
| produced_year        = 2017
| produced_year        = 2019
| produced_ref        =   
| produced_ref        =   
| produced_total      = 304
| produced_total      = 254
| produced_fictional  =  
| produced_fictional  =  
| produced_animated    =  
| produced_animated    =  
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'''Tamil cinema,''' also known as '''Kollywood,''' is the Indian filmmaking industry of [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[Film|motion pictures]]. It is based in [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India,<ref>{{cite book|last=Hiro|first=Dilip |title=After Empire: The Birth of a Multipolar World|year=2010|isbn=978-1-56858-427-0|page=248|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zlivv_pQWnAC&pg=PA248 }}</ref> in the [[Kodambakkam]] neighbourhood, leading to the industry's nickname '''Kollywood''', the word being a [[portmanteau]] of ''Kodambakkam'' and ''[[Hollywood]]''.<ref>{{cite news|work=Business Standard |url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tamil-telugu-film-industries-outshine-bollywood/238821/ |title=Tamil, Telugu film industries outshine Bollywood |date=25 January 2006 |access-date=19 February 2012|last1=Bureau |first1=Our Regional }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bensimpfendorfer/2015/03/15/china-bollywood-india-future/#6d6c83032583 | title=China's Film Industry and Its Bollywood Future}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2013/01/03/tamil_films_give_bollywood_a_run_for_its_money.html |title = Tamil films give Bollywood a run for its money|date = 3 January 2013 |access-date=30 March 2020}}</ref> Tamil cinema is the second largest film industry in India after Hindi cinema in terms of market size and distribution network.<ref>{{Cite web|title=11 Things You Must Know About the Indian Film Industries Beyond Bollywood|url=https://in.bookmyshow.com/buzz/blog/Movies/11-things-about-indian-regional-film-industries-beyond-bollywood|access-date=2021-06-11|website=BookMyShow|language=en}}</ref>
'''Tamil cinema''', also known as '''Kollywood''', is an [[Cinema of India|Indian]] [[film industry]] of [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[Film|motion pictures]]. It is based in [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Hiro|first=Dilip |title=After Empire: The Birth of a Multipolar World|year=2010|isbn=978-1-56858-427-0|page=248|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zlivv_pQWnAC&pg=PA248 }}</ref> in the [[Kodambakkam]] neighbourhood, the word being a [[portmanteau]] of ''Kodambakkam'' and ''[[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]''.<ref>{{cite news|work=Business Standard |url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tamil-telugu-film-industries-outshine-bollywood/238821/ |title=Tamil, Telugu film industries outshine Bollywood |date=25 January 2006 |access-date=19 February 2012|last1=Bureau |first1=Our Regional }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bensimpfendorfer/2015/03/15/china-bollywood-india-future/#6d6c83032583 | title=China's Film Industry and Its Bollywood Future| website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2013/01/03/tamil_films_give_bollywood_a_run_for_its_money.html |title = Tamil films give Bollywood a run for its money|newspaper = The Toronto Star|date = 3 January 2013 |access-date=30 March 2020}}</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 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=7 September 2009 |access-date=29 June 2011 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> The first talking motion picture, ''[[Kalidas (film)|Kalidas]]'', was a multilingual film directed by [[H M Reddy]] 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=9780415396806|year=2008}}</ref> By the end of the 1930s, the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|legislature]] of the [[Madras State|State of Madras]] passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939.


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 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=7 September 2009 |access-date=29 June 2011 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref> The first talking motion picture, ''[[Kalidas (film)|Kalidas]]'', was a multilingual film directed by [[H M Reddy]] 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=9780415396806|year=2008}}</ref> By the end of the 1930s, the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|legislature]] of the [[Madras State|State of Madras]] passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939.
Tamil cinema later had a profound effect on other filmmaking industries of India, establishing [[Madras]] (now Chennai) as a secondary hub for [[Bollywood|Hindi cinema]], other South Indian film industries, as well as [[Cinema of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan cinema]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tnvat.gov.in/English/TN_ENTERTAINMENT%20TAX_ACT_1939.pdf |title=THE TAMIL NADU ENTERTAINMENTS TAX ACT, 1939 |publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu |access-date=26 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015202926/http://tnvat.gov.in/English/TN_ENTERTAINMENT%20TAX_ACT_1939.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2011 }}</ref> Over the last quarter of the 20th century, [[Tamil language|Tamil]] films from [[India]] established a global presence through distribution to an increasing number of overseas theatres in [[Singapore]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Malaysia]], [[Japan]], the [[Middle East]], parts of [[Africa]], [[Oceania]], [[Europe]], [[North America]] and other countries.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/tamil-film-business-in-overseas-market/article8483410.ece|title=A gold mine around the globe|last=Pillai|first=Sreedhar|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=9 March 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=290977 |title=Eros buys Tamil film distributor |work=[[Business Standard]] |access-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903230315/http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=290977 |archive-date=3 September 2011 }}
 
Tamil cinema later had a profound effect on other filmmaking industries of India, establishing [[Madras]] (now Chennai) as a secondary hub for [[Bollywood|Hindi cinema]], other South Indian film industries, as well as [[Cinema of Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan cinema]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tnvat.gov.in/English/TN_ENTERTAINMENT%20TAX_ACT_1939.pdf |title=THE TAMIL NADU ENTERTAINMENTS TAX ACT, 1939 |publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu |access-date=26 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015202926/http://tnvat.gov.in/English/TN_ENTERTAINMENT%20TAX_ACT_1939.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2011 }}</ref> Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Tamil films from India established a global presence through distribution to an increasing number of overseas theatres in [[Singapore]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Malaysia]], [[Japan]], the [[Middle East]], parts of [[Africa]], [[Oceania]], [[Europe]], [[North America]] and other countries.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/tamil-film-business-in-overseas-market/article8483410.ece|title=A gold mine around the globe|last=Pillai|first=Sreedhar|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=9 March 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=290977 |title=Eros buys Tamil film distributor |work=[[Business Standard]] |access-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903230315/http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=290977 |archive-date=3 September 2011 }}
* {{Cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-06-12/news/29649940_1_big-cinemas-anil-arjun-screens|title=With high demand for Indian movies, Big Cinemas goes global|access-date=26 September 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=12 June 2011}}</ref> The industry also inspired independent filmmaking in Sri Lanka and [[Tamil diaspora]] populations in Malaysia, Singapore, and the [[Western Hemisphere]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1604/16040780.htm|title=SYMPOSIUM: SRI LANKA'S CULTURAL EXPERIENCE|access-date=26 September 2011|publisher=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|location=Chennai, India}}
* {{Cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-06-12/news/29649940_1_big-cinemas-anil-arjun-screens|title=With high demand for Indian movies, Big Cinemas goes global|access-date=26 September 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=12 June 2011}}</ref> The industry also inspired independent filmmaking in Sri Lanka and [[Tamil diaspora]] populations in Malaysia, Singapore, and the [[Western Hemisphere]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1604/16040780.htm|title=SYMPOSIUM: SRI LANKA'S CULTURAL EXPERIENCE|access-date=26 September 2011|publisher=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|location=Chennai, India}}
* {{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article2339090.ece|title=Celebration of shared heritage at Canadian film festival|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=26 September 2011|location=Chennai, India|date=9 August 2011}}</ref>
* {{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article2339090.ece|title=Celebration of shared heritage at Canadian film festival|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=26 September 2011|location=Chennai, India|date=9 August 2011}}</ref>
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===Early exhibitors===
===Early exhibitors===
 
[[File:Samikannu Vincent.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Samikannu Vincent]]
In 1897, M. Edwards first screened a selection of silent short films at the [[Victoria Public Hall]] in [[Chennai|Madras]]. The films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for a few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first cinema theatre, the Electric Theatre, which still stands. 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. 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.<ref name="folklore">{{cite book|title=Folklore, public sphere, and civil society|page=116
M. Edwards first screened a selection of silent films at the [[Victoria Public Hall]] in [[Chennai|Madras]] in 1897 during the [[British Raj]]. The selected films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for a few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first [[Movie theater|cinema theatre]], the Electric Theatre, which still stands. 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. This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, [[Western culture|Western]] classical music concerts, and [[ballroom dance]]s. Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction.<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
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xsrgg1Mel8UC&q=Victoria+Public+Hall&pg=PA117|isbn=9788190148146
|last1=Muthukumaraswamy
|last1=Muthukumaraswamy
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|first2=Molly
|first2=Molly
|year=2004
|year=2004
}}</ref> [[Swamikannu Vincent]], a railway draftsman from Tiruchirapalli, became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in Esplanade, near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought the [[film projector]] and silent films from the Frenchman [[Éleuthère Irénée du Pont|Du Pont]] and set up a business as [[film exhibitor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/history/vincent.htm |title=Pioneers in Indian Cinema - Swamikannu Vincent |publisher=Indiaheritage.org |access-date=22 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509052024/http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/history/vincent.htm |archive-date=9 May 2013 }}</ref> Soon, he tied up with Path, a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported projectors. This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the presidency.<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|title=Tamil Cinema|url=http://o3.indiatimes.com/brahmanyan/archive/2007/09/21/4783241.aspx|access-date=29 June 2016|publisher=India Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630202911/http://o3.indiatimes.com/brahmanyan/archive/2007/09/21/4783241.aspx|archive-date=30 June 2015}}</ref>
}}</ref> [[Swamikannu Vincent]], a railway draftsman from [[Tiruchirappalli district|Tiruchirapalli]], became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in [[Esplanade]], near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought the [[film projector]] and [[silent film]]s from the Frenchman [[Éleuthère Irénée du Pont|Du Pont]] and set up a business as [[film exhibitor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/history/vincent.htm |title=Pioneers in Indian Cinema - Swamikannu Vincent |publisher=Indiaheritage.org |access-date=22 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509052024/http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/history/vincent.htm |archive-date=9 May 2013 }}</ref> Soon, he tied up with Path, a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported [[projector]]s. This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the [[Madras Presidency|presidency]].<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|title=Tamil Cinema|url=http://o3.indiatimes.com/brahmanyan/archive/2007/09/21/4783241.aspx|access-date=29 June 2016|publisher=India Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630202911/http://o3.indiatimes.com/brahmanyan/archive/2007/09/21/4783241.aspx|archive-date=30 June 2015}}</ref>


To celebrate the event of [[George V|King George V]]'s visit in 1909, a grand [[Art exhibition|exhibition]] was organised in [[Chennai|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]]. [[Raghupathi 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"/> With this equipment, he screened the short films ''Pearl Fish'' and ''Raja's Casket'' in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Venkiah travelled with this unit to Burma (now Myanmar) and Sri Lanka, and when he had gathered enough money, he put up a permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in Purasawalkam.
To celebrate the event of [[George V|King George V]]'s visit in 1909, a grand [[Art exhibition|exhibition]] was organised in [[Chennai|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]]. [[Raghupathi 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" /> With this equipment, he screened the short films ''Pearl Fish'' and ''Raja's Casket'' in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Venkiah travelled with this unit to Burma (now [[Myanmar]]) and [[Sri Lanka]], and when he had gathered enough money, he put up a permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in [[Purasawalkam]].


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 [[Chennai|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|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=26 September 2011|location=Chennai, India|date=30 April 2010}}</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 [[Chennai|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|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=26 September 2011|location=Chennai, India|date=30 April 2010}}</ref>


Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the United States and Britain. In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as "drama films", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now Mumbai) were also screened in Madras. The era of short films had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as a popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city.
Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the [[United States]] and [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as "[[Drama (film and television)|drama films]]", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now [[Mumbai]]) were also screened in Madras. The era of [[short film]]s had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as a popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city.


Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, R. Nataraja Mudaliyar, decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in Pune with the cinematographer Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916.
Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, [[R. Nataraja Mudaliar|R. Nataraja Mudaliyar]], decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in [[Pune]] with the [[cinematographer]] Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916.


The man who truly laid the foundations of south Indian cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with ''The Faithful Wife''/''Dharmapathini'' (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in Colombo, Rangoon and Singapore.
The man who truly laid the foundations of south Indian cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with ''The Faithful Wife''/''Dharmapathini'' (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in [[Colombo]], [[Yangon|Rangoon]] and [[Singapore]].


''The Ways of Vishnu''/''Vishnu Leela'', which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. Unfortunately, the silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to Bombay or Calcutta to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among the Madras audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night.
''The Ways of Vishnu''/''Vishnu Leela'', which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. Unfortunately, the silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to [[Mumbai|Bombay]] or [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among the [[Chennai|Madras]] audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night.


The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during the silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. ''Srinivasa Kalyanam'' (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram. Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935.
The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during the silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. ''Srinivasa Kalyanam'' (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram. Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935.


===Influences===
===Influences===
The main impacts of the early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the [[Cholas]]. They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, music and dance were one of the main entertainment sources.<ref name="IndiaGlitz">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/64835.html |title=Abhinay Deo – "All stories can be found in Mahabharata and Ramayana" – Bollywood Movie News |publisher=IndiaGlitz |access-date=12 May 2011}}</ref>
The main impacts of the early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the [[Cholas]]. They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, [[music]] and [[dance]] were one of the main entertainment sources.<ref name="IndiaGlitz">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/64835.html |title=Abhinay Deo – "All stories can be found in Mahabharata and Ramayana" – Bollywood Movie News |publisher=IndiaGlitz |access-date=12 May 2011}}</ref>


There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, [[fairy tale]]s and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal the constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theviewspaper.net/indian-films-vs-hollywood-2/ |title=Indian Films vs Hollywood |publisher=Theviewspaper.net|date=4 July 2008 |access-date=12 May 2011}}</ref> By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the ''Entertainment Tax Act 1939''.
There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, [[fairy tale]]s and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal the constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theviewspaper.net/indian-films-vs-hollywood-2/ |title=Indian Films vs Hollywood |publisher=Theviewspaper.net|date=4 July 2008 |access-date=12 May 2011}}</ref> By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the ''Entertainment Tax Act 1939''.
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===Exhibitor strike 2017===
===Exhibitor strike 2017===
In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of GST (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), ''Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association'' announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in the state from 3 July 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/gst-effect-tamil-nadu-theatres-to-shut-down-from-july-3/articleshow/59391557.cms|title=GST effect: Tamil Nadu theatres to shut down from July 3|last=IANS|date=30 June 2017|work=The Economic Times|access-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705132710/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/gst-effect-tamil-nadu-theatres-to-shut-down-from-july-3/articleshow/59391557.cms|archive-date=5 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/040717/tamil-nadu-theatre-owners-go-on-strike-after-gst-lose-rs-50-crore-a-day.html|title=Tamil Nadu theatre owners go on strike after GST, lose Rs 50 crore a day|date=4 July 2017|work=www.deccanchronicle.com/|access-date=7 July 2017|language=en}}</ref> The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/kollywood/060717/tamil-nadu-theatres-owners-and-distributors-call-off-strike.html|title=No local tax for now: Tamil Nadu theatres' owners call off strike|date=6 July 2017|work=www.deccanchronicle.com/|access-date=7 July 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/tamil-nadu-news/tamil-nadu-theatre-owners-call-off-strike-over-30-local-body-tax-1721432|title=Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Call Off Strike Over 30% Local Body Tax|work=NDTV.com|access-date=7 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/gst-rajinikanth-kamal-hassan-tamil-nadu-theatre-owners-call-off-strike-over-double-taxation-738721/|title=Tamil Nadu theatre owners call off strike over double taxation|date=6 July 2017|work=The Indian Express|access-date=7 July 2017|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/tamil-nadu-screens-to-open-tomorrow-with-no-new-movies/articleshow/59476924.cms|title=Tamil Nadu screens to open tomorrow with no new movies|last=Vaitheesvaran|first=Bharani|date=6 July 2017|work=The Economic Times|access-date=7 July 2017}}</ref> Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It's reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores.
In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of [[Goods and Services Tax (India)|GST]] (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), ''Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association'' announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in the state from 3 July 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/gst-effect-tamil-nadu-theatres-to-shut-down-from-july-3/articleshow/59391557.cms|title=GST effect: Tamil Nadu theatres to shut down from July 3|last=IANS|date=30 June 2017|work=The Economic Times|access-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705132710/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/gst-effect-tamil-nadu-theatres-to-shut-down-from-july-3/articleshow/59391557.cms|archive-date=5 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/040717/tamil-nadu-theatre-owners-go-on-strike-after-gst-lose-rs-50-crore-a-day.html|title=Tamil Nadu theatre owners go on strike after GST, lose Rs 50 crore a day|date=4 July 2017|work=www.deccanchronicle.com/|access-date=7 July 2017|language=en}}</ref> The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/tollywood/060717/tamil-nadu-theatres-owners-and-distributors-call-off-strike.html|title=No local tax for now: Tamil Nadu theatres' owners call off strike|date=6 July 2017|work=www.deccanchronicle.com/|access-date=7 July 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/tamil-nadu-news/tamil-nadu-theatre-owners-call-off-strike-over-30-local-body-tax-1721432|title=Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Call Off Strike Over 30% Local Body Tax|work=NDTV.com|access-date=7 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/gst-rajinikanth-kamal-hassan-tamil-nadu-theatre-owners-call-off-strike-over-double-taxation-738721/|title=Tamil Nadu theatre owners call off strike over double taxation|date=6 July 2017|work=The Indian Express|access-date=7 July 2017|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/tamil-nadu-screens-to-open-tomorrow-with-no-new-movies/articleshow/59476924.cms|title=Tamil Nadu screens to open tomorrow with no new movies|last=Vaitheesvaran|first=Bharani|date=6 July 2017|work=The Economic Times|access-date=7 July 2017}}</ref> Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It's reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores.


==Distribution==
==Distribution==
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Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 11&nbsp;million tickets with a standard deviation of ±1&nbsp;million tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with ''[[Chandralekha (1948 film)|Chandralekha]]''.<ref name="rivals">{{cite book|title=India|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_2|last=Singh|first=Sarina|chapter=Film Studios|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_2/page/964 964]|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|quote=Chennai's film industry now rivals that of Bollywood (Mumbai) for output|isbn=978-1-74059-421-9|chapter-url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_2/page/964}}</ref> They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the [[Tamil diaspora]]. They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2007/07/15/stories/2007071551360500.htm|title=Film industry isn't high risk one: Kamal Haasan|publisher=[[Business Line]]|access-date=27 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521203624/http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2007/07/15/stories/2007071551360500.htm|archive-date=21 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 11&nbsp;million tickets with a standard deviation of ±1&nbsp;million tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with ''[[Chandralekha (1948 film)|Chandralekha]]''.<ref name="rivals">{{cite book|title=India|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_2|last=Singh|first=Sarina|chapter=Film Studios|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_2/page/964 964]|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|quote=Chennai's film industry now rivals that of Bollywood (Mumbai) for output|isbn=978-1-74059-421-9|chapter-url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetindi00sari_2/page/964}}</ref> They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the [[Tamil diaspora]]. They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2007/07/15/stories/2007071551360500.htm|title=Film industry isn't high risk one: Kamal Haasan|publisher=[[Business Line]]|access-date=27 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521203624/http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/bline/2007/07/15/stories/2007071551360500.htm|archive-date=21 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It is estimated by the ''Manorama Yearbook 2000'' (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). [[Chennai film music|Chennai's film composers]] have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across the world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature [[Madras Tamil]], a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in [[Chennai]].
Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It is estimated by the ''Manorama Yearbook 2000'' (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of [[English language|English]] in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). [[Chennai film music|Chennai's film composers]] have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across the world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature [[Madras Tamil]], a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in [[Chennai]].


===Tamil film distribution territories===
===Tamil film distribution territories===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Territory || Maximum Business (%) || Division
! Territory || Maximum Business (%){{Clarify|date=October 2021}} || Division
|-
|-
| NSC || 100 || 6 Northern districts – [[Cuddalore district|Cuddalore]], [[Kanchipuram district|Kanchipuram]], [[Tiruvallur district|Tiruvallur]], [[Tiruvannamalai district|Tiruvannamalai]], [[Vellore district|Vellore]] and [[Viluppuram district|Viluppuram]]
| NSC || 100 || 6 Northern districts – [[Cuddalore district|Cuddalore]], [[Kanchipuram district|Kanchipuram]], [[Tiruvallur district|Tiruvallur]], [[Tiruvannamalai district|Tiruvannamalai]], [[Vellore district|Vellore]] and [[Viluppuram district|Viluppuram]]
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=== The rest of India ===
=== The rest of India ===
''[[Keechaka Vadham]]'' (1918) was the first [[silent film]] made in [[South India]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Remembering a pioneer|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/09/stories/2002050900170300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030701044553/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/09/stories/2002050900170300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2003|access-date=29 June 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=9 May 2002|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> ''[[Kalidas (film)|Kalidas]]'' (1931) was the first [[Tamil Language|Tamil]] [[sound film|talkie film]] made in 1931.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian popular cinema: a narrative of cultural change|last=Gokulsing |first=K.|author2=Wimal Dissanayake  |year=2004|publisher=Trentham Books|isbn=1-85856-329-1|page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_plssuFIar8C&q=Ayodhyecha+Raja+1932&pg=PA24 }}</ref> ''[[Kalava (film)|Kalava]]'' was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil.<ref name=pammal>{{cite news|title=He drew inspiration from Shakespeare|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/04/18/stories/2008041851180600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421205243/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/04/18/stories/2008041851180600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 April 2008|access-date=30 June 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=18 April 2008|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> ''[[Nandanar]]'' (1935) was the first film for American film director [[Ellis R. Dungan]].<ref name="dungan">{{Cite web |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/02/01/stories/2002020100850300.htm |title=He transcended barriers with aplomb |work=The Hindu |date= 1 February 2002 |access-date=1 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130001747/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/02/01/stories/2002020100850300.htm |archive-date=30 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[Balayogini]]'' released in 1937 was considered to be first children's film of South India.<ref name="Balayogini">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/balayogini-1937/article3021357.ece|title=Balayogini 1937|date=10 April 2009|access-date=27 December 2019|via=www.thehindu.com|newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref> It is estimated by the ''Manorama Yearbook 2000'' (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films.
''[[Keechaka Vadham]]'' (1918) was the first [[silent film]] made in [[South India]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Remembering a pioneer|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/09/stories/2002050900170300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030701044553/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/09/stories/2002050900170300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 July 2003|access-date=29 June 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=9 May 2002|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> ''[[Kalidas (film)|Kalidas]]'' (1931) was the first [[Tamil Language|Tamil]] [[sound film|talkie film]] made in 1931.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian popular cinema: a narrative of cultural change|last=Gokulsing |first=K.|author2=Wimal Dissanayake  |year=2004|publisher=Trentham Books|isbn=1-85856-329-1|page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_plssuFIar8C&q=Ayodhyecha+Raja+1932&pg=PA24 }}</ref> ''[[Kalava (film)|Kalava]]'' was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil.<ref name=pammal>{{cite news|title=He drew inspiration from Shakespeare|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/04/18/stories/2008041851180600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421205243/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/04/18/stories/2008041851180600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 April 2008|access-date=30 June 2011|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=18 April 2008|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> ''[[Nandanar]]'' (1935) was the first film for American film director [[Ellis R. Dungan]].<ref name="dungan">{{cite web |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/02/01/stories/2002020100850300.htm |title=He transcended barriers with aplomb |work=The Hindu |date= 1 February 2002 |access-date=1 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130001747/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/02/01/stories/2002020100850300.htm |archive-date=30 November 2009 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> ''[[Balayogini]]'' released in 1937 was considered to be first children's film of South India.<ref name="Balayogini">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/balayogini-1937/article3021357.ece|title=Balayogini 1937|date=10 April 2009|access-date=27 December 2019|via=www.thehindu.com|newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref> It is estimated by the ''Manorama Yearbook 2000'' (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films.


In 1991, ''[[Marupakkam]]'' directed by [[K.S. Sethu Madhavan]], became the first Tamil film to win the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]], the feat was repeated by ''[[Kanchivaram]]'' in 2007.<ref name="Baskaran2013">{{cite book|last=Baskaran|first=Sundararaj Theodore |title=The Eye Of The Serpent: An Introduction To Tamil Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3jBcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT164|year=2013|publisher=Westland|isbn=978-93-83260-74-4|pages=164–}}</ref> Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like [[Kerala]], [[Karnataka]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]], Gujarat and New Delhi. In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have a decent market.<ref name=sify1>{{cite web|title=Tamil films dominate Andhra market|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil-films-dominate-andhra-market-news-tamil-lhnlKUabgib.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716065723/http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil-films-dominate-andhra-market-news-tamil-lhnlKUabgib.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 July 2011|publisher=[[Sify]]|access-date=27 April 2013|author=Movie Buzz|date=14 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/12/29/stories/2006122901630100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103213349/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/12/29/stories/2006122901630100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 January 2007 | location=Chennai, India | newspaper=[[The Hindu]] | title=A few hits and many flops | date=29 December 2006}}</ref>
In 1991, ''[[Marupakkam]]'' directed by [[K.S. Sethu Madhavan]], became the first Tamil film to win the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]], the feat was repeated by ''[[Kanchivaram]]'' in 2007.<ref name="Baskaran2013">{{cite book|last=Baskaran|first=Sundararaj Theodore |title=The Eye Of The Serpent: An Introduction To Tamil Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3jBcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT164|year=2013|publisher=Westland|isbn=978-93-83260-74-4|pages=164–}}</ref> Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like [[Kerala]], [[Karnataka]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Gujarat]] and [[New Delhi]]. In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have a decent market.<ref name=sify1>{{cite web|title=Tamil films dominate Andhra market|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil-films-dominate-andhra-market-news-tamil-lhnlKUabgib.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716065723/http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil-films-dominate-andhra-market-news-tamil-lhnlKUabgib.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 July 2011|publisher=[[Sify]]|access-date=27 April 2013|author=Movie Buzz|date=14 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/12/29/stories/2006122901630100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103213349/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/12/29/stories/2006122901630100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 January 2007 | location=Chennai, India | newspaper=[[The Hindu]] | title=A few hits and many flops | date=29 December 2006}}</ref>


===International ===
===International ===
Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in [[South East Asia]]. Since ''[[Chandralekha (1948 film)|Chandralekha]]'', ''[[Muthu (film)|Muthu]]'' was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as ''Mutu: Odoru Maharaja''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.minpaku.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10502/1140/1/SES71_011.pdf |title=Mutu: Odoru Maharaja |access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722073202/http://ir.minpaku.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10502/1140/1/SES71_011.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2011 }}</ref>) and grossed a record $1.6&nbsp;million in 1998.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/01/06/stories/2002010601320900.htm | title= Rajnikanth casts spell on Japanese viewers | author= Gautaman Bhaskaran | work= [[The Hindu]] | date= 6 January 2002 | access-date= 10 May 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070520060231/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/01/06/stories/2002010601320900.htm | archive-date= 20 May 2007 | url-status= dead | df= dmy-all }}</ref> In 2010, ''[[Enthiran]]'' grossed a record $4&nbsp;million in North America.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-11|title=Agni Natchathiram & Kaakha Kaakha {{!}} 12 Unknown facts in Kollywood history!|url=https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/slideshow/15-unknown-facts-in-kollywood-history/angi-natachathiram-kaakha-kaakha.html|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Behindwoods}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Interesting Facts About Tamil Cinema to Witness its Greatness|url=https://tollywoodace.com/interesting-facts-about-tamil-cinema-to-witness-its-greatness/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-28|website=Tollywood Ace|language=en-US}}</ref>
Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in [[South East Asia]]. Since ''[[Chandralekha (1948 film)|Chandralekha]]'', ''[[Muthu (film)|Muthu]]'' was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as ''Mutu: Odoru Maharaja''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ir.minpaku.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10502/1140/1/SES71_011.pdf |title=Mutu: Odoru Maharaja |access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722073202/http://ir.minpaku.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/10502/1140/1/SES71_011.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2011 }}</ref>) and grossed a record $1.6&nbsp;million in 1998.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/01/06/stories/2002010601320900.htm | title= Rajnikanth casts spell on Japanese viewers | author= Gautaman Bhaskaran | work= [[The Hindu]] | date= 6 January 2002 | access-date= 10 May 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070520060231/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/01/06/stories/2002010601320900.htm | archive-date= 20 May 2007 | url-status= usurped | df= dmy-all }}</ref> In 2010, ''[[Enthiran]]'' grossed a record $4&nbsp;million in North America.<ref>{{cite web|date=11 March 2018|title=Agni Natchathiram & Kaakha Kaakha {{!}} 12 Unknown facts in Tollywood history!|url=https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/slideshow/15-unknown-facts-in-Tollywood-history/angi-natachathiram-kaakha-kaakha.html|access-date=13 July 2021|website=Behindwoods}}</ref>


Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across the globe, such as [[Mani Ratnam]]'s ''[[Kannathil Muthamittal]]'', [[Vasanthabalan]]'s ''[[Veyil|Veyyil]]'' and [[Ameer Sultan]]'s'' [[Paruthiveeran]]''. ''[[Kanchivaram]]'' (2009) was selected to be premiered at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]]. Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the [[List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Academy Award for Best Foreign Language]] on eight occasions, next only to Hindi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.ndtv.com/GalleryDetails.aspx?ID=3290&category=Movies&picno=1&Section=Bollywood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922140550/http://movies.ndtv.com/GalleryDetails.aspx?ID=3290&category=Movies&picno=1&Section=Bollywood |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 September 2012 |title=India's Oscar failures (25 Images) |publisher=Movies.ndtv.com |access-date=12 May 2011}}</ref> Mani Ratnam's ''[[Nayakan]]'' (1987) was included in [[Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies]] list.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050525030815/http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,nayakan,00.html Nayakan], [[Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies|All-Time 100 Best Films]], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 2005</ref>
Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across the globe, such as [[Mani Ratnam]]'s ''[[Kannathil Muthamittal]]'', [[Vasanthabalan]]'s ''[[Veyil|Veyyil]]'' and [[Ameer Sultan]]'s'' [[Paruthiveeran]]''. ''[[Kanchivaram]]'' (2009) was selected to be premiered at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]]. Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the [[List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Academy Award for Best Foreign Language]] on eight occasions, next only to Hindi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.ndtv.com/GalleryDetails.aspx?ID=3290&category=Movies&picno=1&Section=Bollywood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922140550/http://movies.ndtv.com/GalleryDetails.aspx?ID=3290&category=Movies&picno=1&Section=Bollywood |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 September 2012 |title=India's Oscar failures (25 Images) |publisher=Movies.ndtv.com |access-date=12 May 2011}}</ref> Mani Ratnam's ''[[Nayakan]]'' (1987) was included in [[Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies]] list.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050525030815/http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,nayakan,00.html Nayakan], [[Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies|All-Time 100 Best Films]], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 2005</ref>


==Economics==
==Economics==
Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2007/12/28/stories/2007122850050100.htm |title=Superstars dominate |publisher=Hinduonnet.com |date=28 December 2007 |access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809044201/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2007/12/28/stories/2007122850050100.htm |archive-date=9 August 2010 }}</ref> For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tnsalestax.com/briefent.htm |publisher=www.tnsalestax.com |title=tnsalestax|access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717064417/http://www.tnsalestax.com/briefent.htm |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}</ref>
Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2007/12/28/stories/2007122850050100.htm |title=Superstars dominate |publisher=Hinduonnet.com |date=28 December 2007 |access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809044201/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2007/12/28/stories/2007122850050100.htm |archive-date=9 August 2010 }}</ref> For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tnsalestax.com/briefent.htm |publisher=www.tnsalestax.com |title=tnsalestax|access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717064417/http://www.tnsalestax.com/briefent.htm |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}</ref>


The [[Government of Tamil Nadu]] made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from the [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language only.<ref name="tax exemption"/> This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was ''[[Unakkum Enakkum]]''. The original title had been ''Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum'', a half-English and a half-Tamil title.<ref name="tax exemption">{{cite web|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-articles/movies-08/va-quarter-cutting-10-11-10.html |title=Va: Cutting of the Quarter! Why? - Tamil Movie Articles - Va-Quarter Cutting &#124; Kallarai Manithan |publisher=Behindwoods.com |access-date=22 February 2013}}</ref> In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by the [[Central Board of Film Certification]] alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/69083.html |title=Strict norms on entertainment tax - Tamil Movie News |publisher=Indiaglitz.com |date=27 July 2011 |access-date=22 February 2013}}</ref>
The [[Government of Tamil Nadu]] made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from the [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language only.<ref name="tax exemption"/> This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was ''[[Unakkum Enakkum]]''. The original title had been ''Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum'', a half-English and a half-Tamil title.<ref name="tax exemption">{{cite web|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-articles/movies-08/va-quarter-cutting-10-11-10.html |title=Va: Cutting of the Quarter! Why? - Tamil Movie Articles - Va-Quarter Cutting &#124; Kallarai Manithan |publisher=Behindwoods.com |access-date=22 February 2013}}</ref> In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by the [[Central Board of Film Certification]] alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/69083.html |title=Strict norms on entertainment tax - Tamil Movie News |publisher=Indiaglitz.com |date=27 July 2011 |access-date=22 February 2013}}</ref>


There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain ''viz'' producer, distributor and exhibitor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sebi.gov.in/dp/pyra.pdf |title=Microsoft Word - Draft RHP PSTL 31.07.06.doc |access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721170237/http://www.sebi.gov.in/dp/pyra.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref> The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as:
There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain ''viz'' producer, distributor and exhibitor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sebi.gov.in/dp/pyra.pdf |title=Microsoft Word - Draft RHP PSTL 31.07.06.doc |access-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721170237/http://www.sebi.gov.in/dp/pyra.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref> The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as:
# part-financing of film (in case of minimum guarantee / advance based purchase of film rights)
# part-financing of film (in case of minimum guarantee / advance based purchase of film rights)
# localised marketing of film
# localised marketing of film
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# Minimum Guarantee + Royalty – Here, the producer sells the distribution rights for a defined territory for a minimum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Any surplus is shared between the producer and distributor, in a pre-set ratio (typically 1:2) after deducting tax, show rentals, commission, print costs and publicity costs. Effectively, the distributor becomes a ''financier'' in the eyes of the market. This is the most common channel available to high budget producers.
# Minimum Guarantee + Royalty – Here, the producer sells the distribution rights for a defined territory for a minimum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Any surplus is shared between the producer and distributor, in a pre-set ratio (typically 1:2) after deducting tax, show rentals, commission, print costs and publicity costs. Effectively, the distributor becomes a ''financier'' in the eyes of the market. This is the most common channel available to high budget producers.
# Commission – Here, the distributor pays the producer the entire box office collection after deducting commission. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the producer. This is the most common channel available to low budget producers. By the first decade of 21st century, about 90 per cent of the films were released on commission basis.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/how-film-distribution-has-changed-with-times-in-kollywood/article8289535.ece|title=Out with the old|first=Sreedhar|last=Pillai|date=27 February 2016|access-date=27 December 2019|via=www.thehindu.com|newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref>
# Commission – Here, the distributor pays the producer the entire box office collection after deducting commission. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the producer. This is the most common channel available to low budget producers. By the first decade of 21st century, about 90 per cent of the films were released on commission basis.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/how-film-distribution-has-changed-with-times-in-Tollywood/article8289535.ece|title=Out with the old|first=Sreedhar|last=Pillai|date=27 February 2016|access-date=27 December 2019|via=www.thehindu.com|newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref>
# Outright Sale – Here, the producer sells all distribution and theatrical exhibition rights for a defined territory exclusively to a distributor. Effectively, the distributor becomes a ''producer'' in the eyes of the market. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the distributor.
# Outright Sale – Here, the producer sells all distribution and theatrical exhibition rights for a defined territory exclusively to a distributor. Effectively, the distributor becomes a ''producer'' in the eyes of the market. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the distributor.


There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts:
There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts:
# Theatre Hire – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor the entire box office collection after deducting tax and show rentals. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the distributor. This is the most common channel for low-budget films, casting rank newcomers, with unproven track record. In Chennai, a moderate theatre with AC and DTS can fetch around {{INR}}1 lakh as weekly rent<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-column/screening-a-movie---an-eye-opener.html|title=Screening a movie - an eye-opener!, Unnaipol Oruvan, kamal haasan|website=www.behindwoods.com|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref>
# Theatre Hire – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor the entire box office collection after deducting tax and show rentals. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the distributor. This is the most common channel for low-budget films, casting rank newcomers, with unproven track record. In Chennai, a moderate theatre with AC and DTS can fetch around {{INR}}1 lakh as weekly rent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies-cinema-column/screening-a-movie---an-eye-opener.html|title=Screening a movie - an eye-opener!, Unnaipol Oruvan, kamal haasan|website=www.behindwoods.com|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref>
# Fixed Hire – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor a maximum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Rental is not chargeable per show. Any surplus after deducting tax is retained by the exhibitor. Effectively, the exhibitor becomes a ''distributor'' in the eyes of the market. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the exhibitor.
# Fixed Hire – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor a maximum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Rental is not chargeable per show. Any surplus after deducting tax is retained by the exhibitor. Effectively, the exhibitor becomes a ''distributor'' in the eyes of the market. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the exhibitor.
# Minimum Guarantee + Royalty – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor a minimum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Rental is not chargeable per show. Any surplus after deducting tax and show rental is shared in a pre-set ratio (1:2) between the distributor and exhibitor typically.
# Minimum Guarantee + Royalty – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor a minimum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Rental is not chargeable per show. Any surplus after deducting tax and show rental is shared in a pre-set ratio (1:2) between the distributor and exhibitor typically.
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=== Highest-grossing Tamil films by year ===
=== Highest-grossing Tamil films by year ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto; margin:auto;"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style=" margin:auto;"
|-
!Year
!Year
!Title
!Title
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!Studio
!Studio
!ref(s)
!ref(s)
|-
|2022
|Beast
|Nelson DillipKumar
|Sun pictures
|-
|2021
|[[Master (2021 film)|''Master'']]
|[[Lokesh Kanagaraj]]
|[[XB Creators]]
|<ref>{{cite web|date=25 February 2021|title='Thalapathy 65' will be a pan-Indian project: Cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/thalapathy-65-will-be-pan-indian-project-cinematographer-manoj-paramahamsa-144151|access-date=19 January 2022|website=The News Minute|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2020
|2020
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|-
|-
|2019
|2019
|''[[Saaho]]''
|''[[Bigil]]''
|[[Sujeeth]]
|[[Atlee (director)|Atlee]]
|[[UV Creations]]
|[[AGS Entertainment]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Top Grossers All Formats Worldwide Gross|url=https://www.boxofficeindia.com/all_format_worldwide_gross.php|access-date=2021-04-11|website=www.boxofficeindia.com}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Top Grossers All Formats Worldwide Gross|url=https://www.boxofficeindia.com/all_format_worldwide_gross.php|access-date=11 April 2021|website=www.boxofficeindia.com}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2018
|2018
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|[[V. Creations|V.Creations]]
|[[V. Creations|V.Creations]]
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/rajinikanths-kabali-smashes-all-box-office-records-earns-rs-250-crore-in-india/articleshow/53354457.cms|title=Rajinikanth's 'Kabali' smashes all box office records, earns Rs 250 crore in India on first day - The Economic Times|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=23 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmibeat.com/top-listing/top-10-highest-grossing-tamil-movies2016-theri-5-105-10.html|title=Top 10 Highest Grossing Tamil Movies 2016|date=30 January 2017|website=[[Filmibeat]]|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/rajinikanths-kabali-smashes-all-box-office-records-earns-rs-250-crore-in-india/articleshow/53354457.cms|title=Rajinikanth's 'Kabali' smashes all box office records, earns Rs 250 crore in India on first day - The Economic Times|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=23 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmibeat.com/top-listing/top-10-highest-grossing-tamil-movies2016-theri-5-105-10.html|title=Top 10 Highest Grossing Tamil Movies 2016|date=30 January 2017|website=[[Filmibeat]]|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>
|-
|-
|-
|2015
|2015
|''[[Baahubali: The Beginning]]''
|''[[Baahubali: The Beginning]]''
|[[S.S. Rajamouli]]
|[[S.S. Rajamouli]]
|Arka Media Works
|[[Arka Media Works]]
|<ref name="baahubali">{{cite news|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/bahubali-2-baahubali-2-3-days-worldwide-box-office-collection-ss-rajamoulis-film-crosses-rs-500-crore-1-weekend-724964|title=Baahubali 2 3-day worldwide box-office collection: SS Rajamouli's film crosses Rs 500 cr mark in 1st weekend|last1=Hooli|first1=Shekhar|date=1 May 2017|work=[[International Business Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/highest-grossing-tamil-movies-2015-top-10-films-that-kept-cash-registers-ringing-box-office-659394|title=Kollywood 2015: Top 10 Highest Grossing Tamil Movies in the Year|date=16 December 2015|work=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>
|<ref name="baahubali">{{cite news|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/bahubali-2-baahubali-2-3-days-worldwide-box-office-collection-ss-rajamoulis-film-crosses-rs-500-crore-1-weekend-724964|title=Baahubali 2 3-day worldwide box-office collection: SS Rajamouli's film crosses Rs 500 cr mark in 1st weekend|last1=Hooli|first1=Shekhar|date=1 May 2017|work=[[International Business Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/highest-grossing-tamil-movies-2015-top-10-films-that-kept-cash-registers-ringing-box-office-659394|title=Tollywood 2015: Top 10 Highest Grossing Tamil Movies in the Year|date=16 December 2015|work=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2014
|2014
|''[[Lingaa]]''
|''[[Lingaa]]''
|[[K.S. Ravikumar]]
|[[K.S. Ravikumar]]
|[[Eros International]]
|[[Lyca Productions]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/photos/all-time-highest-grossing-tamil-films-2881-slide-21709#irb3dx06fyQfqTfD.97|title=All Time Highest Grossing Tamil films - Photos|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/photos/all-time-highest-grossing-tamil-films-2881-slide-21709#irb3dx06fyQfqTfD.97|title=All Time Highest Grossing Tamil films - Photos|website=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2013
|2013
Line 215: Line 224:
|[[Kamal Haasan]]
|[[Kamal Haasan]]
|[[Raaj Kamal Films International]]
|[[Raaj Kamal Films International]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/vishwaroopam-box-office-collection-kamal-haasan-starrer-earns-220-crores-445593#ljIikk9rT5A2xrXW.97|title='Vishwaroopam' Box Office Collection: Kamal Haasan Starrer Earns ₹220 Crores|last=Mehta|first=Ankita|access-date=2 December 2016|date=13 March 2013}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/vishwaroopam-box-office-collection-kamal-haasan-starrer-earns-220-crores-445593#ljIikk9rT5A2xrXW.97|title='Vishwaroopam' Box Office Collection: Kamal Haasan Starrer Earns ₹220 Crores|last=Mehta|first=Ankita|website=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=2 December 2016|date=13 March 2013}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2012
|2012
|''[[Thuppaki]]''
|''[[Thuppaki]]''
|[[A.R. Murugadoss]]
|[[A.R. Murugadoss]]
|V. Creations
|[[V. Creations]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/mersal-box-office-collection-vijay-crowned-king-rs-100-crore-club-consistent-performer-749164|title=Mersal box office collection: Vijay crowned the king of Rs 100 crore club; consistent performer than Rajinikanth, Ajith|last1=Upadhyaya|first1=Prakash|website=International Business Times|location=India|access-date=6 June 2018|date=13 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Vijays-Thuppakki-makes-180-crore/articleshow/18691254.cms|title=Vijay's Thuppakki makes 180 crore! - Times of India|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/mersal-box-office-collection-vijay-crowned-king-rs-100-crore-club-consistent-performer-749164|title=Mersal box office collection: Vijay crowned the king of Rs 100 crore club; consistent performer than Rajinikanth, Ajith|last1=Upadhyaya|first1=Prakash|website=International Business Times|location=India|access-date=6 June 2018|date=13 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Vijays-Thuppakki-makes-180-crore/articleshow/18691254.cms|title=Vijay's Thuppakki makes 180 crore! - Times of India|website=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2011
|2011
|''[[Mankatha]]''
|''[[Mankatha]]''
|[[Venkat Prabhu]]
|[[Venkat Prabhu]]
|[[Cloud Nine Movies]]
|[[Cloud Nine Movies|Red Giant Movies]]
|<ref name="kollyinsider.com">[http://www.kollyinsider.com/2011/12/mankatha-total-box-office-collection.html Mankatha total Box-Office Collection – 130 Crores | Tamil Cinema News › Kollywood Movie News] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083110/http://www.kollyinsider.com/2011/12/mankatha-total-box-office-collection.html|date=4 March 2016}}. Kollyinsider.com (23 December 2011). Retrieved 22 November 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/dec-11-04/mankatha-ajith-23-12-11.html|title=Mankatha's Total Collections - Mankatha - Ajith - Arjun - Venkat Prabhu - Trisha - Lakshmi Rai - - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com|website=www.behindwoods.com|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref>
|<ref name="kollyinsider.com">[http://www.kollyinsider.com/2011/12/mankatha-total-box-office-collection.html Mankatha total Box-Office Collection – 130 Crores | Tamil Cinema News › Tollywood Movie News] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083110/http://www.kollyinsider.com/2011/12/mankatha-total-box-office-collection.html|date=4 March 2016}}. Kollyinsider.com (23 December 2011). Retrieved 22 November 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/dec-11-04/mankatha-ajith-23-12-11.html|title=Mankatha's Total Collections - Mankatha - Ajith - Arjun - Venkat Prabhu - Trisha - Lakshmi Rai - - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com|website=www.behindwoods.com|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref>
|-
|-
|-
|2010
|2010
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|[[S. Shankar]]
|[[S. Shankar]]
|[[Sun Pictures]]
|[[Sun Pictures]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/baahubali-beats-endhirans-lifetime-box-office-record-639747|title=2nd Saturday Box Office Collection: Baahubali Beats Endhiran's Lifetime Record in 9 Days|last=Hooli|first=Shekhar H|access-date=2 December 2016|date=19 July 2015}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/baahubali-beats-endhirans-lifetime-box-office-record-639747|title=2nd Saturday Box Office Collection: Baahubali Beats Endhiran's Lifetime Record in 9 Days|last=Hooli|first=Shekhar H|website=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=2 December 2016|date=19 July 2015}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2009
|2009
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|''[[Dasavathaaram]]''
|''[[Dasavathaaram]]''
|[[K.S. Ravikumar]]
|[[K.S. Ravikumar]]
|Aascar Film Pvt. Ltd
|[[Aascar Film Pvt. Ltd]]
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/business-of-bollywood/a-rendezevous-with-kamal-haasan/articleshow/4357064.cms?from=mdr|title=A rendezevous with Kamal Haasan - The Economic Times|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=4 April 2009}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/business-of-bollywood/a-rendezevous-with-kamal-haasan/articleshow/4357064.cms?from=mdr|title=A rendezevous with Kamal Haasan - The Economic Times|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=4 April 2009}}</ref>
|-
|-
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|''[[Sivaji (film)|Sivaji]]''
|''[[Sivaji (film)|Sivaji]]''
|[[S. Shankar]]
|[[S. Shankar]]
|AVM Productions
|[[AVM Productions]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/photos/all-time-highest-grossing-tamil-films-2881-slide-21710#kJJfaB8I3z4OhJc5.97|title=All Time Highest Grossing Tamil films - Photos|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/photos/all-time-highest-grossing-tamil-films-2881-slide-21710#kJJfaB8I3z4OhJc5.97|title=All Time Highest Grossing Tamil films - Photos|website=[[International Business Times]]|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2006
|2006
|''[[Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006 film)|Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu]]''
|''[[Varalaru]]''
|[[Gautham Vasudev Menon]]
|[[K.S. Ravikumar]]
|[[Manickam Narayanan]]
|[[NIC Arts]]
|<ref>{{cite news |title=Kamal, Gautham to begin work on Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu sequel? |url=https://www.dtnext.in/News/Cinema/2020/03/11014546/1219390/Kamal-Gautham-to-begin-work-on-Vettaiyaadu-Vilaiyaadu-.vpf |access-date=20 January 2021 |work=[[DT Next]] |date=11 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2005
|2005
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|-
|-
|2004
|2004
|''[[Ghilli]]''
|''[[Vasool Raja MBBS]]''
|[[Dharani]]
|[[Saran]]
|Sri Surya Movies
|[[Gemini Film Circuit]]
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2004/12/31/stories/2004123101620100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005160635/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2004/12/31/stories/2004123101620100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 October 2009|title=Year 2004 — a flashback|date=31 December 2004|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=15 February 2017}}</ref>
|<ref>Krishna Gopalan (29 July 2007). "The boss, no doubt". Business Today. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.</ref>
|-
|-
|2003
|2003
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|-
|-
|2002
|2002
|''[[Gemini (2002 film)|Gemini]]''
|''[[Villain (2002 film)]]''
|[[Saran (director)|Saran]]
|[[K.S. Ravikumar (director)|K.S. Ravikumar]]
|[[AVM Productions]]
|[[NIC Arts]]
|<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sudhish Kamath |date=11 October 2003 |title=Kollywood crackers |url=http://hindu.com/thehindu/lf/2003/10/11/stories/2003101109200200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607065152/http://hindu.com/thehindu/lf/2003/10/11/stories/2003101109200200.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-date=7 June 2014}}</ref>
|-
|-
|2001
|2001
|''[[Dheena]]''
|''[[Dheena]]''
|[[AR Murugadoss]]
|[[AR Murugadoss]]
|P.Karthikeyan
|[[Vijayam Cine Combines]]
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/raceing-to-be-a-superstar/article28244405.ece|title=RACE(ing) to be a Superstar|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|date=9 May 2003}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/raceing-to-be-a-superstar/article28244405.ece|title=RACE(ing) to be a Superstar|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|date=9 May 2003}}</ref>
|-
|-
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|''[[Vaanathaippola]]''
|''[[Vaanathaippola]]''
|[[Vikraman]]
|[[Vikraman]]
|Aascar Film Pvt. Ltd
|[[Aascar Film Pvt. Ltd]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2001/01/19/stories/09190224.html|title=Hits and misses of the year that was|last=Kumar|first=S. R. Ashok|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=15 February 2017}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2001/01/19/stories/09190224.html|title=Hits and misses of the year that was|last=Kumar|first=S. R. Ashok|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=15 February 2017}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
|-
|-
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|''[[Padayappa]]''
|''[[Padayappa]]''
|[[K.S. Ravikumar]]
|[[K.S. Ravikumar]]
|Arunachala Cine Creations
|[[Arunachala Cine Creations]]
|<ref name="BUSINESS TODAY">{{cite web|url=http://archives.digitaltoday.in/businesstoday/20020915/features2.html|title=BUSINESS TODAY|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|<ref name="BUSINESS TODAY">{{cite web|url=http://archives.digitaltoday.in/businesstoday/20020915/features2.html|title=BUSINESS TODAY|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
|1998
|''[[Jeans (1998 film)|Jeans]]''
|[[S.Shankar]]
|[[Amritraj Solomon Communications]]
|-
|-
|1997
|1997
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|-
|-
|1996
|1996
|''[[Indian (1996 film)|Indian]]
|''[[Indian (1996 film)|Indian]]''
|[[S.Shankar]]
|[[S.Shankar]]
|Sri Surya Movies
|[[Sri Surya Movies]]
|
|
|-
|-
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|''[[Walter Vetrivel]]''*
|''[[Walter Vetrivel]]''*
|[[P. Vasu]]
|[[P. Vasu]]
|Kamalam Movies
|[[Kamalam Movies]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19930117&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Indian Express - Google News Archive Search|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19930117&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Indian Express - Google News Archive Search|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
|-
Line 351: Line 362:
|-
|-
|1982
|1982
|''[[Sakalakala Vallavan]]''*
|''[[Sakalakala Vallavan (1982 film)|Sakalakala Vallavan]]''*
|[[SP. Muthuraman]]
|[[SP. Muthuraman]]
|AVM Productions
|AVM Productions
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Panchu-Arunachalam-is-the-man-who-invented-Rajinikanth-as-an|title=actor/articleshow/48215004.cms?from=mdr|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Panchu-Arunachalam-is-the-man-who-invented-Rajinikanth-as-an|title=actor/articleshow/48215004.cms?from=mdr|website = [[The Times of India]]|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1981
|1981
|''[[Sattam Oru Iruttarai (1981 film)|Sattam Oru Iruttarai]]''*
|''[[Sattam Oru Iruttarai]]''*
|[[S. A. Chandrasekhar]]
|[[S. A. Chandrasekhar]]
|Vadularan Combines
|Vadularan Combines
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|-
|-
|1980
|1980
|''[[Guru (1980 film)|Guru]]''  
|''[[Billa (1980 film)]]''  
|[[I. V. Sasi]]
|[[R. Krishnamoorthy]]
|Shiv Sakthi Films
|Suresh Arts
| <ref>{{cite news |last1=ராம்ஜி |first1=வி. |title=கமலின் கமர்ஷியல் 'குரு'வுக்கு 40 வயது! - இலங்கையில் செய்த மெகா சாதனை! |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/565372-kamal-guru.html |access-date=5 March 2021 |publisher=[[Hindu Tamil Thisai]] |date=19 July 2020}}</ref>
| <ref>{{cite news |last1=ராம்ஜி |first1=வி. |title=கமலின் கமர்ஷியல் 'குரு'வுக்கு 40 வயது! - இலங்கையில் செய்த மெகா சாதனை! |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/565372-kamal-guru.html |access-date=5 March 2021 |publisher=[[Hindu Tamil Thisai]] |date=19 July 2020}}</ref>
|-
|1979
|[[Kalyanaraman (1979 film)|Kalyanaraman]]
|G.N.Rangarajan
|[[Panchu Arunachalam|P.A.Arts]]
|<ref>{{cite web|last=Shankar|date=7 April 2018|title=நகைச்சுவைப் பேய்ப் படங்களுக்கு முன்னோடி - கல்யாணராமன்|url=https://tamil.filmibeat.com/news/kamal-haasan-s-kalyanaraman-nostalgia-053003.html|access-date=12 August 2021|website=tamil.filmibeat.com|language=ta}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kamal's many avatars 7|url=https://www.sify.com/movies/kamals-many-avatars-imagegallery-movies-jdwmTsbjcejsi.html|access-date=12 August 2021|website=Sify|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|1978
|[[Sigappu Rojakkal]]
| [[Bharathiraja]]
|K.R.G. Productions
|<ref>{{cite web|last=தளபதி|title=கமல்ஹாசன் நடிக்க மீண்டும் 'சிகப்பு ரோஜாக்கள்'... இசை இளையராஜா... இயக்குநர் யார்?!|url=https://cinema.vikatan.com/tamil-cinema/kamal-haasan-likely-to-star-in-sigappu-rojakkal-sequel|access-date=15 September 2021|website=www.vikatan.com/|language=ta}}</ref>
|-
|1977
|16 [[16 Vayathinile|Vayathinile]]
|[[Bharathiraja]]
|[[S.A.Rajkannu]]
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Sigappu Rojakkal (1978) - '16 Vayathinile' to 'Moondram Pirai', Sridevi's best performances till date|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/photo-features/16-vayathinile-to-moondram-pirai-sridevis-best-performances-till-date/sigappu-rojakkal-1978/photostory/63065692.cms|access-date=12 August 2021|website=The Times of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=16 வயதினிலே வெளிவந்து 43 ஆண்டுகள்: கிராமத்துக் காதல் ஓவியம்|url=https://www.dinamani.com/cinema/special/2020/sep/15/bharathirajas-16-vayathinile-3465599.html|access-date=12 August 2021|website=Dinamani|language=ta}}</ref>
|-
|1972
|''[[Vasantha Maligai]]''
|[[K. S. Prakash Rao]]
|[[Vijaya Suresh Combines]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/tamil-cinema/171422-72.html|title = 72ல் ஏழு சிவாஜி படம்; 'வசந்தமாளிகை' மெகா ஹிட்! - இன்று டிஜிட்டலில் படம் ரிலீஸ்}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1971
|1971
Line 372: Line 407:
|[[M. Krishnan Nair (director)|M. Krishnan Nair]]
|[[M. Krishnan Nair (director)|M. Krishnan Nair]]
|Sathya Movies
|Sathya Movies
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/kollywood/300716/mgrs-film-to-be-restored.html|title=MGR's 1971 blockbuster film Rickshawkaran to be restored!|date=30 July 2016|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/tollywood/300716/mgrs-film-to-be-restored.html|title=MGR's 1971 blockbuster film Rickshawkaran to be restored!|date=30 July 2016|access-date=2 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
|1968
|''[[Thillana Mohanambal]]''
|[[A. P. Nagarajan]]
|[[Sri Vijayalakshmi Pictures]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/138143--4.html|title = சிவாஜியின் நடிப்புக்கு ஒரு படம்!}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1966
|1966
Line 379: Line 420:
|AVM Productions
|AVM Productions
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinema.dinamalar.com/cinema-news/26078/special-report/Anbe-Vaa-in-50th-Year.htm|title=50வது ஆண்டில் 'அன்பே வா'! - Anbe Vaa in 50th Year|date=29 June 2016|access-date=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629143536/http://cinema.dinamalar.com/cinema-news/26078/special-report/Anbe-Vaa-in-50th-Year.htm|archive-date=29 June 2016}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cinema.dinamalar.com/cinema-news/26078/special-report/Anbe-Vaa-in-50th-Year.htm|title=50வது ஆண்டில் 'அன்பே வா'! - Anbe Vaa in 50th Year|date=29 June 2016|access-date=2 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629143536/http://cinema.dinamalar.com/cinema-news/26078/special-report/Anbe-Vaa-in-50th-Year.htm|archive-date=29 June 2016}}</ref>
|-
|1965
|''[[Enga Veettu Pillai]]''
|[[Tapi Chanakya]]
|[[Vijaya Vauhini Studios]]
|
|-
|1959
|''[[Veerapandiya Kattabomman]]''
|[[B. R. Panthulu]]
|[[Padmini Pictures]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cinema.maalaimalar.com/cinema/review/2015/08/24104012/Veerapandiya-kattapomman-movie.vpf|title=வீரபாண்டிய கட்டபொம்மன்|date=24 August 2015}}</ref>
|-
|1958
|''[[Nadodi Mannan]]''
|[[M G.Ramachandran]]
|[[MGR Pictures]]
|
|-
|-
|1956
|1956
Line 397: Line 456:
|[[Pakshiraja Studios]]
|[[Pakshiraja Studios]]
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/blockbusters-of-coimbatore/article3881150.ece|title=Blockbusters of Coimbatore|last=Jeshi|first=K.|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|date=10 September 2012}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/blockbusters-of-coimbatore/article3881150.ece|title=Blockbusters of Coimbatore|last=Jeshi|first=K.|access-date=2 December 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|date=10 September 2012}}</ref>
|-
|1952
|''[[Parasakthi (film)|Parasakthi]]''
|[[Krishnan–Panju]]
|[[P. A. Perumal Mudaliar]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dinamalar.com/news_detail.asp?id=2078910&Print=1 |title=இதே நாளில் அன்று |publisher=Dinamalar |date=12 August 2018 |accessdate=16 February 2022}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1949
|1949
Line 408: Line 473:
|[[S. S. Vasan]]
|[[S. S. Vasan]]
|Gemini Studios
|Gemini Studios
|{{#tag:ref|{{INR}}1.55 crore<ref name="NamrataJoshi">{{cite web |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Reeling-It-All-In/278248 |title=Reeling It All In |work=Outlook India |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=19 September 2014 |last=Joshi |first=Namrata |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6ShYBJC0d?url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Reeling-It-All-In/278248 |archive-date=19 September 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (US$3.24 million){{#tag:ref|4.79 Indian rupees per US dollar from 1948 to 1950|group=n|name=RupeeUSD48}} in 1948 (US${{Inflation|US|3.24|1948}} million or {{INR}}215 crore in 2016)|group=n}}
|{{#tag:ref|{{INR}}1.55 crore<ref name="NamrataJoshi">{{cite web |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Reeling-It-All-In/278248 |title=Reeling It All In |work=Outlook India |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=19 September 2014 |last=Joshi |first=Namrata |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6ShYBJC0d?url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Reeling-It-All-In/278248 |archive-date=19 September 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (US$3.24 million){{#tag:ref|4.79 Indian rupees per US dollar from 1948 to 1950|group=n|name=RupeeUSD48}} in 1948 (US${{Inflation|US|3.24|1948}} million or {{INR}}215 crore in 2016)|group=n}}
|-
|}
|}


Line 419: Line 483:
* [[IIFA Utsavam]]
* [[IIFA Utsavam]]
* [[Mirchi Music Awards South]]
* [[Mirchi Music Awards South]]
* [[Toronto Tamil Film Festival]]
* [[SIIMA Awards]]
* [[SIIMA Awards]]
* [[Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards ]]
* [[Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards]]  
* [[Tamil Nadu State Film Awards]]
* [[Tamil Nadu State Film Awards]]
* [[Vijay Awards]]
* [[Vijay Awards]]
* [[International Tamil Film Awards ]]
* [[International Tamil Film Awards]]  
* [[Kalaimamani]]
* [[Kalaimamani]]
*[[Edison Awards (India)|Edison Awards]]
*[[Edison Awards (India)|Edison Awards]]
Line 444: Line 509:


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
Line 453: Line 518:
* {{cite book | title=Tamil Movies Abroad: Singapore South Indian Youths and their Response to Tamil Cinema|last=Chinniah|first=Sathiavathi| year=2001| volume=8| publisher=Kolam}}
* {{cite book | title=Tamil Movies Abroad: Singapore South Indian Youths and their Response to Tamil Cinema|last=Chinniah|first=Sathiavathi| year=2001| volume=8| publisher=Kolam}}
* {{cite book | year=1997|title=Starlight, Starbright : The Early Tamil Cinema| last =Guy|first=Randor|oclc=52794531|location=[[Chennai]]}}
* {{cite book | year=1997|title=Starlight, Starbright : The Early Tamil Cinema| last =Guy|first=Randor|oclc=52794531|location=[[Chennai]]}}
* {{cite conference| first = Stephen P.| last = Hughes| title = Tamil Cinema as Sonic Regime: Cinema Sound, Film Songs and the Making of a Mass Culture of Music| book-title = New Perspectives on the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century| publisher = Chicago, Illinois| date = 24–25 February 2005| conference = Keynote address: South Asia Conference at the University of Chicago}}
* {{cite conference| first = Stephen P.| last = Hughes| title = Tamil Cinema as Sonic Regime: Cinema Sound, Film Songs and the Making of a Mass Culture of Music| book-title = New Perspectives on the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century| publisher = Chicago, Illinois| date = 25 February 2005| conference = Keynote address: South Asia Conference at the University of Chicago}}
* {{cite book | title=Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts and Lifestyle| last=Kasbekar|first=Asha| year=2006|publisher=ABC-CLIO| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sv7Uk0UcdM8C&q=A.+R.+Rehman+tamil&pg=PA215|isbn= 978-1-85109-636-7}}
* {{cite book | title=Pop Culture India!: Media, Arts and Lifestyle| last=Kasbekar|first=Asha| year=2006|publisher=ABC-CLIO| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sv7Uk0UcdM8C&q=A.+R.+Rehman+tamil&pg=PA215|isbn= 978-1-85109-636-7}}
* {{cite conference| first = Gopalan| last = Ravindran| title = Negotiating identities in the Diasporic Space: Transnational Tamil Cinema and Malaysian Indians| publisher = Korea Broadcasting Institute, Seoul| date = 17–18 March 2006| conference = Cultural Space and Public Sphere in Asia, 2006| location= Seoul, Korea}}
* {{cite conference| first = Gopalan| last = Ravindran| title = Negotiating identities in the Diasporic Space: Transnational Tamil Cinema and Malaysian Indians| publisher = Korea Broadcasting Institute, Seoul| date = 18 March 2006| conference = Cultural Space and Public Sphere in Asia, 2006| location= Seoul, Korea}}
* {{cite journal | year=2007|title=Desire, Youth, and Realism in Tamil Cinema| last = Nakassis|first=Constantine V.|author2=Dean, Melanie A. |periodical=Journal of Linguistic Anthropology|volume=17|pages=77–104| doi=10.1525/jlin.2007.17.1.77|s2cid=145685533|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/224f3c06c4a084b9c8e3e43cc1801002cfa7fbc0}}
* {{cite journal | year=2007|title=Desire, Youth, and Realism in Tamil Cinema| last = Nakassis|first=Constantine V.|author2=Dean, Melanie A. |periodical=Journal of Linguistic Anthropology|volume=17|pages=77–104| doi=10.1525/jlin.2007.17.1.77|s2cid=145685533|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/224f3c06c4a084b9c8e3e43cc1801002cfa7fbc0}}
* {{cite book | title= Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film Industry| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=65Aqrna4o5oC&q=Tamil+cinema| last=Velayutham|first=Selvaraj| year=2008| publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-39680-6}}
* {{cite book | title= Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film Industry| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=65Aqrna4o5oC&q=Tamil+cinema| last=Velayutham|first=Selvaraj| year=2008| publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-39680-6}}


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{{Tamil cinema}}
{{Tamil cinema}}[https://dramalite.com/tamil-movies 2022 Tamil Movies List]{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Tamil}}
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Tamil}}
{{Cinema of India}}
{{Cinema of India}}
{{World cinema}}
{{World cinema}}
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Latest revision as of 07:42, 10 May 2022


Tamil cinema
File:Indiafilm.svg
No. of screens1671 (Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry)[1]
Main distributorsAVM Productions
Modern Theatres
National Pictures
Super Good Films
Lyca Productions
Studio Green
Madras Talkies
2D Entertainment
Sun Pictures
Avni Cinemax
Thenandal Studio Limited
V Creations
Wunderbar Films
Red Giant Movies
Aascar Films
AGS Entertainment
Produced feature films (2019)
Total254

Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood, is an Indian film industry of Tamil-language motion pictures. It is based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu,[2] in the Kodambakkam neighbourhood, the word being a portmanteau of Kodambakkam and Hollywood.[3][4][5] The first Tamil silent film, Keechaka Vadham, was made by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918.[6] The first talking motion picture, Kalidas, was a multilingual film directed by H M Reddy and was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara.[7] By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939.

Tamil cinema later had a profound effect on other filmmaking industries of India, establishing Madras (now Chennai) as a secondary hub for Hindi cinema, other South Indian film industries, as well as Sri Lankan cinema.[8] Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Tamil films from India established a global presence through distribution to an increasing number of overseas theatres in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Japan, the Middle East, parts of Africa, Oceania, Europe, North America and other countries.[9][10] The industry also inspired independent filmmaking in Sri Lanka and Tamil diaspora populations in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Western Hemisphere.[11]

Template:Life in Tamil Nadu

History[edit | edit source]

Early exhibitors[edit | edit source]

Samikannu Vincent

M. Edwards first screened a selection of silent films at the Victoria Public Hall in Madras in 1897 during the British Raj. The selected films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for a few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first cinema theatre, the Electric Theatre, which still stands. 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. This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, Western classical music concerts, and ballroom dances. Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction.[12] Swamikannu Vincent, a railway draftsman from Tiruchirapalli, became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in Esplanade, near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought the film projector and silent films from the Frenchman Du Pont and set up a business as film exhibitor.[13] Soon, he tied up with Path, a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported projectors. This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the presidency.[14] In later years, he produced talkies and also built a cinema in Coimbatore.[15]

To celebrate the event of King George V's visit in 1909, a grand 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 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. Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, a successful photographer, took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court.[12] With this equipment, he screened the short films Pearl Fish and Raja's Casket in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Venkiah travelled with this unit to Burma (now Myanmar) and Sri Lanka, and when he had gathered enough money, he put up a permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in Purasawalkam.

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.[16]

Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the United States and Britain. In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as "drama films", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now Mumbai) were also screened in Madras. The era of short films had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as a popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city.

Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, R. Nataraja Mudaliyar, decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in Pune with the cinematographer Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916.

The man who truly laid the foundations of south Indian cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with The Faithful Wife/Dharmapathini (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in Colombo, Rangoon and Singapore.

The Ways of Vishnu/Vishnu Leela, which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. Unfortunately, the silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to Bombay or Calcutta to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among the Madras audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night.

The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during the silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. Srinivasa Kalyanam (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram. Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935.

Influences[edit | edit source]

The main impacts of the early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The Tamil-language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the Cholas. They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, music and dance were one of the main entertainment sources.[17]

There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy tales and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal the constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways.[18] By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the Entertainment Tax Act 1939.

Studios[edit | edit source]

In 1916, a studio, the first in south India,[citation needed] was set up in Madras at 10 Millers Road, Kilpauk. He called it the India Film Company. Rangavadivelu, an actor from Suguna Vilasa Sabha, a theatre company then, was hired to train the actors. Thirty-five days later, the first feature film made in south India, The Extermination of Keechakan/Keechakavatham, based on an episode from the Mahabharata, was released produced and directed by R. Nataraja, who established the India Film Company Limited (The Destruction of Keechaka).[19]

Despite a century of increasing box office takings, Tamil cinema remains informal and dominated by shell companies, or one-film wonders, born and dead in a matter of months. Nevertheless, there are few exceptions like Modern Theatres, Gemini Studios, AVM and Sri Thenandal Films that survived beyond 100 productions.

Exhibitor strike 2017[edit | edit source]

In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of GST (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in the state from 3 July 2017.[20][21] The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017.[22][23][24][25] Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It's reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores.

Distribution[edit | edit source]

Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 11 million tickets with a standard deviation of ±1 million tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with Chandralekha.[26] They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the Tamil diaspora. They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania.[27]

Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). Chennai's film composers have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across the world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature Madras Tamil, a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in Chennai.

Tamil film distribution territories[edit | edit source]

Territory Maximum Business (%)[clarification needed] Division
NSC 100 6 Northern districts – Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Viluppuram
Coimbatore 50 4 Western districts – Coimbatore, Erode, Nilgiris and Tiruppur
Chennai 37 1 Northern district – Chennai
MR 35 6 Southern districts – Dindigul, Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Theni and Virudhunagar
TT 32 8 Central districts – Ariyalur, Karur, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli and Tiruvarur
Salem 28 4 Western districts – Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal and Salem
TK 13 3 Southern districts – Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari
Karnataka 83
Andhra Pradesh 79
Telangana 63
Kerala 63
Rest of India 15
USA and Canada 119
GCC 106
Malaysia 82
Rest of the world 89

The rest of India[edit | edit source]

Keechaka Vadham (1918) was the first silent film made in South India.[28] Kalidas (1931) was the first Tamil talkie film made in 1931.[29] Kalava was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil.[30] Nandanar (1935) was the first film for American film director Ellis R. Dungan.[31] Balayogini released in 1937 was considered to be first children's film of South India.[32] It is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films.

In 1991, Marupakkam directed by K.S. Sethu Madhavan, became the first Tamil film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, the feat was repeated by Kanchivaram in 2007.[33] Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and New Delhi. In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have a decent market.[34][35]

International[edit | edit source]

Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in South East Asia. Since Chandralekha, Muthu was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja[36]) and grossed a record $1.6 million in 1998.[37] In 2010, Enthiran grossed a record $4 million in North America.[38]

Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across the globe, such as Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal, Vasanthabalan's Veyyil and Ameer Sultan's Paruthiveeran. Kanchivaram (2009) was selected to be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language on eight occasions, next only to Hindi.[39] Mani Ratnam's Nayakan (1987) was included in Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list.[40]

Economics[edit | edit source]

Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of Tamil Nadu.[41] For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday).[42]

The Government of Tamil Nadu made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from the Tamil-language only.[43] This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was Unakkum Enakkum. The original title had been Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum, a half-English and a half-Tamil title.[43] In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category.[44]

There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain viz producer, distributor and exhibitor.[45] The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as:

  1. part-financing of film (in case of minimum guarantee / advance based purchase of film rights)
  2. localised marketing of film
  3. selection of exhibition halls
  4. managing the logistics of physical print distribution

There are three popular approaches to transfer of distribution rights via distribution contracts:

  1. Minimum Guarantee + Royalty – Here, the producer sells the distribution rights for a defined territory for a minimum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Any surplus is shared between the producer and distributor, in a pre-set ratio (typically 1:2) after deducting tax, show rentals, commission, print costs and publicity costs. Effectively, the distributor becomes a financier in the eyes of the market. This is the most common channel available to high budget producers.
  2. Commission – Here, the distributor pays the producer the entire box office collection after deducting commission. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the producer. This is the most common channel available to low budget producers. By the first decade of 21st century, about 90 per cent of the films were released on commission basis.[46]
  3. Outright Sale – Here, the producer sells all distribution and theatrical exhibition rights for a defined territory exclusively to a distributor. Effectively, the distributor becomes a producer in the eyes of the market. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the distributor.

There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts:

  1. Theatre Hire – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor the entire box office collection after deducting tax and show rentals. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the distributor. This is the most common channel for low-budget films, casting rank newcomers, with unproven track record. In Chennai, a moderate theatre with AC and DTS can fetch around 1 lakh as weekly rent.[47]
  2. Fixed Hire – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor a maximum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Rental is not chargeable per show. Any surplus after deducting tax is retained by the exhibitor. Effectively, the exhibitor becomes a distributor in the eyes of the market. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film remains with the exhibitor.
  3. Minimum Guarantee + Royalty – Here, the exhibitor pays the distributor a minimum lump sum irrespective of the box office performance of the film. Rental is not chargeable per show. Any surplus after deducting tax and show rental is shared in a pre-set ratio (1:2) between the distributor and exhibitor typically.
  4. Revenue Share – Here, the distributor shares with the exhibitor, in a pre-set ratio (typically 1:1), the entire box office collection of the film after deducting tax. Rental is not chargeable per show. So, the entire risk of box office performance of the film is shared between the exhibitor and distributor. This is the most common channel preferred by multiplex screens.

Highest-grossing Tamil films by year[edit | edit source]

Year Title Director Studio ref(s)
2022 Beast Nelson DillipKumar Sun pictures
2021 Master Lokesh Kanagaraj XB Creators [48]
2020 Darbar AR Murugadoss Lyca Productions [49][50]
2019 Bigil Atlee AGS Entertainment [51]
2018 2.0 S. Shankar Lyca Productions [52][53]
2017 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion S. S. Rajamouli Arka Media Works [54][55]
2016 Kabali Pa. Ranjith V.Creations [56][57]
2015 Baahubali: The Beginning S.S. Rajamouli Arka Media Works [58][59]
2014 Lingaa K.S. Ravikumar Lyca Productions [60]
2013 Vishwaroopam Kamal Haasan Raaj Kamal Films International [61]
2012 Thuppaki A.R. Murugadoss V. Creations [62][63]
2011 Mankatha Venkat Prabhu Red Giant Movies [64][65]
2010 Enthiran S. Shankar Sun Pictures [66]
2009 Ayan K.V. Anand AVM Productions [67]
2008 Dasavathaaram K.S. Ravikumar Aascar Film Pvt. Ltd [68]
2007 Sivaji S. Shankar AVM Productions [69]
2006 Varalaru K.S. Ravikumar NIC Arts
2005 Chandramukhi P. Vasu Sivaji Productions [70]
2004 Vasool Raja MBBS Saran Gemini Film Circuit [71]
2003 Saamy Hari Kavithalayaa Productions [72]
2002 Villain (2002 film) K.S. Ravikumar NIC Arts
2001 Dheena AR Murugadoss Vijayam Cine Combines [73]
2000 Vaanathaippola Vikraman Aascar Film Pvt. Ltd [74]
1999 Padayappa K.S. Ravikumar Arunachala Cine Creations [75]
1998 Jeans S.Shankar Amritraj Solomon Communications
1997 Arunachalam* Sundar C. Annamalai Cine Combines [76]
1996 Indian S.Shankar Sri Surya Movies
1995 Baashha Suresh Krissna Sathya Movies [77]
1994 Nattamai K.S. Ravikumar Super Good Films [78]
1993 Walter Vetrivel* P. Vasu Kamalam Movies [79]
1989 Apoorva Sagodharargal Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Raaj Kamal Films International
1985 Padikkadavan* Rajasekhar Sri Eswari Productions [80]
1984 Nallavanuku Nallavan* SP. Muthuraman AVM Productions [77]
1982 Sakalakala Vallavan* SP. Muthuraman AVM Productions [81]
1981 Sattam Oru Iruttarai* S. A. Chandrasekhar Vadularan Combines [82]
1980 Billa (1980 film) R. Krishnamoorthy Suresh Arts [83]
1979 Kalyanaraman G.N.Rangarajan P.A.Arts [84][85]
1978 Sigappu Rojakkal Bharathiraja K.R.G. Productions [86]
1977 16 Vayathinile Bharathiraja S.A.Rajkannu [87][88]
1972 Vasantha Maligai K. S. Prakash Rao Vijaya Suresh Combines [89]
1971 Rickshawkaran* M. Krishnan Nair Sathya Movies [90]
1968 Thillana Mohanambal A. P. Nagarajan Sri Vijayalakshmi Pictures [91]
1966 Anbe Vaa* A. C. Tirulokchandar AVM Productions [92]
1965 Enga Veettu Pillai Tapi Chanakya Vijaya Vauhini Studios
1959 Veerapandiya Kattabomman B. R. Panthulu Padmini Pictures [93]
1958 Nadodi Mannan M G.Ramachandran MGR Pictures
1956 Madurai Veeran D. Yoganand Krishna Pictures [94]
1955 Missiamma* L. V. Prasad Vijaya Vauhini Studios [95]
1954 Malaikkallan S. M. Sriramulu Naidu Pakshiraja Studios [96]
1952 Parasakthi Krishnan–Panju P. A. Perumal Mudaliar [97]
1949 Apoorva Sagodharargal* Acharya Gemini Studios [98]
1948 Chandralekha S. S. Vasan Gemini Studios [n 2]

Legislation[edit | edit source]

Film studios in Chennai are bound by legislation, such as the Cinematography Film Rules of 1948,[100] the Cinematography Act of 1952,[101] and the Copyright Act of 1957.[102] In Tamil Nadu, cinema ticket prices are regulated by the government. Single screen theatres may charge a maximum of 50, while theatres with more than three screens may charge a maximum of 120 per ticket.[103]

Awards[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. 4.79 Indian rupees per US dollar from 1948 to 1950
  2. 1.55 crore[99] (US$3.24 million)[n 1] in 1948 (US$Error when using {{Inflation}}: NaN/calculation error please notify Template talk:Inflation. million or 215 crore in 2016)

References[edit | edit source]

  1. "STATEWISE NUMBER OF SINGLE SCREENS". Film Federation of India. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  2. Hiro, Dilip (2010). After Empire: The Birth of a Multipolar World. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-56858-427-0.
  3. Bureau, Our Regional (25 January 2006). "Tamil, Telugu film industries outshine Bollywood". Business Standard. Retrieved 19 February 2012. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  4. "China's Film Industry and Its Bollywood Future". Forbes.
  5. "Tamil films give Bollywood a run for its money". The Toronto Star. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. "Metro Plus Chennai / Madras Miscellany : The pioneer'Tamil' film-maker". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  7. Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil cinema: the cultural politics of India's other film industry. p. 2. ISBN 9780415396806.
  8. "THE TAMIL NADU ENTERTAINMENTS TAX ACT, 1939" (PDF). Government of Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  9. Pillai, Sreedhar. "A gold mine around the globe". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  10. "Eros buys Tamil film distributor". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  11. "SYMPOSIUM: SRI LANKA'S CULTURAL EXPERIENCE". Chennai, India: Frontline. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Muthukumaraswamy, M. D.; Kaushal, Molly (2004). Folklore, public sphere, and civil society. p. 116. ISBN 9788190148146.
  13. "Pioneers in Indian Cinema - Swamikannu Vincent". Indiaheritage.org. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  14. Rajmohan, Joshi (2006). Encyclopaedia of Journalism and Mass Communication: Media and mass communication. p. 68. ISBN 9788182053663.
  15. "Tamil Cinema". India Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  16. "He brought cinema to South". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  17. "Abhinay Deo – "All stories can be found in Mahabharata and Ramayana" – Bollywood Movie News". IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  18. "Indian Films vs Hollywood". Theviewspaper.net. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  19. Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). "'India' in Tamil silent era cinema". Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film Industry. Routledge. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-415-39680-6.
  20. IANS (30 June 2017). "GST effect: Tamil Nadu theatres to shut down from July 3". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  21. "Tamil Nadu theatre owners go on strike after GST, lose Rs 50 crore a day". www.deccanchronicle.com/. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  22. "No local tax for now: Tamil Nadu theatres' owners call off strike". www.deccanchronicle.com/. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  23. "Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Call Off Strike Over 30% Local Body Tax". NDTV.com. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  24. "Tamil Nadu theatre owners call off strike over double taxation". The Indian Express. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  25. Vaitheesvaran, Bharani (6 July 2017). "Tamil Nadu screens to open tomorrow with no new movies". The Economic Times. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  26. Singh, Sarina (2003). "Film Studios". India. Lonely Planet. p. 964. ISBN 978-1-74059-421-9. Chennai's film industry now rivals that of Bollywood (Mumbai) for output
  27. "Film industry isn't high risk one: Kamal Haasan". Business Line. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  28. "Remembering a pioneer". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 9 May 2002. Archived from the original on 1 July 2003. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  29. Gokulsing, K.; Wimal Dissanayake (2004). Indian popular cinema: a narrative of cultural change. Trentham Books. p. 24. ISBN 1-85856-329-1.
  30. "He drew inspiration from Shakespeare". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 April 2008. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  31. "He transcended barriers with aplomb". The Hindu. 1 February 2002. Archived from the original on 30 November 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  32. "Balayogini 1937". The Hindu. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2019 – via www.thehindu.com.
  33. Baskaran, Sundararaj Theodore (2013). The Eye Of The Serpent: An Introduction To Tamil Cinema. Westland. pp. 164–. ISBN 978-93-83260-74-4.
  34. Movie Buzz (14 July 2011). "Tamil films dominate Andhra market". Sify. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  35. "A few hits and many flops". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 29 December 2006. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007.
  36. "Mutu: Odoru Maharaja" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  37. Gautaman Bhaskaran (6 January 2002). "Rajnikanth casts spell on Japanese viewers". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
  38. "Agni Natchathiram & Kaakha Kaakha | 12 Unknown facts in Tollywood history!". Behindwoods. 11 March 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
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External links[edit | edit source]

2022 Tamil Movies List

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