The question of whether the Tamil film industry or the Telugu film industry is the oldest is a question that has been asked many times. There is no clear answer to this, but there are a few fair points that have been made on both sides. The answer really depends on the viewpoint you have. Let’s look at what people consider before answering this question.
The first talkie made in South India was called Kalidas, and the director was H.M. Reddy. The artists in it spoke both Telugu and Tamil, so neither industry can be considered for this one. But when speaking about movies, talkies succeeded silent films and the first of which was made in 1916 and it was in Tamil and was made by R. Nataraja Mudaliar. The first Telugu silent film, on the other hand, was made in 1921.
Another thing to add would be that the first Indian film that was produced by the East India Film Company was in 1933. This was a Telugu movie called Savitri. However, this is not enough to give you a straight answer and say Tamil. The next factor to consider is that people working on films also count. Raghupathu Vankaiah Naidu, the father of Telugu cinema, began working on films from the year 1909.
This means that neither can be considered the first as a definite, but it can be said that both are the oldest film industries as they began around the same time.
Now, if you’re someone that loves information like this and is a film industry buff of the Tamil film industry, Telugu film industry, or any other, we have something that is practically a gem for these things. The Film India App is a directory that has all such information on everything to do with the film industry. But they are more than that and are a directory of information that you would need to enter the industry and to work there. So, if you’re looking to work there, Film India App is a great resource.
