Tollywood
Britishnoun
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the Telugu-language film industry, based in the state of Andhra Pradesh in SE India
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the Bengali-language film industry, based in Tollygunge in E India
Etymology
Origin of Tollywood
C20: a blend of Telugu (or Tollygunge ) + Hollywood ; compare Bollywood
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sen's influence also extended to Tollywood, Bengal's film industry.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
He grew up in a small village in Telangana, a Telugu-speaking state whose capital, Hyderabad, is the home base for Tollywood.
From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2023
Rajamouli’s central ambition with “RRR” was to bring together two Tollywood stars to share equal billing, a feat he says hadn’t been attempted in decades.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2022
For many, “RRR,” based on Hindu mythology and the freedom fighters that fought British colonialism, is their first encounter with Tollywood, the Telugu movie industry, or Indian films, at all.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 20, 2022
Netflix has "had meetings with pretty much every producer and filmmaker here. You will see the results of those meetings by next year," one of the people, a Tollywood producer, said.
From Reuters • May 24, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
