Major Film Industries in India
A complete guide to India’s major regional cinema industries,
their production hubs, important cities and theatre networks.
India does not have just one film industry. It has a huge network
of regional film industries producing movies in different Indian
languages. Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali,
Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia and Assamese cinema all contribute
to India’s diverse movie culture.
Each industry has its own stars, directors, production companies,
distributors, theatres and loyal audience.
1. Hindi Cinema – Bollywood
Language: Hindi
Main Hub: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Bollywood is India’s Hindi-language film industry and is primarily
based in Mumbai. The city has a huge ecosystem of actors, directors,
producers, studios, distributors and cinema operators.
📍 Major Cinema Areas
- Andheri
- Bandra
- Goregaon
- Lower Parel
- Malad
- Powai
- Thane
- Navi Mumbai
🍿 Major Theatre Chains
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- Miraj Cinemas
- MovieMax
- Mukta A2
- Independent single-screen theatres
2. Telugu Cinema – Tollywood
Language: Telugu
Main Hub: Hyderabad, Telangana
Hyderabad is one of India’s largest film-production centres.
Telugu cinema has a strong ecosystem covering film production,
studios, VFX, post-production and distribution.
📍 Major Cinema Areas
- Banjara Hills
- Jubilee Hills
- Kukatpally
- Gachibowli
- Madhapur
- Ameerpet
- Secunderabad
- Uppal
🍿 Major Theatre Operators
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- Asian Cinemas
- AMB Cinemas
- Prasads
- Independent theatres
3. Tamil Cinema – Kollywood
Language: Tamil
Main Hub: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chennai is one of India’s oldest and most important film centres.
Tamil films have a major audience in Tamil Nadu as well as Kerala,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and overseas markets.
📍 Major Cinema Areas
- Anna Nagar
- T. Nagar
- Velachery
- OMR
- Porur
- Guindy
- Royapettah
- Vadapalani
🍿 Major Theatre Operators
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- AGS Cinemas
- Rohini Silver Screens
- Luxe Cinemas
- Independent theatres
4. Malayalam Cinema – Mollywood
Language: Malayalam
Major Hubs: Kochi & Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Malayalam cinema is based primarily in Kerala. Kochi and
Thiruvananthapuram are two particularly important centres for
production, distribution and exhibition.
📍 Major Cinema Cities
📍 Kochi
- Edappally
- Vyttila
- Palarivattom
- Kaloor
- Kakkanad
- MG Road
📍 Thiruvananthapuram
- Thampanoor
- East Fort
- Kazhakootam
- Kowdiar
- Pattom
🍿 Major Theatre Operators
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- Lal Media
- Aashirvad Cineplexx
- Kairali/Sree theatres
- Independent theatres
🌴 Other Important Kerala Markets
Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kannur, Kollam, Kottayam and Alappuzha
are also important theatrical markets for Malayalam films.
5. Kannada Cinema – Sandalwood
Language: Kannada
Main Hub: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Bengaluru is the principal centre of Kannada filmmaking and has
a large network of multiplexes and traditional theatres.
📍 Major Cinema Areas
- Koramangala
- Indiranagar
- Rajajinagar
- Malleshwaram
- Yeshwanthpur
- Whitefield
- Marathahalli
- Electronic City
- Jayanagar
- Banashankari
🍿 Major Theatre Operators
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- Asian Cinemas
- Independent Kannada theatres
6. Bengali Cinema – Tollywood
Language: Bengali
Main Hub: Kolkata, West Bengal
Kolkata is the principal centre of Bengali cinema. The Tollygunge
area has historically been associated with Bengali film production.
📍 Major Cinema Areas
- Tollygunge
- South Kolkata
- Salt Lake
- New Town
- Park Street
- Garia
🍿 Theatre Operators
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- SVF Cinemas
- Miraj Cinemas
- Independent theatres
7. Marathi Cinema
Language: Marathi
Main Hubs: Mumbai & Pune
Marathi cinema has a strong connection with Maharashtra.
Mumbai and Pune are important production and exhibition centres.
📍 Major Markets
- Mumbai
- Pune
- Nashik
- Nagpur
- Kolhapur
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
🍿 Major Theatre Operators
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- Miraj Cinemas
- MovieMax
- Independent theatres
8. Punjabi Cinema – Pollywood
Language: Punjabi
Major Hubs: Punjab & Chandigarh
Punjabi cinema has a strong regional market as well as a substantial
overseas audience.
📍 Major Markets
- Chandigarh
- Ludhiana
- Amritsar
- Jalandhar
- Patiala
- Mohali
🍿 Theatre Networks
- PVR INOX
- Cinépolis
- Miraj Cinemas
- Local multiplexes
- Independent theatres
9. Gujarati Cinema
Language: Gujarati
Main Region: Gujarat
📍 Major Markets
- Ahmedabad
- Surat
- Vadodara
- Rajkot
- Gandhinagar
Gujarati films are released through both multiplexes and
independent theatres throughout Gujarat.
10. Odia Cinema – Ollywood
Language: Odia
Main Hubs: Bhubaneswar & Cuttack
📍 Major Markets
- Bhubaneswar
- Cuttack
- Rourkela
- Sambalpur
- Berhampur
11. Assamese Cinema – Jollywood
Language: Assamese
Main Hub: Guwahati, Assam
Guwahati is the main centre for Assamese film production and
exhibition.
📍 Other Important Markets
- Dibrugarh
- Jorhat
- Silchar
- Tezpur
12. Bhojpuri Cinema
Language: Bhojpuri
Major Regions: Bihar & Eastern Uttar Pradesh
📍 Major Markets
- Patna
- Varanasi
- Gorakhpur
- Ara
- Muzaffarpur
- Ranchi
Bhojpuri films also have audiences in Mumbai, Delhi and other
cities with large Bhojpuri-speaking populations.
🍿 Major Cinema Theatre Networks in India
India’s movie exhibition market consists of large multiplex
chains, regional cinema operators and thousands of independent
single-screen theatres.
🎟️ PVR INOX
One of India’s largest multiplex operators, with cinemas
across many major cities and states.
🎟️ Cinépolis
An international multiplex operator with cinemas in
several major Indian cities.
🎟️ Miraj Cinemas
A major Indian cinema operator with locations across
multiple states.
🎟️ Regional Theatres
Independent and regional theatre operators remain very
important for local-language cinema.
🗺️ Major Indian Film Industries at a Glance
| Industry | Language | Main Film City | Major Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bollywood | Hindi | Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| Tollywood | Telugu | Hyderabad | Telangana |
| Kollywood | Tamil | Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| Mollywood | Malayalam | Kochi / Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala |
| Sandalwood | Kannada | Bengaluru | Karnataka |
| Bengali Cinema | Bengali | Kolkata | West Bengal |
| Marathi Cinema | Marathi | Mumbai / Pune | Maharashtra |
| Pollywood | Punjabi | Chandigarh / Punjab | Punjab |
| Gujarati Cinema | Gujarati | Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
| Ollywood | Odia | Bhubaneswar / Cuttack | Odisha |
| Assamese Cinema | Assamese | Guwahati | Assam |
| Bhojpuri Cinema | Bhojpuri | UP / Bihar | UP & Bihar |
📌 Note:
Theatre names, screen counts and cinema operators can change as
theatres open, close, rebrand or change ownership. For current
showtimes and individual theatre availability, check the latest
listings on major cinema-booking platforms.
