Telangana is a state in India situated in the south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh largest state and the twelfth most populated state in India as per the 2011 census. On 2 June 2014, the area was separated from the northwestern part of United Andhra Pradesh as the newly formed state of Telangana, with Hyderabad as its capital. Telugu, one of the classical languages of India, is the most widely spoken and the primary official language of the state.
Konidela Pawan Kalyan is an Indian politician, actor and philanthropist serving as the 10th Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh since June 2024. He is also the Minister of Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Rural Water Supply; Environment, Forests, Science and Technology in the Government of Andhra Pradesh and an MLA representing the Pitapuram constituency. He is the founder and president of the Janasena Party.
Gummadi Vittal Rao, known as Gaddar, was an Indian poet, singer, and communist revolutionary. Gaddar was active in the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, as well as the movement for Telangana's statehood.
Nagesh Kukunoor is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and actor known for his works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and few Telugu films. He is known for his works in parallel cinema, such as Hyderabad Blues (1998), Rockford (1999), Iqbal (2005), Dor (2006), Aashayein (2010), Lakshmi (2014), and Dhanak (2016). Kukunoor has received seven International Awards, and two National Film Awards for his works.
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, Telugu cinema has become the largest film industry in India by box-office revenue as of 2021. Telugu films sold 23.3 crore tickets in 2022, the highest among all Indian film industries. As of 2023, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of movie screens in India.
Allu Arjun is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. One of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema, Allu Arjun has been featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2014. He is a recipient of several awards including a National Film Award, six Filmfare Awards, and three Nandi Awards. He is regarded as one of the finest dancers in Indian cinema. He is popularly referred to as "Stylish Star" and "Icon Star".
Meka Srikanth is an Indian actor who is known for works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has appeared in more than 120 films. The actor has received one state Nandi Award, and one Filmfare Award South. He has starred in films like Swarabhishekam, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu for 2004. Srikanth's another film Virodhi premiered at the Indian panorama section, at the 2011 International Film Festival of India. Sri Rama Rajyam also had a special screening at International Film Festival of India on 28 November 2011. He has also appeared in some other language films including Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil films.
Sharwanand Myneni, known mononymously as Sharwanand, is an Indian actor and producer who primarily works in Telugu films alongside a few Tamil films. He made his acting debut in 2004 with the film Aidho Tareekhu.He is the grandson of Myneni Hariprasada Rao.
Telugu theatre is Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play, Kanyasulkam in 1892, which is often considered the greatest play in the Telugu language. C. Pullaiah is cited as the father of Telugu theatre movement.
Murali Sharma is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu and Hindi films. Sharma has starred in over 130 feature films including Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam cinema.
Nerella Venu Madhav was an Indian impressionist and ventriloquist. He rose to popularity imitating celebrities, politicians, local dialects, Nizams and was the first to perform at the United Nations headquarters. He started a diploma course at Telugu University, a first in the world. He is often regarded as father of Indian mimicry. He is also hailed as the pioneer and maestro of mimicry in India.
Nithin Kumar Reddy, known professionally as Nithiin, is an Indian film actor, distributor and producer who primarily works in Telugu films. Nithiin is a recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Award and three South Indian International Movie Awards nominations.
Bongu Narsing Rao is an Indian film director, screenwriter, littérateur, composer, poet, producer, actor and painter known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Telugu theatre. Rao has garnered five National Film Awards, three Nandi Awards, various international honors, and has served as a jury in various Asian film festivals. He directed, Daasi "(Bonded Woman)" and Matti Manushulu "(Mud People)" which won the Diploma of Merit awards at the 16th and 17th Moscow International Film Festivals in 1989 and 1991 respectively.
Amanchi Venkata Subrahmanyam, better known and credited by his initials AVS, was an Indian actor, comedian, producer, director, and journalist known for his works in Telugu cinema. A.V.S. was known particularly for his comic dialogue delivery, and expressions. He starred in over five hundred feature films and has garnered four state Nandi Awards, including Best Comedian, and Best character actor.
The Culture of Telangana in India has a cultural history of about 5,000 years. The region emerged as the foremost centre of culture in Indian subcontinent during the rule of Kakatiyas, the Qutb Shahis and Asaf Jahi dynasties—. The rulers patronage and interest for culinary, arts and culture transformed Telangana into a multi-cultural region where two different cultures coexist together, thus making Telangana the representative of the Deccan Plateau and its heritage with Warangal and Hyderabad being its epicenter. Hyderabadi cuisine and Kakatiya architecture both from Telangana, are on the list of UNESCO creative city of gastronomy and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The regions major cultural events celebrated are "Kakatiya Festival" and Deccan Festival along with religious festivals Bonalu, Bathukamma, Dasara, Ugadi, Sankranthi, Milad un Nabi and Ramadan.
Deverakonda Vijay Sai, professionally known as Vijay Deverakonda, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid actors of Telugu cinema, he has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2018 and has received several accolades, including a Filmfare Award, a Nandi Award, and three SIIMA Awards.
Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam is an Indian film director, actor and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He directed the romantic comedy Pelli Choopulu (2016), which won him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and Best Screenplay – Dialogues. He later directed Ee Nagaraniki Emaindhi (2018), and made his acting debut in a lead role with Meeku Maathrame Cheptha (2019).
Thiruveer is an actor and director who works in Telugu theatre and cinema. His notable film appearances include George Reddy (2019), Palasa 1978 (2020), Masooda (2022), and Pareshan (2023).
Naveen Polishetty is an Indian actor and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu films. Naveen made his debut with the film Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019). He then worked in the coming-of-age blockbuster film Chhichhore (2019), which marked his Hindi debut. Naveen subsequently worked in the comedy film Jathi Ratnalu (2021) and the romantic comedy Miss. Shetty Mr. Polishetty (2023).
Gaddam Padmaja Reddy is an Indian Kuchipudi exponent and music teacher. She performs ballets on mythological themes and contemporary social issues. She choreographed Kakatiyam, a Kuchipudi visual dance form. She was conferred with Kala Ratna in 2006, India's highest art award–Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2015 and Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in the field of art for 2022.
