Mumbai Telugus are ethnic-Telugus in Mumbai. There are about 5,00,000 Telugu-language speakers in Mumbai.[ citation needed ] This includes both native Mumbaikars, and those born in the Telugu states, or elsewhere in the Telugu diaspora.
The presence of the Telugu community in Maharashtra dates back to the era of Chhatrapati Shivaji of the Maratha Empire. Historical records indicate that a significant migration of Telugus to Maharashtra occurred during the 17th century.[ citation needed ]
A devastating famine in Hyderabad State fueled fresh migration to Mumbai in the early 20th century, when the city was in the midst of a textile and real estate boom.[ citation needed ] Many Telugu Padmasalis joined textile mills. Others helped construct notable Mumbai landmarks such as the Metro Cinema and the art-deco apartments in South Mumbai. Sayajirao Silam and Narasimha Puppala, Mumbai's leading political figures in the 1950s, were Telugus. [1] [2]