Outside a wigmaker’s in the Krishna Nagar neighbourhood of Hyderabad. May 2012.
For a Handful of Stardust
Tollywood, the Telugu-language film industry based in Hyderabad in southern India, often produces bigger and more movies than Bollywood, its popular Hindi-language counterpart.
Every year, thousands of aspiring actors and technicians move to Hyderabad, renting tiny quarters in the city’s Krishna Nagar and Indira Nagar neighbourhoods, to be close to the film studios and try their luck out in the industry.
Many come from small towns and villages and have no acting experience or the much-needed networks, influence or financial resources. They end up performing minor roles in movies, such as background actors or extras and hope to make it big in the industry someday.
Junior artists acting as Taliban fighters in a scene set in Pakistan at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. December 2012.
Preetham Alladi (23), shooting for the first scene of his new film, waits for the director’s cue to enter the frame. Hyderabad. July 2015.
Ashok, a young artiste and film set construction crew worker, rents a bed at a lodge in Krishna Nagar for INR 30 (USD 0.40) a night. July 2012.
Portfolio photographs of aspiring actors on display at a dance institute-cum-casting agency in Krishna Nagar, Hyderabad. May 2012.
Film sets at Ramoji Film City, the largest film studio complex in the world, in Hyderabad. December 2012.
Sonam, an actress from Mumbai, on the sets of a horror thriller in Hyderabad. Local filmmakers prefer actresses from Mumbai and northern parts of India for their fair skin and willingness to wear more revealing outfits. October 2014.
Lakavath Chanti (20), who has just started looking for movie opportunities, gets his portfolio shot in Hyderabad. May 2015.
Junior artists on the sets of Baahubali, a period drama in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. October 2014.
Mohammed Nazeem Ali (32) manages his family’s elevator business, but his fascination for movies led him to produce a movie in which he also plays the lead role. October 2014.
Anil Kumar Kuntapaka (21), Arun Kumar Yalanati (26) and Vinod Kumar Giriboina (28) engage themselves in a game of carrom at the office of the newly formed Telangana State Junior Artists Association in Indira Nagar, Hyderabad. March 2015.
A junior artist waiting early in the morning for casting agents to arrive and choose actors, stands in front of obituaries for a junior artist who had passed away a few days ago. August 2015.
Kumar and Mallesh, both aspiring actors and roommates, go shopping for food in the Krishna Nagar neighbourhood of Hyderabad. May 2012.
A festive pandal comes up on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi in Krishna Nagar, Hyderabad. September 2015.
An actor rests during a break between shots in Hyderabad. August 2015.
A junior artist waits outside the sets of a movie in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. October 2014.
Anitha Mukkurala (23) and Kavya Reddy Gurram (24), apply glycerin in their eyes ahead of an emotional scene. The two became friends working together in a film and now look out for each other and exchange information about opportunities. August 2015.
Ramesh Tummala (19), playing the devil in a horror movie, waits as the lights are adjusted for appropriate effect in Hyderabad. August 2015.
Junior artists rest during a break in between shots on the sets of Baahubali, a period drama in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. October 2014.
Sai (23) acts falling unconscious after being struck by a supernatural force on the sets of a horror film in Hyderabad. August 2015.
An actor during a break between shots in Hyderabad. August 2015.
Moviegoers started lining up at 4 AM for tickets to the first show of Baahubali, one of the most expensive Indian films ever, at a theatre in Hyderabad. July 2015.
After one and a half years of trying to land a good role in the film industry, Arun Kumar Yalanati (26) quits and makes a few calls to a junior artiste agent who owes him money before leaving. May 2015.