Kollywood: Cinema in Chennai

Written by Viator, August 2012

RECOMMENDATION Keywords:
Cultural Experience, Film & Cinema, Pop Culture, Popular with Locals, Tip - What to See & Do, Theater, Town / City

Information

You’ve heard of Bollywood, but have you heard of Kollywood? Of the Indian film industry, Chennai’s Kodambakkam district is second only to Mumbai (Bollywood) when it comes to the number of films produced.

Tamil Movie Recommendations

Whether you’re visiting Chennai or sitting in your living room, there are a few films you should watch if you plan to impress fellow Kollywood fans with your knowledge.

Endhiran - The 2010 film Endhiran, the highest grossing Indian film of all time, stars Tamil pop icon Rajnikanth as both a scientist and his robot creation who goes rogue and falls in love with his creator’s fiancé.
Dasavatharam - Set during the weeks leading up to the 2004 tsunami, sci-fi thriller Dasavatharam follows the stories of several individuals, an American biotechnology weapons specialist in particular, as they race to keep a deadly chemical from falling into the wrong hands.
Sivaji - Sivaji, also starring Rajnikanth, is a police thriller centered on a software engineer who must fight corruption in his quest to offer free medical care and education to society.
Chandramukhi - For horror buffs, give Chandramukhi a watch. The film, again starring Rajnikanth, tells the story of a beautiful dancer who was burned alive by her father-in-law and continues to haunt an abandoned mansion.
Mankatha - An action-thriller heist movie with a twist of betrayal, Mankatha enjoyed the second highest grossing opening weekend ever, after Endhiran.

Visiting a Chennai Cinema

The city of Chennai has dozens of movie theaters scattered around town, and most of them screen from Kollywood, Bollywood and abroad. If you really want to see a Kollywood movie, ask which films are in the Tamil language. Some theaters offer English subtitles on their Tamil and Hindi movies during certain showings or days of the week, so call before you head to the theater. Unlike movie theaters in the United States, seats are assigned in Indian theaters. Many theaters allow you to book your tickets and choose your seats online, and a few even let you order your snacks ahead of time to be delivered to your seat. Sit back and enjoy the show.

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