Minister for Roads and Buildings, National Highways, Civil Aviation and Cinema Komatireddy Venkat Reddy along with leading film industry leaders and actors at the Telangana Rising Global Summit at Bharat Future City in Kandukur Mandal, Rangareddy District on Tuesday. | Photo credit: NAGARA GOPAL
At the Telangana Rising Global Summit 2025, the government set an ambitious vision to transform the state into a global creative hub by 2047 and brought together leading filmmakers, producers, actors and investors in a panel discussion titled ‘Cinema 2047: Transforming Telangana into a Global Creative Hub’. The session explored how the industry and government could work together to build an ecosystem that fosters storytelling, fosters talent and brings Indian cinema to the world.
Before the panel discussion, Telangana Minister for Roads and Buildings, National Highways, Civil Aviation and Cinema Komatireddy Venkat Reddy delivered a keynote address that traced the historical development of Hyderabad’s film industry while outlining the state’s long-term creative ambitions. The minister followed the line of studio development, starting with Sarathi Studios in 1956, followed by Ramakrishna and Annapurna Studios in 1976, then Padmalaya Studios in 1984 and Ramanaidu Studios in 1989.
After the minister’s speech, a panel discussion moderated by actor Arjun Kapoor began with producer Daggubati Suresh Babu’s reflection on the journey of the industry over the last 25 to 30 years. He recalled how little tax incentive and government support led to the Telugu film industry shifting from Chennai to Hyderabad, where a strong infrastructure was quickly developed. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra argued that creative excellence must come before infrastructure. He called for a specialized school of writing and said India must nurture young storytellers driven by pride, diversity and curiosity.
Malayalam actor Asif Ali said that Hyderabad serves as the technological backbone of the Malayalam industry, providing advanced facilities and creative support. The Telugu industry, he said, feels “20 years ahead” and expressed enthusiasm for deeper collaboration. Producer Allu Arvind emphasized that global stories start locally. Referring to Kantara and Pushpa, he said that sincerity and rootedness mattered more than trying to imitate international franchises.
Producer Shyam Prasad Reddy described cinema as one of the most powerful forms of influence capable of shaping culture across borders. Using the example of Tampopo, the Japanese film that sparked global interest in ramen, he illustrated the power of cinema to drive economic opportunity.
Actor-director Ritesh Deshmukh said India needs to build integrated film cities and formal training institutes to boost production, direction and technical talent. According to him, regional cinema only succeeds if it is deeply rooted in the culture, from which its universality shines through.
The discussion also turned to women in cinema. Director and producer Zoya Akhtar said Mumbai succeeded because major production houses and male stars trusted female directors and created safe, respectful and inclusive scenes. Actress Genelia Deshmukh said she always felt safe and respected in Hyderabad. Early in her career, she was often the only woman on set, but the presence of strong female producers inspired her to believe she could do more.
Bengali filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury said that with state support, incentives and modern technology, inter-regional stories could flourish, including those rooted in both West Bengal and Hyderabad.
Published – 9 Dec 2025 23:50 IST
