By SHEIKH SAALIQ

HYDERABAD, India (AP) — A fast-rising parallel film industry in India is competing with Bollywood’s musicals and action-packed films and has taken the world by storm: It’s called Tollywood.

As Mumbai is to Hindi films — or Bollywood — the southern Indian city of Hyderabad is to movies made in Telugu, one of the country’s most widely spoken languages. Tollywood films like “RRR” and “Baahubali” have achieved international acclaim at the box office and on the awards stage. • A visitor sits on a throne on the sets of Bahubali in Ramoji Film City, in Hyderabad, India, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) • Visitors explore the sets of the film ‘Bahubali’ in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, India, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) • Filmmaker

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