Indian cinema tourism refers to the Indian film industry, which consists of multiple 'woods'. The largest is Bollywood, a portmanteau of the city of Mumbai's former name "Bombay" and "Hollywood". In fact it is the largest in the world by the number of feature films made each year, well ahead of Hollywood.
Other 'woods', smaller but still of significant size, include Tollywood (Telugu cinema), Sandalwood (Kannada cinema), Mollywood (Malayalam cinema), and Pollywood (Punjabi cinema).
As Indian cinema grows its global presence, so has Indian cinema tourism. Ardent fans visit famous shooting locations around the world, celebrity homes and other themed destinations.
Understand
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Indian cinema is one of the world’s largest and most diverse film ecosystems, producing thousands of movies each year across multiple languages and regional industries. For many travellers, cinema is more than entertainment — it’s a window into India’s cultures, landscapes, music, and storytelling traditions. From the glamour of Bollywood to the earthy realism of Malayalam cinema, each region offers its own cinematic identity, shaped by local history, language, and artistic sensibilities.
Cinema tourism in India has grown rapidly as iconic film locations, studios, and shooting spots become destinations in their own right. Travellers can visit the bustling film sets of Mumbai, the lush backwaters of Kerala seen in Malayalam films, the grand forts and palaces featured in Telugu blockbusters, or the vibrant fields and villages that define Punjabi cinema. Many visitors also explore film museums, studio tours, and live TV show recordings to experience the industry from the inside.
Indian films often blend music, dance, drama, and emotion in a way that reflects the country’s cultural diversity. Bollywood’s Hindi‑language productions are internationally recognised for their scale and spectacle, while Tollywood (Telugu) and Sandalwood (Kannada) have gained global attention through high‑energy action epics. Mollywood (Malayalam) is known for its realism and strong writing, and Pollywood (Punjabi) celebrates rural life, music, and diaspora stories. Watching films from different regions can help travellers understand the social themes, humour, and values that shape everyday life across India.
For many visitors, exploring Indian cinema becomes a journey through the country itself — its cities, festivals, food, fashion, and traditions. Whether you’re touring a studio, attending a film festival, or simply watching a local blockbuster in a packed theatre, cinema offers a uniquely immersive way to experience India’s cultural heartbeat.
Watch
[edit]Bollywood (Hindi)
[edit]Films:
[edit]- Lagaan – Period sports drama set in colonial India.
- 3 Idiots – Campus comedy‑drama with a strong emotional core.
- Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge – Iconic romance with global appeal.
- Gully Boy – Mumbai street‑rap coming‑of‑age story.
- Queen – Solo‑travel empowerment tale.
- Animal – Intense crime‑family drama known for its stylised action and bold themes.
- Dhurandhar (Parts 1 & 2) – Action‑drama duology centred on power, rivalry, and high‑stakes conflict.
TV/Streaming series:
[edit]- Sacred Games – Mumbai crime thriller.
- Made in Heaven – Drama set in Delhi’s wedding industry.
- Panchayat – Light‑hearted rural comedy‑drama.
- Delhi Crime – Police procedural based on real cases.
- Rocket Boys – Biographical drama on India’s early space program.
Tollywood (Telugu)
[edit]Films:
[edit]- Baahubali (Parts 1 & 2) – Epic fantasy action.
- RRR – Blockbuster historical action drama.
- Mahanati – Biopic of legendary actress Savitri.
- Jersey – Emotional sports drama.
- Eega – Fantasy revenge story with a unique twist.
TV/Streaming series:
[edit]- Unstoppable with NBK – Popular celebrity talk show.
- Loser – Sports anthology drama.
- Parampara – Crime‑family saga.
- Vyavastha – Legal thriller.
- Puli Meka – Crime investigation series.
Others
[edit]There are other major film industries with major films and TV series.
Destinations
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Mumbai
[edit]- 1 Film City (Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari). The film studio complex that serves as the venue for many shootings has since 2014 started guided tours taking you to historical and live shooting sets.
- 2 National Museum of Indian Cinema, Cumballa Hill. The museum houses artefacts, kiosks and digital sources of the history of Indian cinema.
Rest of India
[edit]- 3 Lucknow. Lucknow has a huge influence in Bollywood. It is the birthplace of numerous actors and several Bollywood movies were shot in the city.
- 4 Noida Film City, Noida, Uttar Pradesh (near Delhi). A complex of film studios and film sets. It has been the location for many Bollywood and other Indian films outside Mumbai.
- 5 Prayag Film City, Chandrakona, West Bengal. The only dedicated film city in West Bengal. It has replicas of famous monuments.
- 6 Ramoji Film City, Ranga Reddy, Telangana (near Hyderabad), [email protected]. The largest film studio in the world with a film-themed park. It is modelled after Universal City in California, United States. Many Telugu and Hindi films are produced here. The city encompasses massive buildings, gardens and other sets suitable for filming movies. Fans of Indian movies will find many locations where scenes from their favourite films were shot.
- 7 Tollygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal. The Hindi film industry was originally based in what was then known as Calcutta. The earliest superstars, including K.L. Saigal, Durga Khote, Kanan Devi and Prithviraj Kapoor established themselves in the films produced by the New Theatres (NT) film studio in Tollygunge during the 1930s. By the mid-1940s, the leading Hindi-speaking actors, writers and directors had shifted to Bombay but Tollygunge remained the fertile heartland of West Bengali cinema.
Rest of the world
[edit]- 8 Gstaad. Many Bollywood blockbusters have been filmed at the mountain resort town in Switzerland such that Gstaad now has multiple guided Bollywood tours showing visitors the locations of famous film scenes.