Glossary of Indian Cinema
Definitions of Indian cinema terminology — the structural and stylistic concepts that shape how films are written, performed, and watched.
A
- Audio Launch— An audio launch is a public event marking the release of a film's soundtrack ahead of its theatrical release. …
B
- Blockbuster— A blockbuster, in the Indian context, is a film that performs well above industry-wide commercial expectations…
D
- Dubbed Version— A dubbed version is a release of a film in a language other than the language in which it was shot, achieved b…
F
- Family Entertainer— A family entertainer is a marketing and content category in Indian cinema describing films pitched as suitable…
H
- Hero Elevation— A hero elevation is a staging technique in Indian cinema, particularly in Tamil and Telugu mass films, that vi…
I
- Interval Block— The interval block is the sequence of scenes leading up to the mid-film intermission in Indian cinema, enginee…
- Item Number— An item number is a song-and-dance sequence inserted into an Indian film that is largely or entirely unconnect…
K
- Kollywood— Kollywood is the popular nickname for the Tamil-language film industry of India. The name is a portmanteau of …
M
- Mass Film— A mass film is a South Indian genre — most strongly associated with Tamil and Telugu cinema — built around a s…
- Mass Intro— The mass intro is the first on-screen appearance of the lead actor in a South Indian mass film, structured as …
- Mollywood— Mollywood is the popular nickname for the Malayalam-language film industry of Kerala. The name is a portmantea…
- Multi-Starrer— A multi-starrer is an Indian film featuring two or more top-billed lead actors who would each independently be…
P
- Pan-Indian Film— A pan-Indian film is one designed and released to play simultaneously across India's major language markets — …
- Pre-Release Event— A pre-release event is a large-scale, multi-hour public function held shortly before a film's theatrical relea…
- Punch Dialogue— A punch dialogue is a short, declarative line — usually delivered by the hero — engineered to land as a standa…
R
- Remake— A remake, in Indian cinema, is a freshly produced film that retells the story of an earlier film — typically f…
S
- Silver Jubilee— A silver jubilee, in Indian theatrical exhibition, refers to a film's continuous run of 25 weeks (175 days) at…
- Sleeper Hit— A sleeper hit is a film that opens to modest box-office numbers and limited critical attention, then accumulat…
- Star Vehicle— A star vehicle is a film built primarily around a single actor's screen persona, in which script, supporting c…
T
- Tollywood— Tollywood is the popular nickname most commonly used today for the Telugu-language film industry, headquartere…