Long before the glass towers of Hyderabad defined Telugu cinema, filmmakers set their lenses on the shores of Visakhapatnam. For more than 60 years, this coastal city – home to beaches, hills, colonial-era architecture, university campuses and lush green valleys – has been shining on the silver screen.
What started with a historical black-and-white film in the early 1960s gradually turned into a tradition that attracted directors from Telugu, Tamil, Oriya and other film industries to the city.
One of them is Tollywood director Praveen Kandregula, who says that filming in Visakhapatnam rarely feels like work, adding that the city is one of the most versatile outdoor filming locations in southern India. One of his recent directorial roles was Subham (2025).
He says the film’s shooting schedule of about 25 days, which was primarily shot in Bheemili, a town 30 kilometers from Visakhapatnam, felt more like a holiday than a shooting schedule. “We chose Bhimili as the primary location for the film because the town’s expansive beaches, wide frames and endless views provided us with visual scale.”
“It doesn’t feel like you’re traveling somewhere else. It feels like you’re in your hometown,” says the director, who grew up in Visakhapatnam and worked as a cinematographer in films shot in the city before becoming a director.
Their experience is just the latest chapter in a cinematic relationship spanning more than six decades.
For a retired professor who witnessed the shooting of his first big film in his childhood, for a veteran actor whose journey from theater to cinema began in Visakhapatnam, and for a contemporary filmmaker who keeps returning home with his camera, the city is more than a backdrop. It is a permanent character in itself.
before the cameras come
For Dr Rachakonda Parvathi, 70, a retired professor of physiology at Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam’s association with cinema dates back to before the advent of big film units. She remembers the Beach Road of her childhood as a wonderful drive, where the road climbed gently towards Andhra University, offering uninterrupted views of the sea, red dunes and dense greenery.
The beautiful villa overlooking the beach was lived in by actor and dancer Jayshree, who lives in L.K. in Kanchu Kota. Known for his performances with Vijayalakshmi. The city also has an early association with Waheeda Rehman, who spent part of her childhood in Visakhapatnam while her father was posted here.
Dr. Parvathy recalls that Rahman studied at St. Joseph’s Convent before making his Telugu debut in Rozulu Marayi. These memories are part of the city’s lesser-known cinematic history.
Yet it was Kula Gothralu (1962), starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Krishna Kumari, that firmly established Visakhapatnam as a filming destination. Film historians generally consider it to be the first feature film shot extensively in the city. “The shooting of Kula Gothralu became the most talked about event in Visakhapatnam,” says Dr. Parvathi. “ANR and Krishna Kumari were showered with a lot of love. People treated them as if they belonged to the city.”
Every morning, residents would wait anxiously to know where the unit would shoot next.
One day it was Scandal Point overlooking the sea. Another day it was the Sri Satyanarayana Swamy Temple inside Andhra Medical College. On another occasion it was the Simhachalam temple. “The whole city seemed to revolve around the film,” she says.
The film became an unintentional visual archive of Visakhapatnam in the early 1960s. The couple filmed against the dolphin’s nose, capturing the shoreline from the ocean. The casuarina trees of Lawson’s Bay, the coconut plantations of Yarada, the stone steps leading to the Simhachalam Temple and the sweeping views of Isuka Konda all appeared on the screen.
Even Pirla Koneru, which is today the Vizag Central Shopping Complex, and the clusters of thatched houses found a place in the film, preserving images of a city that has since changed beyond recognition.
Theater opened the doors to cinema
If Kula Gothralu introduced the city to filmmakers, the flourishing theater movement of the 1960s and 1970s helped supply actors. One of them was Sushil Kumar Misro, whose acting career began around 1965 while studying at AVN College. Later, he completed a diploma course in acting and direction at the Department of Theater Arts, Andhra University, while continuing to perform with his theater troupe.
His entry into films came unexpectedly. Producer AP Gangadhar Rao and director BV Prasad were scouting locations and new faces in Visakhapatnam when they saw a rehearsal at the Convocation Theatre. “He silently watched our rehearsal and walked away,” Mr. Misoro recalls. “Later they came back and told me there was a role for me.”
This opportunity led to her screen debut in Needeleni Adadi (1974), after which she started receiving more offers. “We never dreamed of entering cinema,” he says. “We just saw it as another role, just like acting on stage.”
Balachander discovered Vizag
Only a few filmmakers in Visakhapatnam got K. He is remembered with the same affection as Balachander. His landmark film Maro Charitra (1978), starring Kamal Haasan and Sarita, transformed the city’s dramatic coastline into one of the most recognizable visual landscapes in Indian cinema.
Mr. Misro, who played Sarita’s brother-in-law in the film, says that Balachander fell in love with “the geography of the city”. “He loved Visakhapatnam – the hills, the beaches and the waves,” he recalls. “Madras has a coastline on Marina Beach, but it doesn’t have the rocky coastline and hills like Vizag. He was probably the first filmmaker to fully exploit the city’s natural beauty on screen.”
The film was shot in Gangavaram, the Red Hills near the coast and Bheemunipatnam. Its climax was shot inside a dilapidated building near Bheemunipatnam, which Mr. Misro believes dates back to the Second World War.
Balachander’s influence extended beyond places. Coming from a theater background, he cast established actors as well as a number of local artists, including Dr. Tambu and Dr. Adams.
“The atmosphere on his set was never formal,” says Mr. Misoro. “He treated me like a friend.” His admiration for Visakhapatnam left a lasting impression on later filmmakers. Mr. Misro remembers that director K. Vishwanath, with whom he later worked on about nine films, generally avoided using locations that Balachander had already filmed, partly out of professional respect.
Among Vishwanath’s films, Sagar Sangamam (1983) was partly shot at the Park Hotel in Visakhapatnam. Mr. Misoro recalls that two adjacent buildings of the erstwhile Park Hotel were used as neighboring houses in the film. Over the years, he acted in about 55 films and more than 30 television serials, a career he says brought him “more respect than money”.
For contemporary filmmakers, Visakhapatnam offers a rare diversity of landscapes. Within a few hours’ drive are beaches, fishing villages, wooded hills, waterfalls, coffee plantations, colonial buildings and heritage institutions.
Mr. Kandregula says the century-old buildings of Andhra University are one of his favorite filming locations. “They have a timeless character that is hard to find elsewhere,” he says. “The campus is filled with large trees, and visually it works beautifully.” His recent film Subham made extensive use of Bheemunipatnam’s Dutch-era buildings and clock tower, while other parts were shot at Rushikonda, Teneti Park and Beach Road.
Further inland is the Araku Valley, which he describes as “our own mini-Ooty”. “We have returned there again and again for songs and outdoor scenes. It is one of the most beautiful places to shoot,” says director Subham.
“There’s not just one good location,” he says. “There are countless locations that are perfect for filming.” He further says, the environment is equally important. “Vizag is away from chaos. The sea gives you peace. Shooting here is mentally calming.”
a disused film center
Despite its cinematic heritage, Visakhapatnam has never developed into a permanent production center compared to Hyderabad or Chennai. Most actors, directors and technicians who start their careers in the city eventually move elsewhere.
Mr Kandregula believes this should change. “Vizag has extraordinary artistic talent,” he says. “Many people move to Hyderabad, Mumbai or even abroad. I have always felt that Vizag has the potential to become a major hub of entertainment and cinema.”
He points to the availability of coastal locations, diverse landscapes and relatively relaxed shooting permissions as advantages that may encourage greater investment in film production. Whether that vision will be realized remains uncertain. Unlike Hyderabad, where studios, post-production facilities and associated industries have grown together over decades, Visakhapatnam remains largely an peripheral location rather than a fully integrated production ecosystem. Yet the city’s relationship with cinema is deepening.
In recent years, Telugu films such as C/O Kanchanapalem, Majili, Jaanu, Hit: The Second Case and Valtair Veeraiya, as well as Tamil productions such as Singam 3, have continued to showcase Visakhapatnam’s beaches, neighbourhoods, port and other sites, confirming the city’s enduring appeal as a filming location.
For Dr Parvathy, the city has changed almost beyond recognition since watching Kula Gothralu being filmed more than six decades ago. Quiet beaches have become busy resorts. Coconut trees have replaced apartment blocks. The small town where film stars attracted crowds wherever they went has become one of India’s largest port cities.
Yet one thing has remained remarkably constant.
Filmmakers continue to return.
