When you think of Hyderabad on screen, the first images that come to mind might be the towering Charminar or the sprawling Golconda Fort. But if there is one place that truly dominates the cinematic landscape, it is Ramoji Film City.
Recognised by the Guinness World Records as the largest film studio complex in the world, this location is not just a backdrop, it is the beating heart of countless Indian films. In this article, Siasat.com explores this grand location and how it has transformed into a tourist spot where fans can experience the cinema up close.
The city of larger-than-life sets
If you think of Ramoji Film City simply as studio floors, think again. It’s a sprawling universe of permanent and flexible sets, backdrops, and mock-architectures, all crafted to meet nearly every filming need. Spread across 1,666 acres, it houses more than 300 permanent sets and 50 studio floors, each designed to cater to almost every story a filmmaker could imagine.
There are lavish palaces, Mughal gardens, and havelis for historical dramas, modern apartments, hospitals, police stations, airports, and railway stations for contemporary stories, and even foreign-style boulevards and themed streets that save filmmakers the trouble of shooting abroad. For rural backdrops, villages and bazaars are permanently in place, while landscaped gardens, lakes, and wooded areas add natural beauty.
Flexibility is its biggest strength. Sets can be adapted, facades repainted, and signboards swapped to fit different scripts. To keep up with new technology, Ramoji Film City also offers virtual production studios, allowing directors to seamlessly merge live-action with CGI environments. Add to that in-house departments for set design, props, costumes, and logistics, and it becomes clear why Ramoji is called a “city within a city.”
Films shot at Ramoji Film City
Ramoji Film City has been the canvas for thousands of films across industries and languages. From extravagant sets to controlled shooting environments, the studio offers everything a filmmaker could dream of. Here is how different industries have made the most of it.
Bollywood- For Bollywood, Ramoji Film City is a one-stop solution to replicate cities, palaces, or even entire worlds. Notable movies like Shah Rukh Khan‘s Chennai Express, Dilwale, The Dirty Picture, Ra One, Golmaal Again, Krrish 3, Tere Naam, Sarkar Raj, All The Best, Suryavansham and many more have been filmed here. This is not at all the full list.
Tollywood– As the home industry, Tollywood cinema makes the grandest use of Ramoji Film City. Some popular films include SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali series, RRR, Pushpa: The Rise, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, and many more.
Cross-language Cinema – Over 2,000 films in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and even international projects have been shot at Ramoji since its inception in 1996. Some notable names are Robot, Leo and Kalki 2898 AD.
The tourist side of cinema
While filmmakers see Ramoji Film City as a ready-made studio, tourists experience it as a wonderland. Opened to the public in 1996, it has since become one of Hyderabad’s biggest attractions, drawing more than a million visitors each year.
Guests can explore guided tours that take them behind the scenes of famous sets, from royal courts and vintage streets to lush gardens and extravagant palaces. Replica locations like airports, railway stations, and even foreign-style avenues give visitors the thrill of “walking inside a movie.”
Beyond sets, Ramoji film city offers live shows, stunt performances, and themed rides that make the visit more than just a sightseeing trip. Families enjoy amusement zones, bird parks, and adventure activities, while film enthusiasts often find joy in spotting the exact spots where their favourite scenes were shot.
With hotels, food courts, and resorts inside the premises, Ramoji is not just a day-trip destination but a complete holiday experience. It is this dual identity, part working film studio, part tourist park, that makes it one of Hyderabad’s most unique landmarks.
