Lollywood
Punjabi and Urdu cinema industry in Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lollywood is Pakistan's film industry, which has served as the base for both Urdu- and Punjabi-language film production.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][excessive citations]
| Lollywood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Main distributors | |
| Produced feature films (2024) | |
| Total | 100+ |
Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema since independence in 1947.[11][12] However, with the Urdu film hub largely shifting to Karachi[13][1] by 2007, the film industry in Lahore became synonymous with the Pakistani Punjabi film Industry.[citation needed][14][15]
According to several media sources, the word "Lollywood" is a portmanteau of "Lahore" and "Hollywood", coined in 1989 by Glamour magazine gossip columnist Saleem Nasir, and is usually used comparatively with respect to other film industries in South Asian cinema.
Etymology
"Lollywood" is a portmanteau derived from Lahore and "Hollywood", a shorthand reference for the American film industry, Hollywood.
History
Prior to the 1947 partition of India into the Republic of India and Pakistan, the Lahore film industry was initially part of the British Raj-era cinema of India. The Bombay cinema industry (now known as Hindi cinema or "Bollywood" in modern India) was closely linked to the Lahore film industry, as both produced films in the Hindustani language, also known as Hindi-Urdu, the lingua franca of northern and central British India.[16]
Films
Lollywood films in Punjabi were most popular in the 1960s and are often referred to as the golden age of Pakistani Punjabi cinema.[17]