Gosh. Until I read this question, I hadn't really separated the two. However, in looking at some of the films coming out of India that I have seen, and trying to categorize them as Bollywood or Tollywood the answer seems to be Tollywood. There have been some edgy dramas coming out of there that are willing to tackle some hairy issues. I'm particularly intrigued by the work of Aparna Sen. Her heroines are complex and interesting and she focuses a lot on issues affecting Indian women.

My general feeling is that for years Indian cinema has been drawing a lot of stylistic influence from American films of the 40's and 50's. Not just the big, flashy musicals, but also the slightly stilted and overacted performances of that era. The move to more naturalistic cinema is interesting to observe.

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