South Asian cinema refers to thecinema ofAfghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,India,Maldives,Nepal,Pakistan, andSri Lanka.^[1][2][3] The broader terms Asian cinema, Eastern cinema and Oriental cinema in common usage often encompassSouth Asia as well asEast Asia andSoutheast Asia.^[2]

Cinema is prominent in South Asia, with theBollywood (representing the most-spoken language in the region ofHindi) andSouth Indian film industries being the most dominant.^[4][5] Pakistan'sLollywood also is growing,^[6] while historically,Bengali cinema was highly acclaimed by international film circles.^[7][8]

The scope of South Asian cinema is huge and takes in a wide array of differentfilm styles, linguistic regions, andgenres. South Asian cinema is particularly famous in the West for:

• Melodramatic films
  • Action films
  • Curry Westerns
  • Escapism
  • Musicals
  • Romance films
  • Masala films
• Parallel cinema
  • Drama films
  • Thriller films
  • Art films
  • Indian neo-noir
  • Neorealism
• Heroic bloodshed
• Historical drama

Bangladeshi cinema, is theBengali language film industry based inDhaka,Bangladesh. The industry often generally referred to asDhakai Cinema orDhallywood, has been a significant film industry since the early 1970s. The 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and the first half of the 1990s were the golden years for Bangladeshi films as the industry produced many successful films. The industry has recently begun receiving international acclaim and many Bangladeshi films are getting released internationally.

India contains manystate languages which have film industries centered on them.

• Assamese cinema, theAssamese-language film industry based inGuwahati,Assam.
• Bengali cinema, popularly known as "Tollywood", theBengali-language film industry based inKolkata,West Bengal and the state ofTripura.
• Bhojpuri cinema, theBhojpuri-language film industry based in the state ofBihar.
• Chhattisgarhi cinema, theChhattisgarhi-language film industry based in the state ofChhattisgarh.
• Dogri cinema, theDogri-language film industry based inJammu and Kashmir.
• Gujarati cinema, theGujarati-language film industry based inAhmedabad,Gujarat.
• Haryanvi cinema, theHaryanvi-language film industry based in the state ofHaryana.
• Hindi cinema, popularly known as "Bollywood", theHindi-language film industry based inMumbai,Maharashtra.
• Kannada cinema, popularly known as "Sandalwood", theKannada-language film industry based inBangalore,Karnataka.
• Kashmiri cinema, theKashmiri-language film industry based inJammu and Kashmir andLadakh.
• Malayalam cinema, popularly known as "Mollywood", theMalayalam-language film industry based inKochi,Kerala andThiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• Marathi cinema, theMarathi-language film industry based inMumbai,Maharashtra andPune, Maharashtra.
• Meitei cinema, theMeitei-language film industry based inImphal,Manipur.
• Cinema of Odisha, popularly known as "Ollywood", theOdia-language film industry based inBhubaneshwar,Odisha andCuttack, Odisha.
• Punjabi cinema, popularly known as "Pollywood", thePunjabi-language film industry based in the state ofPunjab.
• Cinema of Rajasthan, theRajasthani-language film industry based in the state ofRajasthan.
• Santali cinema, theSantali-language film industry based in the states ofJharkhand andOdisha.
• Tamil cinema, popularly known as "Kollywood", theTamil-language film industry based inChennai,Tamil Nadu.
• Telugu cinema, popularly known as "Tollywood", theTelugu-language film industry based inHyderabad,Telangana and the state ofAndhra Pradesh.
• Tulu cinema, theTulu-language film industry based inMangalore,Karnataka.

• Nepali film industry, theNepali film industry based inKathmandu, has recently begun receiving international acclaim with films such asThe Black Hen (2015),Kagbeni (2006),Dying Candle (2016) and others.
• Tharu Cinema based inTerai,Tharuhat is the home of theTharu languagescinema.

• Balochi cinema, based inQuetta,Balochistan is the home of Balochi language film productions.
• Lollywood, based inLahore,Punjab forPunjabi cinema andKarachi,Sindh forUrdu cinema.
• Pashto cinema, based inPeshawar,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the home of Pashto language film productions.
• Sindhi cinema, based inKarachi,Sindh,Pakistan is the home of the Sindhi language film productions.

• Sri Lankan cinema
  • Sri Lankan Tamil cinema
• Bhutanese cinema
• Afghan cinema

• A. R. Murugadoss – Tamil director (Ghajini,Ghajini,Thuppakki,Kaththi,Sarkar,Darbar)
• Abu Shahed Emon
• Anil Ravipudi
• Adoor Gopalakrishnan – Malayalam director (Elippathayam,Swayamvaram).
• Alamgir Kabir
• Amitabh Reza Chowdhury
• Anurag Kashyap - (Gangs of Wasseypur,Black Friday)
• Aparna Sen – Indian Bengali actress and director (36 Chowringhee Lane,Mr. and Mrs. Iyer).
• Ashutosh Gowariker – Contemporary Hindi actor, director and producer (Lagaan).
• Asoka Handagama - recognized as the pioneer of Sri Lankan cinema's ‘ third revolution’
• Balu Mahendra –Sri Lanka-born Tamil andMalayalam director (Sandhya Raagam,Veedu).
• Basu Chatterjee – (Chitchor).
• Bharathiraja – Tamil director who captured village life (Muthal Mariyathai,Vedham Pudhithu).
• Bimal Roy – Hindi film director (Devdas,Do Bigha Zameen).
• Boyapati Srinu
• Budhhadeb Dasgupta –Uttara, internationally acclaimed filmmaker known for surrealism and magical realism.
• Chashi Nazrul Islam
• Dasari Narayana Rao
• Deepa Mehta – Indian-born Canadian director best known for her "elements trilogy".Fire,Earth,Water).
• Dharmasena Pathiraja - Widely recognized as the pioneer of Sri Lankan cinema's ‘second revolution’
• Ehtesham
• EVV Satyanarayana
• Fateh Lohani
• Girish Karnad – (Anand Bhairavi).
• Govind Nihalani – Cinematographer and director.
• Gurinder Chadha – British director (Bend It Like Beckham,Bride and Prejudice).
• Guru Dutt – Hindi actor, director and producer of the 1950s and '60s (Mr. & Mrs. '55,Kaagaz Ke Phool,Pyaasa).
• Hrishikesh Mukherjee – Hindi film director known for (Anand,Abhimaan).
• Humayun Ahmed – One of the most successful writers and directors ofBangladesh.
• K. Asif –Mughal-e-Azam
• K. Balachander – Tamil director.
• K. Raghavendra Rao
• K. S. Ravikumar – Tamil film director (Muthu,Padayappa,Dasavathaaram)
• K. Viswanath – Telugu director known for films likeSankarabharanam,Swathi Muthyam,Swayam Krushi.
• Kamal Amrohi –MahalPakeezahRazia Sultan
• Kamar Ahmed Saimon
• Ketan Mehta – (Bhavni Bhavai,Maya Memsaab).
• Khan Ataur Rahman
• Krishna Vamsi
• Lester James Peries - Considered as the father of Sri Lankan cinema
• Madhur Bhandarkar – Director and screenwriter (Page 3,Chandni Bar).
• Malaka Dewapriya - is a contemporary young Sri Lankan filmmaker
• Mahboob
• Mani Ratnam – Generally works in Tamil films but has worked in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada industries. (Kannathil Muthamittal,Guru).
• Mani Shankar – Director of Bollywood action thrillers (16 December,Tango Charlie)
• Manmohan Desai – (Parvarish,Amar Akbar Anthony).
• Mira Nair – (Monsoon Wedding,Salaam Bombay!).
• Morshedul Islam
• Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
• Mrinal Sen – Bengali film director, has won awards at major film festivals (Baishey Shravan,Bhuvan Shome).
• Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar – (America! America!!,Amruthadhaare).
• Narayan Ghosh Mita
• Nasir Hussain – (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak)
• Nischal Basnet – (Loot,Loot 2)
• Partho Sen-Gupta – Avant-garde independent director (Hava Aney Dey).
• Prakash Jha – Contemporary Hindi director (Gangaajal,Apaharan).
• Prakash Mehra – (Zanjeer,Hera Pheri).
• Prashanta Nanda – Oriya film director who won most of the National Awards for his contribution forOriya Film Industry.
• Prashanta Nanda - recognized as the pioneer of realistict cinema at third generation in the Sri Lankan cinema.’
• Puri Jagannadh
• Puttanna Kanagal – (Belli moda).
• Rajkumar Santoshi – (Ghayal,Andaz Apna Apna).
• Rakesh Roshan – (Karan Arjun,Krrish).
• Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra – Director and screenwriter (Aks,Rang De Basanti).
• Ram Gopal Varma – (Shiva,Rangeela).
• Ramesh Sippy – (Sholay,Andaz)
• Ritwik Ghatak – Bengali film director, (Nagarik,Meghe Dhaka Tara).
• S. S. Rajamouli – Telugu film director, (Baahubali: The Beginning,Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,RRR).
• S. Shankar – Tamil director and producer (Gentleman,Indian,Mudhalvan,Anniyan,Sivaji: The Boss,Enthiran,I,2.0)
• Saawan Kumar
• Sanjay Gupta – (Zinda)
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali – (Devdas,Black)
• Santosh Sivan – Award-winning cinematographer and director (The Terrorist,Asoka).
• Satyajit Ray – Bengali film director, widely regarded as one of the greatestauteurs of 20th century cinema (Apu trilogy).
• Shekhar Kapur –British India-born director and producer (Elizabeth,Bandit Queen).
• Shyam Benegal – Important part of the New India Cinema movement (Ankur,Bhumika).
• Sonali Gulati – contemporary independent filmmaker, activist, and feminist who has made award-winning documentary and experimental films.
• Subhash Dutta
• Sudhir Mishra – Contemporary director and screenwriter (Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi,Chameli).
• Sukumar
• S.V. Krishna Reddy
• Syed Noor
• Tanvir Mokammel
• Tareque Masud
• Trivikram
• Tulsi Ghimire – Nepali movie director (Known forKusume Rumal,Lahure,Darpan Chaya)
• Upendra – (A,Om).
• V. Shantaram – Hindi director and actor (Do Aankhen Barah Haath).
• Vidhu Vinod Chopra – (An Encounter with Faces,1942: A Love Story).
• Vijay Anand – Bollywood actor, director, and producer mainly during the 1960s and '70s. (Johnny Mera Naam,Jewel Thief)
• Vikram Bhatt – (Inteha,Deewane Huye Pagal).
• Yash Chopra – Veteran producer and director (Waqt,Deewaar).
• Yograj Bhat – (Mungaru Male).
• Zahir Raihan
• Tulsi Ghimire – Nepali movie director (Known forKusume Rumal,Lahure,Darpan Chaya)

• Cinema of the world
• Music of South Asia
• Alpavirama South Asian Short Film Festival (Alpavirama)
• Asian cinema
• World cinema
• Sambalpuri Cinema
• List of Hollywood-inspired nicknames
• East Asian cinema
• Southeast Asian cinema

• Contemporary Asian Cinema, Anne Tereska Ciecko, editor. Berg, 2006.ISBN 1-84520-237-6

• Cinema of Asia
• Cinema of Asia by region

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata