Kodi Ramakrishna was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor. One of the most prolific directors of Telugu cinema, he directed over 100 feature films in a variety of genres. He is known as a celluloid visionary who introduced high-end visual effects to the South Indian film industry through his supernatural fantasy films. In 2012, he received the state Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for his lifetime contribution to Telugu cinema.

Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad. As of 2021, Telugu cinema is the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office. Telugu films sold 23.3 crore tickets in 2022, the highest among various film industries in India.