Factionist cinema was a reigning genre in Telugu cinema for a good period of time in the late 1990s and the 2000s. The genre centers on factions: organized groups (often led by a "Reddy" or a local landlord) involved in long-standing blood feuds, often spanning generations. Samarasimha Reddy, Narasimha Naidu, Indra, Chennakesava Reddy, and Aadi are among the most notable ones belonging to the genre.
In a speech on the floor of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, on Friday, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu made a reference to the genre in the context of speaking about how his government almost "rooted out" factionism in the Seema region from the 1995-2004 period. "Chiranjeevi garu, Balakrishna garu and Pawan Kalyan garu have made movies in the genre. Factionism destroyed several families. I resolved to end the problem," CBN told the Assembly.
