Hindi film distribution circuits

Hindi film distribution circuits comprise territories which have been created by film distributors for releasing Hindi cinema or Hindustani cinema (as it was earlier known) across India. The six distribution circuits were created in 1930s after the advent of the first talkie in 1931. These circuits were:^[1][2][3]

• Bombay circuit
• Eastern circuit
• Delhi-U.P. circuit,
• C.P.-C.I.-Rajasthan circuit
• Punjab circuit
• South circuit

Presently territories for distribution of Hindi films are divided into eleven territories. These are.^[4]

Circuit name	Comprising territories
Bombay circuit	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Goa, Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka. (comprises areas that formed the erstwhile Bombay State and Portuguese-ruled colonies)
Delhi circuit	Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand
Nizam circuit	Telangana, parts of Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka. (Comprises areas that formed the erstwhile Nizam State)
East Punjab circuit	Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Punjab,
Eastern circuit	Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and West Bengal. As well as Bhutan and Nepal.
C. P. Berar circuit	Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Southern and Eastern Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. (Comprises areas that formed the erstwhile Central Provinces and Berar)
Central India circuit	Northern and Western Madhya Pradesh.
Rajasthan circuit	Rajasthan
Mysore circuit	Bengaluru and parts of Karnataka (Comprises areas that formed the erstwhile Mysore State)
Tamil Nadu circuit	Lakshadweep, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu
Andhra circuit	Andhra Pradesh

Amongst the above territories Bombay circuit is considered by the distributors as having potential for maximum earnings.^[1] An additional territory known as overseas territory also exists.^[5] However, Hindi movies in Nepal & Bhutan are released by distributors through the Eastern circuit.^[1]