Chennai (formerly known as Madras) is the gateway to Southern India and the largest city in southern India located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, developed after 1639 when the British East India Company established a fort and trading post at the small fishing village of Chennai. It is the capital city of Tamilnadu state. This coastal center of trade has drawn traffic from all over the world for centuries and maintains a cosmopolitan quality as well as a Tamil air. The center of South India's film industry, its skyline is ablaze with bright movie billboards advertising the latest celluloid fantasies