20+ Best South Indian Movies: List of Thriller, Love Story & Comedy Films

Finally, South Indian movies have started getting their dues. Once known as laid back film Industry, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada film industries have raised their bars in different genres with some of their top-rated flicks that have not only broken box office records in India bit across the globe. With the likes of Bahubali 1 and 2, several South Indian movies are giving good competition to other film industries. Also, many movies from the South have remade in Bollywood that itself says it all! Here we have combined a list of the best south Indian movies that one must watch. The good part, all these movies are available in Hindi as well!

List of Top South Indian Movies 

1. Jawan (2023)

Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Atlee Kumar

Language: Hindi

The Hindi-language action-thriller Jawan will soon be released from Atlee. In addition to Deepika Padukone and Vijay Sethupathi, it also features Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role, Nayanthara, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani, and Sanya Malhotra. For the film, Anirudh Ravichander composed the music.
Between September 2021 and February 2023, filming was done in Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Aurangabad. On June 2, 2023, the movie will make its theatrical debut.

2. Jailer (2023)

Star Cast: Rajinikanth as Muthuvel Pandian, Shiva Rajkumar, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishnan

Director: Nelson Dilipkumar

Language: Tamil

Writing, directing, and producing the action-comedy Jailer for Sun Pictures’ Tamil release in India was Kalanithi Maran. Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah, Shiva Rajkumar, and Rajinikanth are all present.

The film was officially announced in February 2022 and given the working title Thalaivar 169 because it was Rajinikanth’s 169th movie. In June, the name Jailer was made public. Beginning in August 2022, filming began. The music for the film was composed by Anirudh Ravichander.

3. 777 Charlie (2022)

Star Cast: Charlie, Rakshit Shetty, Sangeetha Sringeri, Raj B.Shetty, Danish Sait, Bobby Simha

Director: Kiranraj K.

IMDb Rating: 8.9

Language: Kannada

One latest name in the South Indian movies list is 777 Charlie. The movies features the roller coaster life of a brilliant artist Rakshit Shetty whose name is Dharma in the film. The story revolves around the pure bond between Dharma and the dog. The hero is leading a pessimist life and living a isolated lifestyle. The wholesome bond between dog and Dharma gives him a new way to live life.

4. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022)

Star Cast: R.Madhavan, Simaran, Shahrukh Khan, Suriya

Director: R.Madhavan

IMDb Rating: 8.8

Language: English, Hindi, Tamil

This biographical drama movie is R.Madhavan’s debut film as a director. The story of this epic movies shows the life of Nambi Narayanan who is working as a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation. The character of Nambi Narayan is played by Madhavan who is alleged for ISRO espionage case and soon after acquited from crime.

5. KGF Chapter 2 (2022)

Star Cast: Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, Prakash Raj, Archana Jois, Malavika, Avinash, Easwari Rao, Achyuth Kumar, Vasishta N. Simha, Rao Ramesh

Director: Prashanth Neel

IMDb Rating: 8.4

Language: Kannada

K.G.F. Chapter 2 is one of the best thriller South Indian movies of 2022. It is a sequel of K.G.F: Chapter 1. Kolar Gold fields is filled with blood and Rocky’s enemies are frightened by him. The government is afraid and looks up him as a menace towards law and order. In order to succeed, Rocky fights against all odds.

6. Drishyam 2: The Resumption (2021)

Star Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil

Director: Jeethu Joseph

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

Language: Malayalam

Drishyam 2 is a sequel of 2013 released Drishyam which had the same star cast. The story of the second instalment starts after 6 years from where the story of its former part ended. Georgekutty, a cinema hall owner aspires to be a film producer. Though he has changed as a person but he can still go to any extent to protect his family. It is one of the best South Indian thriller movies. Due to the pandemic, the movie was directly released on Amazon Prime. This Malayalam film was released on  February 2021 and in March the dubbed version of this movie was released in Hindi.

7. Karnan (2021)

Star Cast: Dhanush, Lal, Natarajan Subramaniam, Yogi Babu and Rajisha Vijayan

Director: Mari Selvaraj

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Language: Tamil

This Tamil-language action drama film is a must-watch! Set in the small village of Tamil Nadu, the movie revolves around a young man, Karnan (Dhanush) who fights back for the rights of the villagers. It was one of the few Tamil movies that had a theatrical release. The movie went on to break many box office records and became one of the highest-grossing Tamil movies of 2021. Many movie critics reviewed Karnan as one of the best Tamil films of the year.

8. Mandela (2021)

Star Cast: Yogi Babu and Sheela Rajkumar

Director: Madonne Ashwin

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Language: Tamil

Mandela is yet another one of the best South Indian movies of 2021. The political satire, sets on the backdrop of the Village Panchayat Election, where the vote of a local barber can make any of the parties win the election. Owing to a nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19, this comedy Tamil movie was directly released on Star Vijay Channel and on the following day it was available on Netflix. The movie is available in Hindi as well for download.

9. Soorarai Pottru (2020)

Star Cast: Suriya, Aparna Balamurali, Paresh Rawal

Director: Sudha Kongara

IMDb Rating: 8.7

Language: Tamil

The film showcases the story of Maara whose full name is Nedumaaran Rajangam. Maara’s father wants to make him a teacher and in this entire procedure he gets the onwership of a capital-intensive industries. Maara has immense willpower and dedication and he pulls down the various enemies who came in his way. It is undoubtedly one of the popular names in the best south indian movies 2020 list.

10. Kaithi (2019)

Star Cast: Karthi

Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj

IMDb Rating: 8.5

Language: Tamil

Another name in the best South Indian movies list is Kaithi. It is a action-packed as well as drama thriller film and has received eight awards till now. The film shows the life of an ex-prisoner who is willing to meet his daughter after getting released from the jail. However, he gets stucked in a drug raid which is planned by an inspector.

11. Jersey (2019)

Star Cast: Nani, Shraddha Srinath

Director: Gowtam Tinnanuri

IMDb Rating: 8.5

Language: Telugu

This South Indian movie shows the story of a former crickter whose name is Arjun. The cricketer is quite unlucky throughout his career but he decided not to give up and decided to start again his cricketing career in the late 30s. The movie leaves a beautiful message to the viewers about never leave hope and your dreams irrespective of any situation. Bollywood has also made a remake of this film in which actors like Shahid Kapoor, Mrunal Thakur and Pankaj Kapur have acted in the main roles.

12. Brochevarevarura (2019)

Star Cast: Sree Vishnu, Nivetha Thomas, Nivetha Pethuraj and Satyadev Kancharana

Director: Vivek Athreya

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Language: Telugu

This Rom-com Telugu movie is one of the top-rated South Indian movies of 2019. The film is about three intermediate students who plan to save a woman from her arrogant father but are caught in huge trouble. You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime. The movie also has its dubbed version in Hindi called Criminal Khiladi which is available on YouTube.

13. Kaithi (2019)

Star Cast: Karthi and Narain

Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Language: Tamil

This Tamil Language Indian movie features Karthi in the titular role. Dilli, an ex-convict is supposed to meet his daughter for the first time after his release, however, in order to help a policeman in a drug case, his meeting is postponed. The movie does not have any songs but its background music is apt to keep its audience thrilled till the climax. Indeed this is one of the top South Indian thrillers. The movie is currently streaming Disney+ Hotstar.

14. Kavaludaari (2019)

Star Cast: Rishi, Anant Nag, Achyuth Kumar, Suman Ranganathan, Roshni Prakash, Avinash, Sulile Kumar, Sampath and Sidhaartha Maadhyamika

Director: Hemanth Rao

IMDb Rating: 8/10

Language: Kannada

This Neo Nair thriller revolves around a local traffic cop who accidentally discovers human bones and its investigation leads him to a 40-year old case that he determines to resolve! The movie also has its Hindi version and is one of the best south Indian movies dubbed in Hindi of 2019.

15. Asuran (2019)

Star Cast: Dhanush and Manju Warrier

Director: Vetrimaaran

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Language: Tamil

Asuran is a periodic Tamil action drama that concentrates on the struggles of a villager who has  to save his land and family. The film has Dhanush in the titular role. The movie was a Box office hit and was amongst 10 Indian films that were screened at the 78th Golden Globe Awards (2021). Asuran was remade as Narappa in Telugu in 2021. You can watch the dubbed version of this movie in Hindi on Amazon Prime.

16. Gantumoote (2019)

Star Cast: Teju Belawadi and Nischith Korodi

Director: Roopa Rao

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Language: Kannada

Gantumoote is a Kannada language coming of age drama film that follows the life of high school teenager, Meera.  The 16-year-old girl falls in love with her classmate however, destiny has other plans for her! Gantumoote is one of the best South Indian love stories. It had a world premiere at New York Indian Film Festival and it also received the Best screenplay award in in New York Indian Film Festival and was the first Kannada film to receive an award in the same festival. This 2019, released movie is currently available on Amazon Prime

17. Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019)

Star Cast: Naveen Polishetty and Shruti Sharma

Director: Swaroop RSJ

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10

Language: Telugu

Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya is one of the top-rated South Indian comedies of 2019. It is a humorous investigative thriller based on the adventures of detective, Agent Athreya. He owns a small detective agency- Fathima Bureau of Investigation in Nellore and solves small cases. However, things take a serious change when he is asked to investigate a murder case. You can watch it in Hindi as well on MX player.

18. Mahanati (2018)

Star Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan, Samantha Akkineni, Vijay Deverakonda

Director: Nag Ashwin

IMDb Rating: 8.5

Language: Telugu

The movie is based on an inspiring biography of Savitri who is the first female star performer in the South Indian industry during the 50s and the 60s.

19. Vikram Vedha (2017)

Star Cast: Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Shraddha Srinath, Kathir, Varalaxmi and Sarathkumar

Director: Pushkar-Gayathri

IMDb Rating: 8.3/10

Language: Tamil

This Tamil action-thriller is a must-watch. It is a story of Vikram, a hard-headed policeman, who is on a mission to capture Vedha, a gangster. However, he surrenders and tells him three stories that change Vikram’s perception of good and evil. The movie received several accolades and is one of the top South Indian movies. Vikram Vedha was also dubbed in Hindi.

20. Mufti (2017)

Star Cast: Shiva Rajkumar, Sriimurali, Shanvi Srivastava, Madhu Guruswamy, Vasishta N. Simha and Chaya Singh

Director: Narthan

IMDb Rating: 8/10

Language: Kannada

In case you are up for a true action-packed movie that does watch Mufti. This Knnada blockbuster is one of the best south Indian movies of all time. Gana, a police officer is in the hunt of Bhairathi Ranagal, a crime lord but when he discovers that Bhairathi became a don in order to provide justice to villagers, he takes a major decision.

21. Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017)

Star Cast: Karthi, Rakul Preet Singh and Abhimanyu Singh

Director: H. Vinoth

IMDb Rating: 8.3/10

Language: Tamil

This is yet another best South Indian action thriller! Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru is a Tamil language movie. Inspired from the true events the movie revolves around an honest police officer Theeran Thirumaran. Despite of solving a spine-chilling dacoit murder case in the past, the officer has not been recognised by the government nor he is promoted instead, he is transferred to Traffic Vigilance Department

22. Thani Oruvan (2015)

Star Cast: Jayam Ravi, Arvind Swamy and Nayanthara

Director: Mohan Raja

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10

Language: Tamil

The plot of Thani Oruvan follows the challenges faced by IPS Officer Mithran in order to arrest a scientist who commits medical malpractices for the sake of money. It is one of the best South Indian thrillers of 2015.

23. Indru Netru Naalai (2015)

Star Cast: Vishnu Vishal and Miya

Director: R. Ravi Kumar

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Language: Tamil

This Tamil-language science fiction comedy film will keep thrilled till the end. The protagonist of the movie Elango and Pulivetti travels back into the time in the time machine and saves the life of the gangster due to which they get into trouble. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best South Indian comedies. The movie is also dubbed in Hindi for its Hindi viewers.

24. Madras (2014)

Star Cast: Karthi, Catherine Tresa and Kalaiyarasan

Director: Pa. Ranjith

IMDb Rating: 8/10

Language: Tamil

Set in the backdrop of North Madras, the plot of the Madras film revolves around two friends Kaali and Kaali, who is a political aspirant. Their friendship gets embroiled in the brutal political rivalry between two political parties. The movie received critical acclaim and praised for its technical aspects. It also won ix 4th South Indian International Movie Awards and several other accolades.

25. Nenokkadine (2014)

Star Cast: Mahesh Babu and Kriti Sanon

Director: Sukumar

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Language: Telugu

This psychological action thriller film is about a schizophrenic musician, Gautham who is in the hunt for his parent’s murderers. This Telugu movie received a positive review and was a hit at the Box movie. The flick is also dubbed in Hindi as1-Ek Ka Dum.

26. Vedam (2010)

Star Cast: Allu Arjun, Anushka Shetty, Manchu Manoj, Manoj Bajpayee, Saranya Ponvannan, Nagayya, Deeksha Seth, Lekha Washington and Siya Gautam

Director: Krish

IMDb Rating: 8.1/10

Language: Telugu

This Telugu movie revolves around five principal characters i.e. Raju, Saroja, Ramulu, Vivek Chakravarthy and Raheemuddin Qureshi who become victims of a terrorist attack in a hospital. The movie was critically acclaimed and received several accolades including Filmfare Awards.

27. Leader (2010)

Star Cast: Rana Daggubati, Richa Gangopadhyay, Priya Anand, Suhasini Maniratnam, Suman, Subbaraju, Tanikella Bharani and Harsha Vardhan

Director: Sekhar Kammula

IMDb Rating: 8/10

Language: Telugu

This political drama received many rave reviews from critics. After the death of Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister, his son Arjun Prasad becomes the next CM of the state and takes a plunge to make the political system corruption less and casteless. A leader is one of the best South Indian movies. The movie is currently available on YouTube along with its dubbed version in Hindi as Rajyudh.

28. Anniyan (2005)

Star Cast:  Vikram and Sadha

Director: S. Shankar

IMDb Rating: 8.3/10

Language: Tamil

Anniyan is one of the top-rated psychological action thrillers. The movie follows the life of Ramanujam, who is dealing with multiple personality disorders. He follows ancient Hindu scriptures, Garuda Puranam in order to punish wrongdoers and raise civic awareness.

29. Okkadu (2003)

Star Cast: Mahesh Babu, Bhumika Chawla and Prakash Raj

Director: Gunasekhar

IMDb Rating: 8/10

Language: Telugu

Okkadu follows the life journey of a Kabbadi champion who rescues a woman from an unwanted marriage that lands him in trouble. The movie was remade in various languages including Tamil as Ghilli and Hindi as Tevar. The film was lauded for its storyline.

Conclusion

In the last few decades, South Indian movies have raised their bars with top-notch storylines and technical aspects. Above we have coupled a few top-rated South Indian movies that are dubbed in Hindi. These movies are available on most OTT channels.

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