30 Highest Grossing Telugu Movies of All Time

Not once but time and again, Telugu movies have uplifted the face of Indian Cinema with its amazing stories. The world-famous Telugu movie Bahubali has proved to be a record-breaking blockbuster and mapped this movie industry worldwide. The talented Telugu movie directors, writers, and actors have grasped the audience’s interest like never before. The storyline is intricate and raw, which is unique to the mainstream movie industry. There have been many movies remade by Bollywood directors and gathered huge appreciation across the nation. In this blog, we have curated 25 highest-grossing Telugu movies of all time. We have listed the film with details like star casts, director, genre, IMDB rating, and synopsis for your convenience. So go through the movie list and pick the one you want to watch next.

List of Highest Grossing Telugu Movies

1. RRR (2022)

Star Cast- N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris

Director- S. S. Rajamouli

Genre- Action, Adventure, Drama

IMDB Rating- 8

Budget- ₹550 Crore

Box Office- ₹1200 Crore

Synopsis- RRR is 2022’s highest grossing Telugu film, also making it to the most expensive films ever made in India. The movies explores story around two revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao). The film shoes the brotherhood and friendship among these two characters who are fighting against the British rule in India during 1920s. 

2. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)

Star Cast- Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar, Subbaraju

Director- S. S. Rajamouli

Genre- Action

IMDB Rating- 8.2

Budget- ₹250 Crore

Box Office- ₹1810 Crore

Synopsis- Till now, this film has broken all records in the Telugu movie industry. It is the part 2 of film Baahubali: The Beginning. The plot of movie revolves around the son of Baahubali, Shiva who gets to know about his heritage and is constantly searching for answers. All his live events are inter-connected with his past which is unwraped in the Mahishmati kingdom.

3. Pushpa: The Rise (2021)

Star Cast- Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna

Director- Sukumar

Genre- Action, Drama

IMDB Rating- 7.6

Budget- ₹170 – ₹250 Crore

Box Office- ₹355-373 Crore

Synopsis- The movie shows the escalation of a unskilled laborer in the smuggling group of red sandalwood. Though the film got mixed reviews however commercially, it accumulated great amount at the box office.

4. Saaho (2019)

Star Cast- Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Jackie Shroff, Arun Vijay, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Lal, Murali Sharma, Mandira Bedi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Prakash Belawadi, Evelyn Sharma, Vennela Kishore

Director- Sujeeth

Genre- Action

IMDB Rating- 5

Budget- ₹350 Crore

Box Office- ₹439 Crore

Synopsis- An undercover cop becomes entangled in a war with offenders who seek to obtain a black box which is their only key to wealth and fortune. This film was shoot in various countries like Austria, Romania, United Arab Emirates, and India. Irrespective of gathering indifferent reviews, the film was one of the highest grossing telugu movies.

5. Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020)

Star Cast- Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, Tabu, Jayaram, Sushanth, Nivetha Pethuraj

Director- Trivikram Srinivas

Genre- Drama, Action

IMDB Rating- 7.3

Budget- ₹100 Crore

Box Office- ₹262-280 Crore

Synopsis- Destiny plays a significant part in linking the life of Bantu and Raj. Bantu’s father is quite unemotional and thus he wants acceptance from him. On the other hand, Raj is the son of a millionaire and his father wants that he was more confident.

6. Palasa 1978 (2020)

Star Cast-Rakshith, Nakshatra, Raghu Kunche 

Director- Karuna Kumar

Genre- Action, Drama

IMDB Rating- 7.7

Synopsis- Palasa is set on the storyline of the clash between low caste and high caste. The caste difference is amplified more with the caste power and political battle of the village Srikakulam district. The story revolves around how the protagonist brothers face the struggles of the situation. This drama film is truly one of the well-known names in the highest grossing telugu movies list.

7. Madha (2020)

Star Cast- Trishna Mukherjee, Rahul Venkat, Anish Kuruvilla

Director- Srividya Basawa

Genre- Mystery, Thriller

IMDB Rating- 5.4

Synopsis- The title of the movie is a Sanskrit term which means the personification of insanity. The lead role actress is a part-time proofreader in a college. The story revolves around her and reveals the mystery of her insanity. It is a thrilling psychological movie which will engage with you.

8. Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya (2020)

Star Cast- Satyadev Kancharana, Chandana Koppisetti, Karuna Kumar

Director- Maha Venkatesh

Genre-Drama

IMDB Rating- 8

Synopsis- The movie is a drama revolving around the story of revenge. The protagonist is a simple and soft-hearted man who is too innocent to be violent in taking revenge. However, when the situation of bullying against him reaches to the intolerable stage, he takes oat that he would be barefooted until he takes revenge.  

9. Jersey (2019)

Star Cast- Nani, Shraddha Srinath, Sathyaraj

Director- Gowtam Tinnanuri

Genre- Drama, Sports

IMDB Rating- 8.5

Budget- ₹25 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹65 crore

Synopsis- The movie is a sports drama where the protagonist was a successful cricketer in mid-thirties is going through a career crisis. He is a gifted cricketer, but now his performance has drastically gone down. Everyone around him is suggesting giving up the sport. The story takes you through his journey and courage of conviction. 

10. Game Over (2019)

Star Cast- Taapsee Pannu, Anish Kuruvilla, Maala Parvathi

Director- Ashwin Saravanan

Genre- Drama, Thriller

IMDB Rating- 7.1

Budget- ₹5 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹15.91 crore

Synopsis- This movie is a thriller drama where the game is life. The protagonist has to survive and fight the demon inside her to overcome the evil to win the game. This is a metaphorical movie showing the significance of holy life.

Highest Grossing Telugu Movies of the 2000s

11. Arya (2004)

Star Cast- Allu Arjun, Anuradha Mehta, Siva Balaji

Director- Sukumar

Genre- Action, Drama, Romance

IMDB Rating- 7.8

Budget- ₹4 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹30 crore

Synopsis- The college love rival is presented in the movie. The free-spirited protagonist has tied woo with the college sweetheart. This has called the fight between her boyfriend, the protagonist. Through the movie, the rival is revealed and moves towards the peace treaty.

12. Pokiri (2006)

Star Cast- Mahesh Babu, Ileana D’Cruz, Prakash Raj

Director- Puri Jagannadh

Genre- Action, Thriller

IMDB Rating- 7.9

Budget- ₹10–12 crore

Box Office- Approx.₹66 crore

Synopsis– The action thriller revolves around a local street goon who is surrounded by troubles all around. His girlfriend disapproves of his rowdy activities. The corrupt cop grows enmity with him, and he has attracted the attention of a well-known don. This is a very tricky and challenging situation for him as he has to deal will all the problems outside and experience the change in him.

13. Magadheera (2009)

Star Cast- Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, Dev Gill

Director- S.S. Rajamouli

Genre- Action, Drama, Fantasy

IMDB Rating- 7.6

Budget- ₹35 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹150 crore

Synopsis- This movie is a drama fantasy where the lead role ancient warrior is reincarnated as a motorcycle stuntman, and his reincarnated lady love does not recognize him. Slowly they grow in love, and a sinister from their past return to their lives, and things start falling apart.

14. Eega (2012)

Star Cast- Sudeep, Nani, Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Director- S.S. Rajamouli, J.V.V. Sathyanarayana

Genre- Action, Fantasy

IMDB Rating- 7.7

Budget- ₹260–400 million

Box Office- Approx. ₹1.25–1.3 billion

Synopsis- This action and fantasy movie revolves around the protagonist, who is in love with a girl. She loves him, too but never accepted in front. The antagonist has an eye on this girl and kills the man she loves. The hero takes birth in the form of a housefly. The movie will take you through the journey of how a mere a housefly can take revenge from the antagonist.

15. Sudigaadu (2012)

Star Cast- Allari Naresh, Monal Gajjar, Jayaprakash Reddy

Director- Srinivasa Rao Bhimaneni

Genre- Action, Comedy

IMDB Rating- 5.7

Budget- ₹80 million

Box Office- Approx. ₹330 million

Synopsis-The story revolves around the protagonist, who was departed from his parent and raised by his grandmother. He is a daring hero who does not fear the notorious criminal. He kills the mafia people and falls in love with a girl who is elder to her by a day. The hero lives for only two purposes, one is to find his parents and to know about the biggest don D. The story then takes the audience to the journey of the hero through various stages of struggle only to be victorious.

16. Premalo Padithe (2012)

Star Cast- Mithun, Sri

Director- Balaji Sakthivel

Genre- Crime, Drama, Thrill,Romance

IMDB Rating- 8.3

Budget- ₹550 million

Box Office- Approx. ₹1.87 billion

Synopsis– The movie is a crime thriller that revolves around the three main characters. There is a carefree, fun-loving man who owns a roadside shop. He meets a girl and instantly falls in love with her. He is a servant and works in an apartment where the husband and wife go out for work, and their son stays home. The girl is attracted to the boy, and the further this leads to lust and crime.  The investigation reveals thrilling shocking facts. It is undoubtedly one of the highest grossing telugu movies.

17. Attarintiki Daaredi (2013)

Star Cast- Pawan Kalyan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Pranitha

Director- Trivikram Srinivas

Genre- Action, Comedy, Drama

IMDB Rating- 7.2

Synopsis– The movie is a family drama which is walking towards the family unity. A rich Indian man in Italy is a billionaire who estranged his daughter when she married a pleader going against the family norm. The man asks his grandson to search for his daughter and to bring her back. The protagonist goes to India searching for her aunt, and the movie unfolds his struggle in searching and reuniting the family.

18. Bahubali (2015)

Star Cast- Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan

Director- S.S. Rajamouli

Genre- Action, Drama

IMDB Rating- 8.1

Budget- ₹180 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹650 crore

Synopsis– The movie revolves around the boy who grows up into a free-spirited man. He goes into the life journey to search his roots and then realizing the purpose of his life. He is brave and shows the courage to confront the evil uncle and his son of the kingdom. With the movie, you will enjoy the journey of adventure, romance, and action. The famous movie gathered to love and appreciation across the globe.

19. Oopiri (2016)

Star Cast- Nagarjuna Akkineni, Karthi, Tamannaah Bhatia

Director- Vamshi Paidipally

Genre- Comedy, Drama

IMDB Rating- 8

Budget- ₹500–600 million

Box Office- Approx. ₹1 billion

Synopsis– The movie is a comedy-drama where an unemployed young man is out on parole. He found the job of a caretaker in the house of a multi-millionaire. The owner of the house is impressed by his carefree nature, and he grows sympathetic towards him. He goes through the emotional roller coaster. It is a crafted drama with comedy elements spread throughout the movie.

20. Dhruva (2016)

Star Cast- Ram Charan, Arvind Swamy, Rakul Preet Singh

Director- Surrender Reddy

Genre- Action, Thriller

IMDB Rating- 7.8

Budget- ₹50 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹87.55 crore

Synopsis– The movie is an action and thriller movie which showcases the story of a courageous IPS officer who is diligent in his work. The tracks and lifts the cover from the huge racket. In this process, he made many enemies who proved to be a challenge for him. The story revolves around the clash and fight of the hero with his growing enemies. 

21. Arjun Reddy (2017)

Star Cast- Vijay Deverakonda, Shalini Pandey, Jia Sharma

Director- Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Genre- Action, Drama, Romance

IMDB Rating-  8.1

Budget- ₹50–51.5 million

Box Office- Approx. ₹510 million

Synopsis– The movie is plotted in the set of a medical college. The bright medical student plays the lead role, who struggles to manage his anger. He is about to leave college, but he feels in love with her when he meets the fresher girl. The girl’s father rejected the union of both. The man turned in a drug addict and alcoholic to forget the girl.  Later, the story evolves when both are separated and again join back.

22. Ghazi (2017)

Star Cast- Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni

Director- Sankalp Reddy

Genre- Action, Thriller, War

IMDB Rating- 7.6

Budget- ₹15 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹34.5 crore

Synopsis- The movie is set on the background of tension between India and Pakistan in 1971. The clash began when the Pakistani Navy started the top-secret mission where their target was to destroy INS Vikrant, a majestic class submarine of India.   The movie takes you through the underwater thrilling war scenario. The war involves INS Karanj, which attacks the Pakistani submarine, PNS Ghazi.

23. Goodachari  (2018)

Star Cast- Adivi Sesh, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jagapathi Babu

Director-  Sashi Kiran Tikka

Genre- Action, Thriller

IMDB Rating- 7.9

Budget- ₹65 crore

Box Office- Approx. ₹135 crore

Synopsis-The protagonist is an NSA agent who is framed as a murderer of his boss. He faces the career downhill, and his mission, which becomes darker than anyone expected. His father was also an NSA agent, and now he wants to settle the personal scores with one responsible for his father’s death.

24. Awe! (2018)

Star Cast- Kajal Aggarwal, Nithya Menen, Srinivas Avasarala

Director- Prashanth Varma

Genre- Thriller

IMDB Rating- 7.8

Synopsis- Another name on the highest rated telugu movies list is Awe! It is a thriller movie which has revolves around three profound women. The movie gradually unfolds each woman’s character, and the audience familiarizes with them as the movie builds up. Each character has a lent voice, and it is thrilling to see how their lives intervene.  The audience will be astonished to see how the story unfolds.

Block Buster Telugu Movies of 1900s

25. Shiva (1989)

Star Cast- Nagarjuna Akkineni, Amala Akkineni, Raghuvaran

Director- Ameerjan and Ramgopal Varma

Genre- Action, Crime, Drama

IMDB Rating- 8.1

Synopsis- Shiva is a movie that entertains the audience with action, drama, and crime. The protagonist is a small-town young man who stepped out of his hometown and shifted to Vijayawada for a college education. He is disgusted with the corrupt college administration and fights back for the status quo. His path is full of challenges as the powerful gang is after him.

26. Rudra Veena (1988)

Star Cast- Chiranjeevi, Gemini Ganesan, Shobana

Director– K. Balachander

Genre- Drama, Musical

IMDB Rating- 8.5

Synopsis- The movie portrays the story of a classical singer who is a strong believer that he can change society by his musical power. The protagonist believes the same and leaves home to change society through his music, and his father is against his decision. Later on, he was felicitated by the Indian government for his challenging efforts. 

27. Shankarabharanam (1980)

Star Cast- K. Vishwanath, Manju Bhargavi, Tulasi, Allu Ramalingaiah

Director- K. Vishwanath

Genre- Romance, Musical, Drama

Synopsis- The movie showcases the musical drama and romance stories. The protagonist is a famous classical singer, and a girl becomes his fan. She wants to devote her life to his music and service, but her mother forces her to become a prostitute. The movie revolves around the struggle of the girl between her wish and her mother’s demand.  

28. Pathala Bhairavi (1951)

Star Cast- Taraka Rama Rao Nandamuri, S.V. Ranga Rao, Malathi K

Director- Kadri Venkata Reddy

Genre- Action, Adventure, Family

IMDB Rating- 8.5

Synopsis- A young man who is a son of a gardener falls in love with Ujjain’s princess. When the king of Ujjain gets to know this, he puts a challenge in front of him to prove himself.  The young man reaches a magician for help, and he was assured of help from the goddess Patala Bhairavi. Later it is revealed to the audience that the sorcerer has a selfish motto behind, and he wants to kill the man to gain magic statuette. The story takes you to the hero’s journey escaping from the sorcerer and yet impresses the king to win the princess.

29. Missamma (1955)

Star Cast- Taraka Rama Rao Nandamuri, Savitri, Akkineni Nageshwara Rao

Director- L.V. Prasad

Genre- Comedy, Drama, Family

IMDB Rating- 8.5

Synopsis- A young man and a girl acts to be married couples to get a teaching job after graduation. The movie reveals their attempts to support their lie, and the comedy-drama entertains the audience. The family gets involved, and the situation gets messed up. This dilemma leads to comic scenes and ultimate family drama in both the houses.

30. Maya Bazaar(1957)

Star Cast- Taraka Rama Rao Nandamuri, S.V. Ranga Rao, Savitri

Director- Kadri Venkata Reddy

Genre- Comedy, Drama, Family

IMDB Rating- 9.2

Synopsis- The famous movie is based on the Epic Mahabharata set in Krishna, Dwaraka. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjun, is fascinated by Savitri, who is the daughter of Balaram. After the infamous Pandava’s loss of kingdom in the game of dice, Balarama gets Savitri married to the son of Duryodhana. This made him break the promise to Abhimanyu. However, Bhima’s son Ghatotkacha uses his magic to unite the two lovers. The movies reveal the challenges to stand by the love in the midst of so many challenges.  

Conclusion

In this era of digitalization, you can watch any movie at the ease of your fingertip. Here we have listed a range of Telugu movies, which is not just action movies but revolves around complex and raw emotions, drama, romance, thriller, crime, war, and the list. The Telugu movie caters the audience who loves the full packed entertainment. You can opt from any movies given in the list to make your day entertaining. You can also pick from Bollywood comedy movies for your next watch. Before picking up any movie, you can compare the IMBD rating and know about the synopsis of the movie as well.