South Indian cinema is made up of five distinct film industries: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, as well as Tulu, and has been producing high-quality films for over a century. The earliest South Indian feature film, “Keechakavatham” (The Destruction of Keechakan), is claimed to have been created in Madras and premiered in 1916.

South Indian cinema has come on leaps and bounds since then, continually breaking limits and displaying new and inventive methods to produce movies. Particularly in the last two decades, we have also seen some fantastic films that have gone on to change the industry and win international recognition.

However, one issue that South Indian cinema has always had is a lack of visibility and popularity, although this appears to be improving due to the introduction of various South Indian movies dubbed in Hindi free download sites. With the introduction of Amazon Prime in India, the OTT platform appears to be making headway for regional content, swiftly purchasing rights to broadcast films from the south on their portal.

This appears to have provided South Indian cinema with something it desperately needed and lacked: international acclaim. You may now view these films without the worry of language hurdles, due to subtitles in a variety of languages.

As a result, we decided to convey our appreciation for South Indian cinema by compiling a selection of the top South Indian movies available on Amazon Prime just now.

1. Dia

Dia is a Kannada love drama film. It depicts the narrative of Dia, a teenage recluse who finds love with Rohith, a classmate. Nevertheless, professing her love for Rohith becomes the most difficult struggle of her life, creating significant changes in her life as well as a great deal of perplexity and emotional anguish.

The story’s progression is fascinating to see. Because of its raw and genuine style, the film manages to elicit very strong and intense feelings in you. The film was highly acclaimed critically and economically, and it is accessible to watch on the OTT channel Amazon Prime from March 8, 2020.

• IMBd: 8.2/10
• Director: K S Ashoka
• Cast: Dheekshith, Pruthvi Ambaar and Kushee

2. KGF – Chapter 1

This Kannada movie is the first of a two-part series that depicts the tale of a young guy named “Rocky” who comes to Mumbai to gain power and money in order to fulfill his dying mother’s dream.

The picture is loaded with tremendous action and excellent directing, the dialogues are strong, and Yash does an excellent job portraying Rocky. The picture is wonderfully filmed, and the soundtrack perfectly suits the tone of the movie, making it certainly one of the greatest action films in the nation.

• IMBd: 8.3/10
• Director: Prashanth Neel
• Cast: Yash, Ananth Nag, Srinidhi Shetty, Achyuth Kumar, Ramachandra Raju

3. Kumbalangi Nights

Another of the finest Malayalam drama movies ever created is the 2019 Indian Malayalam-language drama film. The narrative focuses on four brothers who can not get along very well, but are compelled to live together, helping each other, owing to a series of circumstances.

The film’s success rests in its sincerity; the tale is conveyed authentically, and all of the people feel real and sympathetic. The film has a lovely atmosphere to it and some excellent acting abilities, making it a must-see.

• IMBd: 8.3/10
• Director: Madhu C. Narayanan
• Cast: Shane Nigam, Soubin Shahir, Fahadh Faasil and Sreenath Bhasi

4. Virus

Virus is a Malayalam medical suspense film released in 2019 and has quickly become one of the top South Indian thriller movies. It leads us through numerous occurrences, from a succession of deaths to the discovery of the emergence of a viral disease called Nipah. Many medical experts, residents of the regions, and health authorities band together to battle it.

The film was made to critical acclaim after being shot nearly entirely at the Government Medical University in Kozhikode. If you enjoy good medical suspense, this movie should be at the top of this list.

• IMBd: 7.9/10
• Director: Aashiq Abu
• Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Asif Ali, Tovino Thomas, Indrajith Sukumaran, Rahman, Indrans, Soubin Shahir.

5. Mahanati

This biographical drama film is about the life of the well-known Indian actress Savitri. The film was made in both Telugu and Tamil at the same time.

A newspaper editor assigns work to a journalist, Madhuravani, and a photojournalist, Vijay Anthony. They have to construct a cover tale about a woman named Savitri who is in a coma. Madhuravani gathers facts and information on Savitri from a variety of sources. She also grills Savitri’s husband, Gemini Ganesan, on why Savitri entered the movie industry, her dark aspects, how she became hooked to alcohol, and so forth.

The movie was released to great praise on May 9, 2018, with several critics complimenting its plot and calling it a commemoration of Savitri’s existence. The tale is dramatic, and the film keeps faithful to the actress’s life without adding any extra obstacles to make the story more fascinating.

• IMBd: 8.5/10
• Director: Nag Ashwin
• Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Samantha Akkineni, Dulquer Salmaan, Vijay Deverakonda

6. Brochevarevarura

The film Brochevarevarura is a criminal comedy mystery. The narrative focuses on three intermediate students who fail their exams year after year; the film is a breath of new air in comparison to the conventional comedy films that we are used to seeing in the business; Brochevarevarura is packed with humour and lovely language.

The directing is fantastic, and the characters are unforgettable. Brochevarevarura checks all the criteria for a fantastic film; if you’re looking for a thriller packed with humorous moments and memorable characters, go no further.

• IMBd: 8.1/10
• Director: Vivek Athreya
• Cast: Sree Vishnu, Nivetha Pethuraj, Nivetha Thomas, Satyadev Kancharana

7. Asuran

Asuran is an adventure drama film based largely on the real-life Kilvenmani tragedy that happened in 1968. It follows the tale of a farmer called Sivasaami who travels on the run alongside his family in an effort to save his kid after he kills a wealthy person.

The movie was released on October 4, 2019, to great praise. Critics complimented the performers’ outstanding performances, the intriguing narrative, and the emotional connection with the viewer. Over 20 accolades were bestowed to the film, such as Zee Cine Awards as well as Asianet Film Awards.

• IMBd: 8.5/10
• Director: Vetrimaaran
• Cast: Dhanush and Manju Warrier

8. Pariyerum Perumal

The film Pariyerum Perumal is a melodrama movie. The plot focuses upon two students from opposite castes, Pariyan and Jyothi, who fall in love with one another. When Jyothi’s family learns of their affair, they begin tormenting Parisian.

The movie was released on September 28, 2018, to excellent reviews from both viewers and critics, with several enjoying the story and the message it sends on difficult themes. It ended up winning numerous accolades, namely Best Film at the 66th Filmfare Awards South.

• IMBd: 8.8/10
• Director: Mari Selvaraj
• Cast: Kathir, Yogi Babu, Anandhi

9. O Kadhal Kanmani

It may surprise you to learn that O Kadhal Kanmani, a film about relationship objectives, has detractors since Mani Ratnam puts together two like-minded people who despise the notion of marriage partnerships but end up marrying nonetheless after staying together for a brief time.

The director cannot be blamed for choosing the easy way out, because Indians — and several people across the world — are driven to believe in the tie of marriage via the prism of religion and tradition.

• IMBd: 7.5/10
• Director: Mani Ratnam
• Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Prakash Raj, Nithya Menen, Leela Samson

10. Putham Pudhu Kaalai

Putham Pudhu Kaalai is a collection of five short movies, each about a different person and their lives during the COVID-19 curfew. The very first short is called ‘Ilamai Idho Idho,’ and it was penned by Francis Thomas as well as Sruthi Ramachandran. The story for the second movie, ‘Avarum Naanum – Avalum Naanum,’ was written by Reshma Gatala.

Whereas the third picture in this anthology is ‘Coffee, anyone?’, created by Suhasini Mani Ratnam, and co-written by her husband and great storyteller, Mani Ratnam. The fourth short movie, named ‘Reunion,’ is written by Rajiv Menon. Karthik Subbaraj wrote the last short film, named ‘Miracle.’

• IMBd: 6.9/10
• Director: Karthik Subbaraj, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Sudha Kongara, Rajiv Menon, Gautham Vasudev Menon
• Cast: Jayaram, Kalidas Jayaram, Urvashi, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Ritu Varma, M. S. Bhaskar, Shruti Haasan, Anu Haasan, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, and others

Conclusion

So, now that you have the best South Indian movies list, what are you waiting for? Grab your box of popcorn and get ready for a weekend binge full of drama, comedy and a whole lot of action!