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Top 12 South Indian romantic films on Amazon Prime, Zee5 and more: From Alai Payuthey to Ye Maaya Chesave
It is pretty well known that romance is one of the most loved genres in India. Here are the top 12 romance films from South India that you can watch online.
It is undeniable that the Indian audience have a special place in their heart for romantic films. Romance, as a genre, is quite an integral part of film in this country, and has generated quite a fan-following of its own as well.
Over the years, there have been several actors known for their ability to sway the audience with their romantic films. Starting from Guru Dutt in the late ‘50s, to Gemini Ganesan, Sivaji Ganesan, R Madhavan and even Dulquer Salmaan and Vijay Deverakonda. Here are the top 12 South Indian romantic films that are guaranteed to play with the audience's emotions, making them smile, laugh, or even be a tear jerker.
Top 12 South Indian romantic films
1. Thenmavin Kombath (1994)
- Writer-Director: Priyadarshan
- Language: Malayalam
- IMDb rating: 8.1/10
- Running time: 2 hours 44 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-comedy
- Cast: Mohanlal, Shobhana, Nedumudi Venu, KPAC Lalitha, Sreenivasan, Sankaradi, Sukumari
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Priyadarshan as a filmmaker is known for his ability to convey complex emotions, including romance, in an absolutely effortless manner. The 1994 film with Mohanlal and Shobhana, Thenmavin Kombath, is undoubtedly the epitome of this skill. The film revolves around a landlord and his employee who fall in love with the same woman. The film received widespread acclaim upon release, and was the highest grossing film of the year. Thenmavin Kombath was also remade into Tamil as Muthu with Rajinikanth in the lead, and Hindi as Saat Rang ke Sapne with Aravind Swamy in the lead.
2. Alai Payuthey (2000)
- Writer-Director: Mani Ratnam
- Language: Tamil
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- Running time: 2 hours 36 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-drama
- Cast: R. Madhavan, Shalini, Jayasudha, Vivek, KPAC Lalitha, Swarnamalya
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Mani Ratnam is a master when it comes to romantic storytelling. His 2000 film Alai Payuthey was no different. The film marked the Tamil debut of R. Madhavan as well. Alai Payuthey follows the tale of a married couple, and how their love grows over time overcoming various obstacles. It also has a highly philosophical undertone of traditionalism versus modernism. The film received extremely positive reviews upon release, and is considered to be a cult classic as well.
3. Vaaranam Aayiram (2008)
- Writer-Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon
- Language: Tamil
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- Running time: 2 hours 49 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-action-drama
- Cast: Suriya, Simran, Sameera Reddy, Divya Spandana, Avishek Karthik
- Where to watch: Zee5
For anyone who loves the romantic genre, Vaaranam Aayiram is not an unfamiliar name. The 2008 film marked the second collaboration between GVM and Suriya after Kaakha Kaakha. The Singam actor portrayed dual roles in the film, that of a father and a son, with the story unfolding as the son, who is in the armed forces, reminisces moments with his father after his passing. The helmer even dedicated the film to his father. The film is considered one of the best romantic films made till date, and enjoys an ardent fan-following as well.
4. Gaalipata (2008)
- Writer-Director: Yogaraj Bhat
- Language: Kannada
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- Running time: 2 hours 26 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-comedy-drama
- Cast: Ganesh, Anant Nag, Rajesh Krishnan, Diganth, Daisy Bopanna
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Gaalipata enjoys an ardent fan-following amongst the Kannada film audience. The film follows a group of three friends who go on a vacation to distract their friend who had just been through a break-up. They end up going through several obstacles, and fall in love with the women who stayed with their host during their vacation. The film follows a unique form of storytelling, which gained widespread acclaim at the time of release.
5. Ye Maaya Chesave (2010)
- Writer-Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon
- Language: Telugu
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
- Running time: 2 hours 29 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-drama
- Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Krishnudu, Devan, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Ye Maaya Chesave was GVM’s immediate next film after Vaaranam Aayiram. The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil as Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya with Simbu and Trisha in the lead roles. The film explored themes of age and religion as a factor of love, and was a grand success among fans and critics alike. The film was remade in Hindi as Ek Deewana Tha as well.
6. O Kaadhal Kanmani (2015)
- Writer-Director: Mani Ratnam
- Language: Tamil
- IMDb rating: 7.4/10
- Running time: 2 hours 19 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-drama
- Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Nithya Menen, Prakash Raj, Leela Samson, Ramya S, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
15 years after Alai Payuthey, Mani Ratnam proved yet again that he was the master when it came to romantic films. O Kadhal Kanmani, or OK Kanmani for short, followed the story of a young couple who were in a live-in relationship in Mumbai. The film explored themes of the modern mindset of urban India, and gave a clear cut contrast in terms of important topics like marriage, traditions, and many more. The film was later remade in Hindi with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles.
7. Premam (2015)
- Writer-Director: Alphonse Puthren
- Language: Malayalam
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- Running time: 2 hours 36 minutes
- Genre: Coming of age romantic-comedy
- Cast: Nivin Pauly, Aparna Balamurali, Sai Pallavi, Madonna Sebastian, Shabareesh Varma
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Premam was a trendsetter in Malayalam cinema, and arguably made a mark for the industry on a national level. The film follows the tale of a group of friends from their teenage years into adulthood, and their love stories over the years. The film also marked the film debut of Sai Pallavi, who became an overnight sensation with her portrayal of Malar in the film. The film became a massive success, with several fans trying to imitate the iconic black shirt and mundu combination from the film. The film was later remade in Telugu by Chandoo Mondeti, with Naga Chaitanya and Shruti Haasan in the lead.
8. Geetha Govindam (2018)
- Writer-Director: Parasuram
- Language: telugu
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
- Running time: 2 hours 28 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-comedy
- Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna, Vennela Kishore, Subbaraju, Annapoorna
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Geetha Govindam marked the first on-screen collaboration between the rumored couple Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna. The film revolves around Vijay Govind who develops feelings for Geetha. However, Geetha turns him down due to a misunderstanding. How they overcome the misunderstanding and eventually get together forms the basic plot of the story.
9. ‘96 (2018)
- Writer-Director: C. Premkumar
- Language: Tamil
- IMDb rating: 8.5/10
- Running time: 2 hours 38 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-drama
- Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Trisha Krishnan, Devadarshini, Janagaraj, Rajkumar
- Where to watch: Aha Video
‘96 is perhaps one of the most popular names on this list. The film tells the story of two high school sweethearts from the batch of 1996, who meet at a college get-together after a gap of 22 years. The film deals with how they talk about all the misunderstandings that stood in the way of them ever getting together. The film received widespread acclaim upon release for the music, cinematography as well as the performances.
10. Dia (2020)
- Writer-Director: KS Ashoka
- Language: Kannada
- IMDb rating: 8/10
- Running time: 2 hours 16 minutes
- Genre: Romantic-drama
- Cast: Kushee Ravi, Pruthvi Ambaar, Dheekshith Shetty, Pavithra Lokesh
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Dia follows the romantic journey of the eponymous character from her college life to her adulthood. The film also explores a complicated love triangle, leaving the titular character in a state of disarray. The film received widespread acclaim for its intense storytelling upon release, and was remade in Hindi, Telugu and Marathi.
11. Hridayam (2022)
- Writer-Director: Vineeth Sreenivasan
- Language: Malayalam
- IMDb rating: 8.1/10
- Running time: 2 hours 51 minutes
- Genre: Coming of age Romantic-drama
- Cast: Pranav Mohanlal, Darshana Rajendran, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Johnny Antony, Vijayaraghavan, Aju Varghese
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
It is pretty well known that Vineeth Sreenivasan has a knack of telling feel-good, coming of age stories. His 2022 film Hridayam, which featured Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Darshana Rajendran in the lead, was one of the most popular films of the year. The film followed the lead character, Arun’s, journey from college to adulthood, how he dealt with relationships, break-ups and how he learned from his past mistakes to avoid and grow. The film garnered highly positive reviews upon release as well.
12. Sita Ramam (2022)
- Writer-Director: Hanu Raghavapudi
- Language: Telugu
- IMDb rating: 8.6/10
- Running time: 2 hours 43 minutes
- Genre: Period Romantic-drama
- Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandanna, Tharun Bhascker, Gautham Vasudev Menon
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Sita Ramam is one of the most popular romantic films to come out in 2022. The film set in the 1960s followed the love story between an Army officer named Ram and a civilian named Sita Mahalakshmi. The film received widespread acclaim upon release, and is considered to be one of the best performances by the lead actors Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur as well.
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