Best Telugu Movies: Baahubali, RRR, Pushpa to Okkadu, Tholi Prema, and more

Telugu movies have always been entertaining and have always provided viewers with great content over the years. Let’s take a look at some of the top movies from them.

By Goutham S

Updated on Jan 09, 2024 | 12:37 PM IST | 397K

Top 15 Best Telugu movies: Prabhas’ Baahubali, Allu Arjun’s Pushpa and more (PC: IMDb)

Telugu movies are a delight to watch as they provide wholesome entertainment ranging from hard-hitting action films to emotional and content-driven movies with intense performances.

The Telugu film industry has always been adept at presenting technologically innovative aspects in their films, making it a visual treat for whosoever watches the film as if being transported into a new world of their own. The world-building with high-scale value and the innate ability to churn out emotions are really amazing, especially in a language as beautiful as Telugu.

The amalgamation of presenting stories with action, drama, music, and emotions has been a norm for Telugu cinema for decades and as always it doesn’t seem to let down anytime soon. So here are some of the Top 15 all-time best movies people can watch whenever they want to, and make them venture into a new world of their imagination.

Top 15 Best Telugu Movies

Telugu movies have always been a source of high-end entertainment for several decades with many movies exceeding expectations with their making and creating an awe for the viewers. So, here are some of the top picks from the same industry that stuck in our minds even as years went on.

1. Baahubali: The Beginning and the Conclusion (2015, 2017)

Cast: Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar, Tamannaah Bhatia
Genre: Epic action-drama
Direction and Screenplay: SS Rajamouli
Story: V Vijayendra Prasad
Runtime: 2 hours and 38 minutes, 2 hours and 47 minutes
IMDB rating: 8/10, 8.2/10
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Baahubali: The Beginning and The Conclusion are two massive films not just in Telugu cinema but also venture into the face of Indian cinema becoming a global success unlike any other movies before. The film revolves around the fantastical story of Sivudu, a young man who is extremely powerful and adventurous and goes out of his way to save Devasena, the former queen of Mahismati, to help out his love interest, Avantika on her mission.

The film only develops more when Sivudu realizes that Devasena is his actual mother and he is the rightful king of Mahismati, Mahendra Baahubali, son of the crown prince Amarendra Baahubali, who was wrongfully killed. The two-part film franchise explores the events that led to Devasena’s capture and Amarendra Baahubali’s demise so their son could seek revenge upon the wrongdoers.

2. Sita Ramam (2022)

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandanna, Sumanth, Sachin Khedekar
Genre: Period Romantic-drama
Direction: Hanu Raghavapudi
Screenplay: Hanu Raghavapudi, Rutham Sathar, Jay Krishna, Raj Kumar Kandamudi
Runtime: 2 hours and 43 minutes
IMDB rating: 8.6/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar

The film tells the story of an orphaned army officer called Lieutenant Ram, set in the 1960s, serving at the Kashmir border. Hearing his comments about being an orphan, he starts to get love letters from an anonymous source calling herself Sita Mahalakshmi. The film develops into a search by Ram to find out the whereabouts of Sita and propose his love for her.

3. Pushpa (2021)

Cast: Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Sunil, Rao Ramesh, Anasuya Bharadwaj
Genre: Action-drama
Director: Sukumar
Screenplay: Sukumar
Runtime: 2 hours and 59 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.6/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Pushpa Raj is a red sandalwood smuggler based in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Being a mere daily wage worker didn't seem to satisfy the need for a better life Pushpa (Allu Arjun) envisioned for himself, and owing to that, he overthrows the local syndicate leader to become one himself only for a new threat to arise in the form of SP Bhanwar Singh Shekawat IPS (Fahadh).

If the first film was the rise of the protagonist, the real action is set to take place in the sequel, Pushpa 2: The Rule, slated to release on 15th August 2024.

4. Arjun Reddy (2017)

Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Shalini Pandey, Rahul Ramakrishna, Jia Sharma, Sanjay Swaroop, Gopinath Bhat, Kamal Kamaraju, Kanchana
Genre: Romantic-drama
Direction: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Screenplay: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Runtime: 3 hours and 2 minutes
IMDb rating: 8/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Arjun Reddy Deshmukh (played by Vijay Deverakonda) is a rich and alcoholic surgeon who suffers from Schizotypal Personality Disorder that causes anger management problems. The film focuses on the downtrodden and harmful, self-destructive path Arjun has after his girlfriend Preethi (Shalini Pandey) decides to marry someone else. The movie explores the downfall of the character and his resurgence from a miserable life.

5. C/o Kancharapalem (2018)

Cast: Subba Rao, Radha Bessy, Kesava Karri, Nithyasri Goru, Karthik Rathnam
Genre: Slice-of-life
Direction: Venkatesh Maha
Screenplay: Venkatesh Maha
Runtime: 2 hours and 32 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.8/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix

C/o Kancharapalem depicts slice-of-life anthological stories of four different unconventional love stories in the neighborhood of Kancharapalem running parallel with one another. The film focuses on breaking the barriers these couples have to endure which include aspects like age, religion, caste, and class. The film also sheds light on how time plays a significant role in changing the lives of the four couples.

6. Tholi Prema (1998)

Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Keerthi Reddy, Ali, Nagesh, Venu Madhav
Genre: Romantic-drama
Direction: A. Karunakaran
Screenplay: A. Karunakaran
Runtime: 2 hours and 25 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

The film follows the story of Balu (Pawan Kalyan), the youngest son of his family who lives a carefree and is constantly scolded by his father for this. One day, he meets Anu (Keerthi Reddy) who has returned from the United States of America and is living with her grandfather until she gets her call from Harvard University.

At first sight, Balu falls in love with her, making her his Tholi Prema (First Love). The rest of the film focuses on Balu’s inability and unlucky timing in approaching her and expressing his love for her.

7. Hi Nanna (2023)

Cast: Nani, Mrunal Thakur, Kiara Khanna, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Angad Bedi, Jayaram, Shilpa Tulaskar
Genre: Romantic-drama
Direction: Shouryuv
Screenplay: Shouryuv, Bhanu Dheeraj Rayudu, Vasanth Sameer, Pinnamaraju
Runtime: 2 hours and 38 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Where to watch: Netflix

Hi Nanna focuses on a father-daughter relationship between Viraj (Nani) and his six-year-old daughter, Mahi (Kiara Khanna) who is suffering from cystic fibrosis. The child is always curious about her mother while Viraj always tries to avoid the subject and not let her know anything about it. When one day, Mahi leaves home frustrated with him, she encounters and befriends Yashna (Mrunal Thakur) who persuades Viraj to tell Mahi about her mother. The rest of the film focuses on the relationships intertwined in the film.

8. Leader (2010)

Cast: Rana Daggubati, Richa Gangopadhyay, Priya Anand, Suhasini Maniratnam, Suman, Subbaraju
Genre: Political-drama
Direction: Sekhar Kammula
Screenplay: Sekhar Kammula, Rutwik Pavan
Runtime: 2 hours and 41 minutes
IMDb rating: 8/10
Where to watch: Zee 5

Leader follows the story of Arjun Prasad (played by Rana Daggubati) who becomes the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh succeeding his deceased father and fulfilling his father’s final wish. Arjun soon learns about the corrupt ways the party has been holding on in the government and wants to rid of any kind of corruption with his cousin after his Chief Minister post and uncle enduring corruption as long as power stays with them.

9. Magadheera (2009)

Cast: Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal, Dev Gill, Sunil
Genre: Fantasy Romantic-action
Direction and Screenplay: SS Rajamouli
Story: V. Vijayendra Prasad
Runtime: 2 hours and 46 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Where to watch: Aha

Magadheera is a fantasy romantic-action film featuring the story of Harsha (Ram Charan), a street bike racer, who accidentally touches the finger of Indira (Kajal Aggarwal) triggering mental images in his mind from another life. As he tries to understand what’s happening and woo her, Harsha experiences a near-death experience which makes him see a vision of his past life in the year 1609 CE, where he was Kala Bhairava a brave warrior and Indira was Princess Mithravindha Devi. The story focuses on the theme of eternal love that transcended beyond the limits of time and returned in the form of reincarnation.

10. Okkadu (2003)

Cast: Mahesh Babu, Bhumika Chawla, Prakash Raj, Mukesh Rishi, Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao, Chandra Mohan, Rajan P Dev
Genre: Romantic Sports-drama
Direction: Gunasekhar
Screenplay: Gunasekhar, Paruchuri Brothers
Runtime: 2 hours and 50 minutes
IMDb rating: 8/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Okkadu features the story of Ajay (Mahesh Babu), a kabaddi player who visits Kurnool to compete in a state-level tournament where he finds Swapna Reddy (Bhumika Chawla) getting harrassed by Obul Reddy (Prakash Raj), a dangerous faction leader who is in love with Swapna and wants to marry her against her wishes. Ajay rescues her and soon learns that Swapna is running off to the US to live with her uncle and pursue her studies thereafter Obul kills her brothers who opposed her marriage to him. The film later focuses on how Ajay rescues her and sends her away from Obul Reddy.

11. Jersey (2019)

Cast: Nani, Shraddha Srinath, Sathyaraj, Viswant Duddumpudi, Sanusha
Genre: Sports-drama
Director: Gowtam Tinnanuri
Screenplay: Gowtam Tinnanuri
Runtime: 2 hours and 40 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.5/10
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Jersey is not just a story about a late bloomer in a sports drama going back to the field to fulfill his lifelong passion but is a beautifully captured film about resurgence and how a person forsook his goals at the peak of his career owing to own burdens both personally and in his family spectrum. The emotional connection of the protagonist gifting an Indian cricket jersey he earned to his son does touch one’s heart, but everyone is more excited when Arjun (Nani) goes off into a nearby railway station and screams his heart out over his success.

12. Drushaym (2014)

Cast: Venkatesh Daggubati, Meena, Nadia Moidu, Kruthika Jayakumar, Esther Anil
Genre: Crime-thriller
Director: Sripriya
Story: Jeethu Joseph
Runtime: 2 hours and 30 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.2/10
Where to watch: Sun NXT

Drushyam tells the story of a cable TV operator Rambabu (Venkatesh Daggubati) and his family who get caught up in the missing case of a guy named Varun who is the son of the Inspector-general of police and has harrassed Rambabu’s daughter Anju. The film delves deeper into the thrilling journey of how Varun went missing and what measures Rambabu takes to rescue his family.

13. Manam (2014)

Cast: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Shriya Saran
Genre: Fantasy-drama
Director: Vikram K Kumar
Screenplay: Kumar Siddartha
Runtime: 2 hours and 30 minutes
IMDb rating: 8/10
Where to watch: Sun NXT

Manam follows up on the story of a wealthy businessman, Nageswara Rao (played by Nagarjuna Akkineni), attempting to bring a young couple by the names Nagarjuna (played by Naga Chaitanya) and Priya (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) together as they both resemble his own deceased parents and expects them to be their rebirths.

Interestingly, an elderly man by the name of Chaitanya (played by Akkineni Nageswara Rao) is attempting to bring a doctor and the doctor together as well as both of them resemble his deceased parents too who died due to a mistake he made in his childhood. The film focuses on the themes of rebirth and eternal love sustained beyond time.

14. Athadu (2005)

Cast: Mahesh Babu, Trisha Krishnan, Sonu Sood, Prakash Raj, Raghu Babu, Sayaji Shinde
Genre: Action-thriller
Direction: Trivikram Srinivas
Screenplay: Trivikram Srinivas
Runtime: 2 hours and 52 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.2/10
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar

Nanda Gopal a.k.a Nandu (Mahesh Babu) is a hired gun and assassin hired to fake an assassination of a prominent politician but things take a turn for the worse when the politician is killed for real and Nandu is framed for the crime. To escape from the police, he takes up the identity of a deceased man named Parudhu. The film later focuses on whether Nandu escapes from the hands of the police and who framed him.

15. RRR (2022)

Cast: Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris
Genre: Epic period action-drama
Direction and Screenplay: SS Rajamouli
Story: V. Vijayendra Prasad
Runtime: 3 hours and 2 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.8/10
Where to watch: Zee 5, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar

Inspired by the real-life freedom fighters Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem the fictional story features the life, friendship, and their fight against the tyranny of the British in India. The story features the fictional tale of these two revolutionaries of India before they started their freedom struggle in the 1920s and how they had their own fights against the British Raj and their atrocities.

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