Disney Hotstar is one of the most popular OTT platforms to watch Indian movies, Hollywood movies, IPL, Cricket matches etc. Their Disney content is a feast to eyes. Below are some of the best South Indian Movies on Hotstar that you cannot miss.
This list is not final. It is my personal opinion and will add more to this list whenever I watch more south Indian movies on the Dinsey+ Hotstar OTT platform.
Related: 15 Best Series on Hotstar – (with IMDb Ratings + Trailers)
Best South Indian Movies You Cannot Miss On Hotstar India
Note: The languages provided in the brackets are the original languages in which the movie was made. They might be available in other languages as well. Also, the order doesn’t signify the greatness or rating of the movies.
Mangalavaram (Telugu 2023)
Mangalavaram is a suspense thriller movie by the director of the super hit movie RX 100. It has some horror elements and the emotions play a major role.
The story happens in a small village in Andhra Pradesh. Couple who have illegal relationships gets killed on every “Manalavaram (Tuesday)”. No one knows who is the killer and motive behind it. Even the new lady inspector who comes to investigate the murders cannot get a clue of what and why it is happening.
The story is about a woman (heroine Payal Rajput) who faces a peculiar disease and faces lot of setback from the villagers. What happens to her later and the person behind the murders makes the story interesting.
Though the story has lot of suspensful, horror and romantic elements, the emotions of the story takes the front seat and will haunt you for sometime after you watch the movie.
Chittha (Tamil 2023)/Chinna (Telugu 2023)
This movie is filled with emotions, child sentiments and revenge elements as well. The story is about an honest person (hero Siddharth) who gets blamed in a case which he has no connection to. Everyone hates him as the case is about his brother’s daughter and also about harassment towards the children.
This movie shows the importance of attention we need to pay towards the various things that are happening to children in the society as well.
RRR (Telugu 2022)
RRR is one more masterpiece movie from the maverick director SS Rajamouli. RRR is a 1920 fictional action drama based on two real freedom fighters – Alluri Sita Rama Raju and Komaram Bheem.
Ram and Bheem are great freedom fighters from the Telugu states (now called Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) from the same time period (between 1880 and 1930). They both fought with Britishers during the 1920-1925 period but have never met nor known each other. Rajamouli wanted to create a fictional story on both these great freedom fighters with a simple yet great thought – what if they both met together somewhere and shared a great friendship?
RRR is a story of friendship that happened in the British era, not really about a freedom fight. They want to fight with the British but they achieve success with each other’s help.
RRR has a strong story – two friends with the same goal but different paths. Their paths make them enemies of each other at one point in time. They had to fight and almost kill each other to reach their goals. The crux of the screenplay lies in the director making you feel who is right and what time.
Vikram (Tamil)
A movie with 4 great actors from South India – Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Faahad Faasil, and Surya (guest role). The story revolves around an investigation of a drug deal that comes out during a covert investigation.
The movie has a high dose of action, emotions, and a couple of good twists in the story. If you are a movie lover, you cannot miss this movie.
Kamal Haason scored a blockbuster after many years with this action drama from director Lokesh Kanagraj.
Bahubali (Telugu)
This epic historical fiction picture is the first of its kind to have a worldwide box office collection of more than 1000 INR crore, thanks to characters that are larger than life. SS Rajamouli lifted the benchmark with 5000 VFX shots utilized throughout the film, giving it a massive appeal. They hired the same special effects crew that worked on “Jurassic World” in Hollywood.
The kingdom of Mahishmati has come to life with Bahubali, thanks to 25 painters who created a storyboard with 15,000 sketches. In addition, this film holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest film poster. The film was originally filmed in Tamil and Telugu, but it has since been dubbed in Hindi, English, Malayalam, French, and Japanese, making it the first Indian film to do so.
Asuran (Tamil)
Vetrimaaran has previously done tough films such as Visaaranai, which gained critical praise both in India and abroad. With Asuran, he once again demonstrates why he is one of the best filmmakers in Indian film. Only a few filmmakers can balance reality and commercial aspects in a popular picture, and he is one of them.
The picture includes a lot of dramatic sequences and a lot of strong emotions, supported by well complex writing. Asuran is elevated to a new level by the director’s well-defined characters, definite performances by actors, circumstances, and conflicts.
Jersey (Telugu)
Jersey is a good sports drama as well as a touching father-son storey. This isn’t a narrative about a hero; it’s about a father who doesn’t want to let his son down, a husband who wants to give his wife a glimmer of hope, and a cricketer who wants to fulfil his coach’s long-held goal.
No other filmmaker has crafted a sports picture with such ease and conviction in recent years, and Gowtham leaves an indelible impact with this tale of a late bloomer. Jersey humanizes a sports celebrity and demonstrates how his misfortunes affect those closest to him. Rather than telling a story about glory and accomplishment, Gowtham tells a story about atonement and self-discovery.
Kanchivaram (Tamil)
Director Priyadarshan is known for his excellent movies in the past and this film Kanchivaram is one of the diamonds of his crown. Prakash Raj delivered a great performance of a silk weaver named Vengadam, who struggles with inner conflicts of personal and political ideologies.
Inner struggles and pain are seen more through the eyes and gestures of characters than their dialogues. No loud dialogues or no over use of glycerine to show the human emotions.
Kaithi (Tamil)
Kaithi, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj of Mangaram fame, is described as an action thriller. Karthi is well-known for his acting abilities in the part of a life-sentenced prisoner who eludes capture. The actor has clearly carried the part off in his own unique style, as evidenced by the vibrant trailer.
Dilli gets out of Chennai prison after a long time and is on his way to meet his daughter for the first time. However, his plans change as a drug gang troubles the police and the police officers seek his help to escape from them.
Ratchasan (Tamil)
Ratchasan(2018) is a current film that gives a true psycho thriller experience. It’s still playing in Chennai theatres, so go see it if you want to enjoy a nerve-wracking thriller. This film has established a new standard in the genre and has exceeded all expectations in Tamil cinema.
The finest aspect of the film is its soundtrack. The BGM is responsible for 80% of the dread. The film’s sombre soundtrack was well suited to it. Gibran has once again shown to be the finest music director. Acting: All of the actors gave it their all.
Bangalore days (Malayalam)
Bangalore Days is a 2014 Malayalam-language romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Anjali Menon and co-produced by Anwar Rasheed and Sophia Paul under the banners of Anwar Rasheed Entertainments and Weekend Blockbusters. Nazriya Nazim, Nivin Pauly, Dulquer Salmaan, Fahadh Faasil, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Isha Talwar, and Nitin Mukesh star in the film.
The narrative centres around three cousins from Kerala who relocate to Bangalore, maintaining Menon’s habit of family-centred films. It garnered excellent reviews. Nivin Pauly and Nazriya Nazim won Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, and Anjali Menon won Best Screenplay, while Parvathy Thiruvothu won Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress and Anjali Menon won Filmfare Award for Best Director. Bangalore Naatkal is a Tamil remake of the film.
Vada Chennai (Tamil)
The language is the greatest aspect about Vada Chennai. Throughout the film, the Tamil spoken by these folks, referred to as pakka local, adds authenticity to what they say.
Since its debut, Vada Chennai has been dubbed Vetrimaaran’s magnum masterpiece for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s a rumoured trilogy in the vein of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, a raw portrayal of life and people in North Chennai from the early 1980s to the early 2000s, Dhanush playing a carrom player, massive retro style settings from the 1980s, or an ensemble cast that includes director Dhanush, there’s something for everyone.
Vikram Vedha (Tamil)
Pushkar–Gayathri wrote and directed this Tamil-language neo-noir action thriller film, which was produced by S. Sashikanth under his Y NOT Studios brand. Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Shraddha Srinath, Kathir, and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar appear in the film, which also features Prem, Achyuth Kumar, Hareesh Peradi, and Vivek Prasanna. Baital Pachisi, an Indian folktale, served as inspiration for this piece.
Certain parts of Vikram Vedha are more enjoyable than others, especially if you’re a fan of their Va Quarter Cutting, a well-written black comedy that bombed. Vedha’s brother Puli (Kathir), for example, demands him to give up everything.
Vishwarooppam (Tamil)
The narrative of Vishwaroopam is fantastic. Technical features like as action and cinematography support it nicely. Sanu Varghese’s cinematography stands out among other technical areas, as he has done an outstanding job. He’s caught some of Afghanistan’s most unusual locations well. Kamal Hassan displays his versatility again again, whether as a Kathak dancer with feminine attributes or as a terrorist.
Shekhar Kapur makes a rare and enjoyable appearance on film. As Omar, the leader of an Afghan terrorist group, Rahul Bose is dignified and effective. Pooja Kumar, who plays the leading lady, is more than sufficient. Sanu The cinematography of John Varghese is outstanding. The editing by Mahesh Narayan is likewise flawless. The action sequence choreography deserves special note, since it is on par with Hollywood blockbusters.
Akhanda (Telugu)
Veteran star Nandamuri Balakrishna delivered a great performance and a blockbuster hit after almost a decade. This movie showcases the greatness of Hindu religion, its culture and how God will protect the nature and good humans from the evil.
The first part of the movie is about prominent person (Balakrishna) of a town, his good acts, love life, marriage and his fight against the goons in the society. The second part of the movie is about an Aghora, the twin brother of that prominent person who comes in help to protect him and his family when they fell in trouble.
Balakrishna’s performance, background score, and some dialogues about the culture are the highlights of the film.
Veera Simha Reddy (Telugu)
Veera Simha Reddy is an action entertainer based on the story that happens in Rayalaseema and Istanbul. The movie has stars like Balakrishna, Shruti Hasan, Honey Rose (Malayalam fame), Duniya Vijay (Kannada fame), and Varalaxmi Sharath Kumar (Tamil fame). It is directed by Gopi Chand Mallineni famous for his hit movie Crack.
The movie has high-level action sequences that would entertain the mass crowd, a great twist at the interval, and followed by good sister sentiment and family drama. Nandamuri Balakrishna played a dual role as father and son. Honey Rose acted as the better half of the father and Shruthi Hasan as the girlfriend of the son.
Veera Simha Reddy has some entertaining mass numbers composed by Tollywood’s top music director SS Thaman. Produced by Mythri movie makers, the movie was made on budget of INR 90 crores and has collected over 120 crores at the box office.
Veera Simha Reddy is a mass entertainer – do not think too much about logic, especially in the action sequences. Varalaxmi Sharath Kumar’s role and acting are surprising elements of this movie.
Dear Comrade (Telugu)
Dear Comrade is not a box office hit but sends a resounding message to society: everyone needs a comrade who will give them the strength and confidence to speak out against injustice. The cinematographer and music director has done this masterpiece honor.
The first half of the film focuses on the primary couple’s chemistry, while the second half tackles hot topics such as workplace sexual harassment.
Final Words
I hope you enjoyed reading my favorite list of South Indian Movies available on Hotstar. Please let me know if you have any other movies on your that I and our readers must watch on the Hotstar India platform.