For those who are unaware, various Indian film businesses create films in their respective regional languages. While Bollywood, or the Hindi film business, has the greatest far-reaching effect, the country’s Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Bengali film industries are coming up quickly and have already left a mark. The Telugu film industry has existed since 1909, and its contribution to the subcontinent’s cinematic art form is unrivalled to this day. Because of the popularity of Telugu cinema, streaming platforms all over the world, including Prime Video, have added various Telugu films to their archives, providing audiences with a broader palette of world cinema.
‘Acharya’ is a Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan as members of a tribal clan who play an important role in the construction of the temple city of Dharmasthali, which is encircled by the Siddhavanam forest. Unfortunately, it is mostly under the jurisdiction of the local municipal chairman, Basava, who intends to cede control of the city to mining interests. So, when a Naxal named Acharya enters the city dressed as a carpenter and hears about Basava’s dictatorial leadership, he resolves to rescue the city from his political stranglehold so that it might thrive once more. Will he, however, be able to carry out his far-reaching plans? You can watch the video online and decide for yourself.
Chinni (2022)
Arun Matheswaran’s ‘Chinni’ is a Telugu drama film about injustice, pain, and retribution. Ponni (Keerthy Suresh) is a responsible policewoman who lost everything when her daughter and husband died. As if the injustice done to her loved ones wasn’t horrible enough, she is subjected to sexual harassment by upper-class males, with no possibility of bringing the murderers to justice. Despite her dislike for her half-brother Sangaiyya, Ponni joins forces with him to plot retribution. Going up against strong men in a society that has been warped to fit their interests is not a simple undertaking, and Ponni quickly discovers that her route to justice will be fraught with difficulties. You may watch the film here to see how she does it.
Dear Comrade (2019)
‘Dear Comrade’ is a romance drama film starring Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna, and Shruti Ramachandran. The Bharat Kamma-directed film revolves about Bobby, a student union representative who falls in love with Lily, a state-level cricketer. Bobby is madly in love with her, but his anger control issues are impeding their romance. The student union leader quickly realises that if he wants to battle for his love, he must wage war not just against those who stand in his way, but also against his temperament, which is his deadliest opponent. ‘Dear Comrade’ can be viewed here.
Evaru (2019)
‘Evaru,’ a dramatic crime thriller, revolves around Sameera (Regina Cassandra), who has been charged with the murder of a police officer. Despite getting herself into such a mess, Sameera receives no assistance from her spouse in this subject and thus decides to pursue the case independently. She seeks assistance from Vikram (Adivi Sesh), a crooked police officer. As the story progresses, we learn that Sameera, too, has a lot of secrets. The film explores issues of sexuality, desire, and murder, and it is a captivating movie in general. The best element of this film is that there are numerous layers to the tale that are revealed as the movie progresses. The film is based on the 2016 Spanish film ‘The Invisible Guest,’ directed by Oriol Paulo. You may watch ‘Evaru’ right here.
Jathi Ratnalu (2021)
Anudeep Kv’s ‘Jathi Ratnalu’ is a comedy-drama that does full honour to its genre. We have three buddies, Srikanth, Sekhar, and Ravi, who set out with their dreams and aspirations only to become embroiled in a perilous game of politics, heightened by the uncertainty that makes this film a laugh riot. It makes no sense, but we happily suspend our disbelief as we enjoy seeing the three boys define friendship in their own crazy yet wonderful way. Naveen Polishetty, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Rahul Ramakrishna, and Faria Abdullah star in the film. You may watch the movie right here.
Suriya and Mohanlal, two veterans of the Telugu cinema industry, star in this film. The latter plays India’s Prime Minister, while Suriya plays a police officer who serves as the PM’s permanent bodyguard. Chandrakant Varma, the Prime Minister, is an honest leader who wants to do good for the country. The Prime Minister is slain in a military coup while going about his duties. Ravi Kishore, Suriya’s character, is perplexed by the murder and wonders who would want to kill such an honest person. He promises he’ll get to the bottom of this in whatever way he can.
Both performers contribute subtlety to their respective roles, and as a result, their performances go beyond the confines of the writing. The film is dramatic in both sections, and the conclusion pays justice to the deliberate build-up. You may listen to ‘Kaappaan’ here.
Pushpa: The Rise – Part 1 (2021)
Pushpa Raj is a labourer whose rise in the world of red sandalwood smuggling earns him many enemies, including the notorious Konda Reddy, a renowned name in the sandalwood smuggling world, Konda’s boss and syndicate head Mangalam Srinu, and egoistic police officer Bhanwar Singh Shekawat. Pushpa’s manoeuvring through the business while dealing with his adversaries provides for a satisfying cinematic experience. Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Sunil, and Rashmika Mandanna are among the cast members. You may view the movie here.
Saaho (2019)
Prabhas, well known as the leading man in the ‘Baahubali’ franchise, stars in this action film. ‘Saaho’ also stars Shraddha Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Neil Nitin Mukesh, and Chunky Pandey, among others. The film’s plot revolves around the fictional Waaji City, which is ruled by Roy (Jackie Shroff). His rival gang, led by Devaraj (Chunkey Pandey), is constantly looking for ways to eliminate Roy and seize control of the city. Devaraj, too, begins to suffer losses at this point, with large sums of his own money stolen by an unknown entity. This is when Ashok (Prabhas), an undercover cop, enters the situation. His mission is to put an end to the gang war by any means necessary. The film can be viewed here.
Sita Ramam (2022)
Hanu Raghavapudi directed the film, which stars Mrunal Thakur, Dulquer Salmaan, and Rashmika Mandanna. In one timeline, we have an orphaned soldier, Ram, whose grief over not receiving letters is answered by people all over the world, and as a result, he begins receiving letters, one of which is written by a woman named Sita who claims to be his wife. Afreen, a young Pakistani girl, is tasked with delivering a letter to India in the alternate timeline. The way these two histories are linked creates a beautiful and passionate love story that transcends time. You may view the movie here.
V (2020)
‘V,’ directed by Mohana Krishna Indraganti and starring Nani, Sudheer Babu, and Nivetha Thomas, is a traditional yet high-octane cat-and-mouse chase between a cop and a serial murderer where the dynamics constantly changing. What enrages the cop is that the killer leaves a message for him at each crime scene, challenging him, until he is faced with the choice of stopping four more killings or resigning. While we are subjected to everything the criminal does, which is generally kept under wraps in thrillers, it is a method for him to display the pride he takes in what he does. As a result, he is more than a criminal; he is a force to be reckoned with. You may watch the film here.
