An Indian cinephile just cannot afford to miss out on the joy of watching films in any language, whether Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, or Kannada. South Indian films have never failed to meet expectations and have always exceeded them, delivering fascinating and intriguing stories. South Indian films were previously criticised for their over-the-top nature, but now half our best films will be empty if we do not mention South Indian films.
From wonderful stories to exceptional performances, these ten cinematic masterpieces show the range and creativity of South Indian films. Half of these films have already been released and impressed audiences, while the other half promises to showcase something different from the region. Join us as we explore the exciting world of stories that define South Indian films.
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Jallikattu (2019)
In an unsettling introduction, this Christian town of short-tempered men is portrayed as a burning herd of overweight carnivores obsessed with their next feast of meat. These contain pork and meat, which are frowned upon or even prohibited in Hindu and Muslim India. Instead, big shafts of hoofed red meat hang aggressively on hooks in the outdoor butcher shop of the grumpy Kalan Varkey (Chemban Vinod Jose). When a large buffalo decides to escape that fate and goes rampant over planted fields, the men of the hamlet are on the hunt, desiring to kill it.
Lijo Jose Pellissery’s introduction to Jallikattu, with a succession of fast-paced cuts of the major protagonists’ faces and eyes set to a throbbing score intermingled with their controlled breaths, is an unsettling foreshadowing of what’s to come.
Throughout the film, the edits are often too fast to make sense of, giving the impression that you are rushing down the hill in the chase of an unhinged buffalo. It is not an accident, for Lijo’s entire objective here is to disorient, dislocate, and then land a smashing punch on an audience that remains wondering what has just occurred to them.
Jallikattu, not subtly, represents the extreme brutality we have grown used to in the name of being a man. It reflects the sense of masculinity that we have come to accept as a nation. In a story that begins with man against the wild, it isn’t long until man becomes that wild. Jallikattu is often hailed as one of the best South Indian films of all time.
Jigar thanda Double X (2023)
Karthik experiments with a lot more dualism in the sequel. To tell a big story, the film unites two completely different worlds: one bursting with shades of orange, red, and brown in the bustling streets of Madurai, and the other soaked in green and orange in the forests of Kombai Sambala.
Karthik Subbaraj released Jigarthanda in 2014, an intriguing meta-gangster film that attempted to combine filmmaking and rowdyism. The film presented the story of a filmmaker who risked his life to make a film about an infamous mobster, and the reliable screenplay was full of surprises and homages to the creative form. After 9 years, a more experienced Karthik returns with Jigarthanda Double X, expanding on everything we identify with the original film.
Karthik’s narrative-heavy sequel combines the inner turmoil of Jigarthanda with the spirit of a spaghetti western, resulting in a political curry western that continuously surprises and is eager to wow with yet another ambitious goal to complete.
What truly stands out about Jigarthanda Double X is Karthik’s ability to entwine and depict the multiple dualities of the two protagonists as they move between the two universes. The picture alludes to numerous real-life situations, so there’s a lot of fact mixed in with fiction, like in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019). There are also parallel frames that separate a gun from a camera and a gun from a weapon of war.
Kirubai is essentially the protagonist, while Caesar is simply a puppet in the situation. Both are narratives of discovering oneself, but one is about conquering fear, while the other is about redeeming the individual from anguish.
Kantara (2022)
There has been a lot of talk about how Indian cinema has lost connection with its origins and is not finding stories unique to the nation as a whole. This country, with its range of cultures and expansiveness, is an incredible treasure trove of tales. Kantara demonstrates what is possible when an excellent filmmaker decides to bring to life an original story rooted in its very origins and culture, bringing with him the skills and technical elegance of exceptional cinema.
Kantara is a timeless tale of man versus nature, people versus merchants, and the desire for wealth and property. But it is a lot more complex than that because it effortlessly and seamlessly incorporates parts of South India’s coastal Karnataka culture and mythology into the plot.
Situated amid the rural backdrop of forest products smuggling, actor-producer-Director Rishabh Shetty tells the story of centuries of faith traditions in the coastal region, focusing on the region’s ancestral customs and the enormous backing of the native hamlet concealed in the forest land. He succeeds in methodically conveying a narrative of myths, tales, and superstition, all in his own tongue.
Viduthalai Part 1 (2023)
In the town of Muthuvel, we’re featuring Kumaresan (Soori), a recruit at a police academy located in a village surrounded by heavy forests near the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. Kumaresan, our main character, learns the techniques of the law enforcement officers as well as the Makkal Padai movement led by Perumal, nicknamed Vaathiyaar (Vijay Sethupathi).
Under the guise of employing hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged individuals, a mining firm, assisted by the authorities in the name of state development, intends to destroy the nature surrounding the village. On the one hand, there are the revolutionaries, who claim to be able to communicate in any language, even violence; on the contrary, we have the authority-led police force, which refers to the separatist organization as a terrorist outfit.
Bramayugam (2024)
The visual decision to shoot the entire movie in black and white benefits Bramayugam significantly. The removal of distracting hues and all unnecessary features not only serves to convey to us the very rudimentary 17th-century environment where the film is set but also contributes to the spooky mood that surrounds the run-down family. This idea of simplicity is also represented in the writing, with the majority of the story centered on the three main characters and only a few passages for the two other characters.
The creative depiction of terror in Rahul Sadasivan’s earlier film Bhoothakalam looks to have raised some expectations for Bramayugam. However, this film is intended to be a fantasy/thriller/mystery story with a few somewhat frightening scenes. The apparition of a ‘chaathan’ and a ‘yakshi’ on the screen does little to ease the fear of what is unseen, as we learned in Bhoothakalam.
Against all of this, the most disturbing part of the film is Potty’s demonic chuckle and deep-throated voice, which are convincingly performed by Mammootty. He approaches the part unlike any other he has portrayed before, though there are hints of Bhaskara Pattelar’s performance in Vidheyan (1994) at times.
Here are most anticipated South Indian Films that are
going to be released in 2024
Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)
Pushpa and Bhanwar Singh’s battle continues in this spectacular conclusion to the two-part South Indian action drama. Pushpa: The Rise—Part 1 was one of the most celebrated films of the year 2021 and had earned over 360 crores.
Indian 2 (2024)
Kamal Hassan brings back the franchise of his earlier film, Indian. Senapathy is a former freedom fighter turned vigilante who battles injustice. Senapathy returns to the country to help a young man who has been revealing the corruption in the country through online videos.
Kaguva (2024)
In 1678, a warrior died as a result of an illness; currently, a girl is conducting a study on the disease that killed the warrior.
Kanguva, also known as Kanguva: A Mighty Valiant Saga, is a forthcoming Indian Tamil-language fantasy adventure movie directed by Siva and developed by K. E. Gnanavel Raja, V. Vamsi Krishna Reddy, and Pramod Uppalapati under the respective banners of Studio Green and UV Creations. The film stars Suriya in six roles, leading an ensemble cast that includes Bobby Deol and Disha Patani (in their Tamil debuts).
Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 (2024)
A prequel to the 2022 film Kantara, Kantara 2 is set during the reign of Kadambas of Banavas. Like Kantara, this film will also be directed, produced, and written by Rishabh Shetty. He will also be starring in the lead role.
Kalki 2898 (2024)
Starring Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, and Amitabh Bachchan, Kalki 2898 takes place in the aftermath of the apocalypse in the year 2898. It is about the possible future appearance of Kalki, Vishnu’s tenth and last avatar. Kalki 2898 is the most anticipated South Indian movie of the year 2024.
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