Top 20 South Indian movies 2023 on OTT: 2018, Ponniyin Selvan 2, and more

South industry viz., Kollywood (Tamil), Tollywood (Telugu), Sandalwood (Kannada), and Mollywood (Malayalam) have churned out some brilliant hits as well as masala blockbusters this year. Masses flocked into theatres to witness their favourite heroes’ charisma oozing out of the big screen in flicks like Leo, Jailer, and Veera Simha Reddy. While these produced cinematic experiences for hoots and cheers, movies like Chithha and Sapta Saagaradaache Ello made one’s heart heavy with feelings. 

Here are some of the top 10 South Indian movies released in 2023 along with their IMDb rating, cast, director, and OTT platforms where you can watch them. 

2018 (8.4): Malayalam

2018 is a multi-starrer survival drama movie showing the struggles and perseverance of a few characters stuck in the 2018 Kerala Floods. Their courage and determination help save lots of lives. The cinematography and VFX in the movie is commendable for the budget it has been made. And so is the acting done by all the actors on the screen. The movie is shortlisted for India’s official entry in the Oscars 2024.

• Genre: Thriller, drama
• IMDB rating: 8.4
• Cast: Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali
• Director: Jude Anthany Joseph
• Where to watch: Sony Liv

Viduthalai Part 1 (8.3): Tamil

Director Vetrimaran shows the tensions and tussle between the local folks and the police in a remote hilly territory in Tamil Nadu. In to this chaos enters newly appointed constable Kumerasan. Which side will he pick? The conflicts and drama in this movie are visceral and raw. The acting by Vijay Sethupathi and Soori (whom we have mostly seen in comical roles) has done a fabulous job. If not for anything catch the film for the 8-minute single-take derailed train scene.

• Genre: Crime Thriller
• IMDB rating: 8.3
• Cast: Soori, Vijay Sethupathi, Bhavani Sre
• Director: Vetrimaaran
• Where to watch: Zee5

Saptha Sagaradaache Ello – Side A (8.3): Kannada

If you think they don’t make good romantic dramas these days, watch this film. It has both the warm fuzzy moments but boy you are in for a flood of feelings in this one. And that’s just Side A. The Side B was also released this year. Watch it next. You will see life getting in the way of love and a gritty portrayal of human nature. Rakshit Shetty has hit it out of the park with this one. Rukmini Vasanth has also done more than justice to her character.

• Genre: Romance, drama
• IMDB rating: 8.3
• Cast: Rakshit Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth
• Director: Hemanth M. Rao
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Chithha (8.3): Tamil

Chithha (translation: Uncle) shows the bond the protagonist and his niece shares. Their regular life goes haywire when the little girl goes missing. What happened to her and will the hero be able to find her? Actor Siddharth has morphed into this character. But, one who will win your hearts is Sahasra Shree who plays Sundari. The movie subverts expectations several times and the climax scene shared by the two leads is heart-wrenching.

• Genre: Thriller, drama
• IMDB rating: 8.4
• Cast: Siddharth, Nimisha Sajayan, Anjali Nair
• Director: S.U. Arun Kumar
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Jigarthanda Double X (8.2): Tamil

If the trailer of this movie excites you even a bit, know that the latter half of the movie takes things up several notches. The overarching theme of the movie is borrowed from its spiritual predecessor released back in 2014 but this one presents a socio-political commentary too. SJ Suryah who plays one of the leads is effortlessly great in his role but Raghava Lawrence is also the heart of the story. Even Clint Eastwood gets referenced multiple times in the movie. Watch the flick to know its relevance.

• Genre: Action, Comedy
• IMDB rating: 8.4
• Cast: Raghava Lawrence, S.J. Suryah, Shine Tom Chacko
• Director: Karthik Subbaraj
• Where to watch: Netflix

Toby (8.1): Kannada

It may not come across as surprising that yet another movie by the Shetty brothers is on this list. After Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, Raj B Shetty returns with a grey and borderline dark character. And if you see beyond the violence and uproar, you’ll witness the story of a speech-impaired man deemed a beast who wants to leave his dark past for love. Will he be able to find a sense of peaceful life or is it all doomed for him? Watch to find out.

• Genre: Thriller, Drama
• IMDB rating: 8.1
• Cast: Raj B Shetty, Chaithra J. Achar, Gopalkrishna Deshpande
• Director: Basil Alchalakkal
• Where to watch: Sony Liv

Por Thozhil (8.0): Tamil

A duo of a rookie and a senior police officer are on a hunt to find and stop a serial killer from committing more kills. Will the new joinee to the force be able to pull himself together and do his part in finding the culprit? The cat-and-mouse chase is nail-biting, and the screenplay has a perennial tension. 

• Genre: Thriller, Action 
• IMDB rating: 8
• Cast: R. Sarathkumar, Ashok Selvan, Nikhila Vimal
• Director: Vignesh Raja
• Where to watch: Sony Liv

Aachar & Co (7.9): Kannada

Aachar and Co takes you on a nostalgic trip to 1960-70s Bengaluru wherein a family undergoes a sudden shift in the family dynamics after the householder dies. This especially puts the eldest girl in the family in a tough spot to decide for her future. Will she be compliant with the patriarchal norms or the road less travelled by women those days?

• Genre: Action, Drama
• IMDB rating: 6.3
• Cast: Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy, Anirudh Acharya, Harshil Koushik
• Director: Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Kannur Squad (7.8): Malayalam

This movie is based on the real-life account of a team of Kannur police officers famous for their case-solving capabilities in their heyday and had their share of professional downfalls and personal problems. But while seemingly in their last leg, will they be able to hunt down the criminals behind a couple of brutal murders, even if it involves them engaging in a nationwide chase?

• Genre: Thriller, drama
• IMDB rating: 7.9
• Cast: Mammooty, Rony David, Anjali Nair
• Director: Roby Varghese Raj
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Iratta (7.7): Malayalam

It’s a great whodunnit as it keeps you hooked till the end when the climax is as surprising as it can ever get. Iratta which means Twins in Malayalam shows how twin brothers having different childhoods and upbringings, one of which was more twisted than the other, could result in a very different life. The interpersonal drama between the two brothers has been poignantly portrayed by Joju George.

• Genre: Thriller, drama
• IMDB rating: 7.7
• Cast: Joju George, Anjali, Meenakshi Dinesh
• Director: Rohit M.G. Krishnan
• Where to watch: Netflix

Romancham (7.5): Malayalam

A group of good-for-nothing bachelors living in a flat in Bengaluru and their shenanigans are too fun to miss. The ghost/spirit-hunting element is just icing on the cake. There are several newcomers who have a standout presence. Even Shoubin Shahir and Arjun Ashokan have played their part splendidly. 

• Genre: Horror, Comedy
• IMDB rating: 7.5
• Cast: Shoubin Shahir, Arjun Ashokan, Sajin Gopu
• Director: Jithu Madhavan
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Maaveeran (7.4): Tamil

A cartoonist seemingly gets the superpower to hear future events in advance. This helps him get out of poverty and dilapidated housing situation. His powers also rub a politician the wrong way. This leader is also the antagonist of the story and the person behind the scam which is the apartments our hero and his colony of people are staying in. Will he be able to fix his life for good? Watch the film to know.

• Genre: Action, Thriller
• IMDB rating: 7.4
• Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Aditi Shankar, Mysskin, Sunil
• Director: Madonne Ashwin
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Samajavaragamana (7.4): Telugu

The hero is the sole breadwinner of a middle-class family. He has to tutor his father and a tenant for some exams and in the process falls in love with the tenant. The movie feels like a breath of fresh air from the mass masala movies in the Telugu belt. It has moments of fun, comedy, and romance present in a warm middle-class setting.

• Genre: Comedy, Drama
• IMDB rating: 7.4
• Cast: Vennela Kishore, Reba Monica John, Koushik Mahata
• Director: Ram Abbaraju 
• Where to watch: Aha

Leo (7.3): Tamil

When Lokesh Kanagraj and Thalapathy Vijay decided to join hands for yet another movie after Master, fans were all intrigued and excited. After Vikram’s gigantic success, people wondered if Leo would be part of Lokiverse. Those who weren’t entirely impressed by their first collab wanted to see how it fares in this one. Well, let’s say the story has two parts and one part is inferior to the other. However, overall, it’s a nice watch with some good action choreography and superb acting by Vijay.  

• Genre: Action, Thriller
• IMDB rating: 7.5
• Cast: Vijay, Trisha, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja
• Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
• Where to watch: Netflix

Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two (7.3): Tamil

This movie continues the story where the first part left off and that means we get to see where the Chola dynasty went ahead under Vandiyadevan and Ponniyin Selvan. The story is densely packed with action, drama, and lots of historical nuggets. Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus concludes with a mixed opinion though because it was too much for some audience. That said, even its critics have good words for the excellent acting and set pieces presented on screen. 

• Genre: Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 7.3
• Cast: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Karthi
• Director: Mani Ratnam 
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

RDX (7.2): Malayalam

A trio of friends and their camaraderie. They are trained in karate which aids them in resolving small and big fights in life. However, one such fight breaks them apart and gets them and their families in grave trouble. The drama is tense in places enhanced by Sam CS’s score. So, will the estranged friends come together and will they be able to protect their families from the goons hunting them?

• Genre: Action, drama
• IMDB rating: 7.2
• Cast: Antony Varghese, Shane Nigam, Neeraj Madhav
• Director: Nahas Hidayath
• Where to watch: Netflix

Jailer (7.1): Tamil

Muthuvel Pandian lives a peaceful retirement with his wife, son and family. His life turns upside down when his son, a police officer goes missing and the department hardly comes to his support. He smells something fishy and decides to take things into his hands. This puts him at a crossroads with a smuggler/psychotic villain. But, will Pandian be able to find his son and protect the rest of his family? Watch to find out.

• Genre: Action, Crime
• IMDB rating: 7.1
• Cast: Rajnikanth, Vinayakan, Vasanth Ravi
• Director: Nelson Dilipkumar 
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Bhagavanth Kesari (6.3): Telugu

Bhagavanth Kesari played by Nandamuri Balakrishna aka Balayya is an ex-prisoner who is on a mission to train his ward named Viji. He is very strict which doesn’t go well with the young girl. However, when the baddie of the film goes to harm her, Balayya goes on a one-man army fight against the evil folks. Will he be able to save Viji and does she learn something from this? Watch to find out.

• Genre: Action, Drama
• IMDB rating: 6.3
• Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Arjun Rampal, Kajal Aggarwal
• Director: Anil Ravipudi
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Waltair Veerayya (6.2): Telugu

Waltair Veerayya is a commercial potboiler with lots of slow-mo action sequences, stylistic shots of Chiru and Ravi Teja, and mass dialogues. Chiranjeevi plays the titular character who is a fisherman turned smuggler whose roads cross Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja who plays a police officer’s role. However, neither of them are the villains. Some unfortunate events happen which bring the two superstars together and team up against the antagonist.

• Genre: Action, Thriller
• IMDB rating: 6.2
• Cast: Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan
• Director: K.S. Ravindra
• Where to watch: Netflix

Veera Simha Reddy (4.9): Telugu

Veera Simha Reddy is a commercial potboiler with lots of slow-mo action sequences, stylistic shots of Balayya, and mass dialogues. Balayya plays the titular character who returns from abroad to take revenge on the evil people who took his father’s life. This is a mass masala movie on steroids. 

• Genre: Action, Drama
• IMDB rating: 4.9
• Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Shruti Hassan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
• Director: Gopichand Malineni
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

FAQ

Which is the top-grossing South Indian movie of 2023?

Leo is the highest-grossing South Indian movie of 2023 at 610 crores (worldwide).