Cinemania’s Top 10 Telugu Films of 2024
For the first time since its inception, Telugu film industry dominated Indian cinema with the highest cumulative box office revenue this year at the worldwide box office (over ₹4500 crores) when compared to other film industries in India including Bollywood (over ₹3800 crores).
Two Telugu-original, pan-India films crossed ₹1000 crores globally – Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2: The Rule – with the latter beating the box office records of Jawan and Stree 2 to become the highest-grossing film of all-time in Hindi cinema. Devara (₹520 crores) and Hanu Man (₹318 crores) also emerged commercially-successful across multiple languages.
Regardless of the box office performance, below is Cinemania’s pick of Top 10 Telugu Original Films in 2024:
10
Film: Tillu Square
Directed by: Mallik Ram
Cast: Siddhu Jonnalagadda and Anupama Parameswaran
Produced by: Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas
Theatrical Release Date: 29 March 2024
Streaming on: Netflix
In the much-anticipated sequel to 2022’s DJ Tillu, the titular character (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) falls in love yet again despite being conscious that he was in deep trouble the last time he fell in love (with Neha Sshetty’s Radhika in the first instalment). This time, his ladylove is Lilly Joseph (Anupama Parameswaran), who reveals she is pregnant with Tillu’s child following a one-night stand. As Tillu prepares to marry Lilly and start a family with her, his past comes back to haunt him.
Siddhu Jonnalagadda (also co-writer with Ravi Anthony Pudota) and Anupama Parameswaran deliver good performances in this entertaining sequel with twists aplenty, however the film fails to better the superior first instalment.
9
Film: Saripodhaa Sanivaaram
Directed by: Vivek Athreya
Cast: Nani, SJ Suryah and Priyanka Mohan
Produced by: DVV Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 29 August 2024
Streaming on: Netflix
Following rom-com Ante Sundariniki (2022), director Vivek Athreya and Nani teamed up once again for action-drama Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, also starring SJ Suryah and Priyanka Mohan (in her second collaboration with Nani after 2019’s Gang Leader).
In the film, Nani plays a larger-than-life character Surya who has anger issues, so he is forced to make a promise to his dying mother (Abhirami) that he will vent out his anger only on Saturdays. S J Suryah plays psycho-cop Daya who randomly targets people of a locality named Sokulapalem as a way to vent out his frustrations on his more successful elder brother and politician Koorma (Murali Sharma). What happens when Surya and Daya lock horns forms the rest of the story.
Saripodha Sanivaaram is filled with too many convenient moments that most of the film is predictable, however the film is still entertaining, thanks to Nani and SJ Suryah’s power-packed performances and Jakes Bejoy’s effective background score.
8
Film: KA
Directed by: Sujith and Sandeep
Cast: Kiran Abbavaram, Nayan Sarika and Tanvi Ram
Produced by: Srichakraas Entertainments and KA Productions
Theatrical Release Date: 31 October 2024
Streaming on: ETV Win
Following a couple of lacklustre films last year, Kiran Abbavaram has bounced back this year with a refreshing supernatural-thriller, directed by brothers Sujith and Sandeep.
Set in 1970s, KA follows Abhinay Vasudev (Kiran Abbavaram), who is abducted to a mysterious place and interrogated about his past by a masked man. The story then shifts to Vasudev’s life as an assistant postman in a village named Krishnagiri and his romantic relationship with the postman’s daughter Satyabhama (Nayan Sarika). Many women go missing in that village and Vasudev, who has a habit of reading other people’s letters since his childhood in an orphanage, discovers a clue about the missing women by reading their letters. The rest of the story is about why the women are missing and whether Vasudev manages to rescue them.
Apart from being engaging, KA is also technically brilliant with a magnificent background score by Sam CS and impressive cinematography (Sateesh Reddy Masam and Viswas Daniel).
7
Film: Devara: Part 1
Directed by: Koratala Siva
Cast: Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor
Produced by: Yuvasudha Arts and NTR Arts
Theatrical Release Date: 27 September 2024
Streaming on: Netflix
Directed by Koratala Siva (Bharat Ane Nenu, Srimanthudu), Devara follows the titular character (Jr NTR) and Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan) who are the leaders of two of the four villages behind a mountain by the “red sea”. They make a living by smuggling goods from ships bound to the harbour, carrying those goods through the sea to their region and handing that over to a local politician, who pays them handsomely in return. Devara, realising the goods he is smuggling has dangerous consequences, wants the villagers to discontinue the business however Bhaira and his gang disagree with Devara, leading to a conflict between the two gangs.
The highlights of Devara are Jr NTR’s towering performance as the eponymous hero and Anirudh Ravichander’s outstanding background score, which is the soul of the film and elevates almost every scene. The action sequences of the film deserve special praise, notably the “jatara” fights, fight on naval guard ship, pre-intermission fight sequence and the climax fight.
6
Film: Gaami
Directed by: Vidyadhar Kagita
Cast: Vishwak Sen, Chandini Chowdary, Abhinaya, Harika Pedada and Mohammad Samad
Produced by: Karthik Kult Kreations, V Celluloid, VR Global Media, Swetha Vahini Studios Ltd and Clown Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 8 March 2024
Streaming on: ZEE5
Vishwak Sen unveiled his tremendous acting potential in the role of an aghora suffering from haphephobia in adventure-thriller Gaami, directed by Vidyadhar Kagita in his directorial debut.
The film revolves around three people – aghora Shankar (Vishwak Sen) who sets out on a mission to the Himalayas with doctor Jahnavi (Chandini Chowdary) to find a mysterious flower that he believes will cure his haphephobia, a young girl (Harika Pedada) in a South Indian village who needs to escape from the clutches of the villagers in order to avoid being forced into prostitution like her mother, and a youngster (Mohammad Samad) incarcerated to be used as a lab rat in an illegal research centre.
Gaami benefits from an engaging story (Vidyadhar Kagita), praiseworthy performances by the lead cast, impressive cinematography (Vishwanath Reddy Chelumalla) and good background score (Naresh Kumaran).
5
Film: Mathu Vadalara 2
Directed by: Ritesh Rana
Cast: Sri Simha Koduri, Satya, Faria Abdullah and Sunil
Produced by: Clap Entertainment and Mythri Movie Makers
Release Date: 13 September 2024
Streaming on: Netflix
Ritesh Rana’s Mathu Vadalara 2 was one of the most-awaited sequels of the year and it lived up to its expectations with an entertaining plot filled with comical moments, clever references to the first instalment and plenty of twists.
In the sequel, Babu (Sri Simha Koduri) and Yesu (Satya) work at a police task force called HE (High Emergency) team and make additional income by siphoning off small amounts of money from the ransom amounts paid by kidnapped victims’ families to their kidnappers during the rescue mission. The duo take up a kidnapping case involving a child Riya from a high-profile family, however the case gets more complicated than it initially appeared to be and the duo are suddenly framed in a murder case. How they prove that they are not guilty and who the real culprit is forms the rest of the story.
The highlight of the sequel, as with the first one, is the performance of comedian Satya in his role of Yesu and his conversations with Sri Simha Koduri’s Babu. Just like the first instalment, the sequel also has innovative camerawork, impressive production design and slick editing (Karthika Srinivas), making it an entertaining affair from start to finish.
4
Film: Pushpa 2: The Rule
Directed by: Sukumar
Cast: Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil and Rashmika Mandanna
Produced by: Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings
Release Date: 5 December 2024
Streaming on: TBC
The sequel that the entire country waited for three years (Pushpa: The Rise released in 2021) did not disappoint. In Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule, the eponymous hero (Allu Arjun) grows his wealth, power and influence to such an extent that when the Chief Minister of the state refuses a photograph with him due to his smuggling background, Pushpa takes that insult personally and decides to replace the leader of the state with Syndicate member and politician Bhumireddy (Rao Ramesh). The film is filled with several such impactful and bar-raising scenes, elevated by an unbelievable performance by Allu Arjun. Be it dance, action, emotional sequences, confronting his nemesis Bhanwar Singh Shekawat (Fahadh Faasil) or romantic moments with his wife Srivalli (Rashmika Mandanna) – the National Award winning actor leaves a strong impression in every frame he is part of.
Whilst the sequel has a fair share of well-choreographed action sequences, its the drama segments that are more impactful and engaging like the “sorry” segment, Pushpa and Shekawat playing dumb charades, conversation between Bhumireddy and Shekawat inside a police station, the brilliant “Jaatara” segment and the family reunion scenes to name a few.
3
Film: Hanu-Man
Directed by: Prasanth Varma
Cast: Teja Sajja, Vinay Rai and Amritha
Produced by: Primeshow Entertainment
Release Date: 12 January 2024
Streaming on: ZEE5
Prasanth Varma’s Hanu-Man is a success story that will be remembered for ages. The low-budget superhero film featuring relatively unknown cast members was projected to be unsuccessful at a box office as it was scheduled to release alongside three big films led by some of the biggest stars of the Telugu film industry – Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram, Venkatesh’s Saindhav and Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga – during the extended Sankranti weekend. The three big films occupied almost all the screens leaving bare minimum for Hanu-Man, who were the first among the four to announce the Sankranti release date. A popular interviewer, during a conversation with director Prasanth Varma ahead of the release of the film, compared Hanu-Man to a cycle on a highway that was going to be crushed by three big, fast-moving cars (the other big films). However, Prasanth Varma’s superhero film, buoyed by positive word-of-mouth that spread like wildfire, defied all odds to emerge as a blockbuster, grossing more than the other three releases. The dubbed versions of the film also performed well in other states and the Hindi version became a sleeper hit.
Set in the backdrop of a scenic hilltop village called Anjanadri, Hanu-Man revolves around a lovelorn petty thief Hanumanthu (Teja Sajja) who gains superpowers after coming into contact with a mysterious gem, and a technology-assisted wannabe superhero Michael (Vinay Rai) from Mumbai, who wants to acquire the gem for himself and boost his powers. What follows is a riveting battle of good vs evil.
The highlights of Hanu-Man is its engrossing story with mythological elements, racy screenplay, good performances from the main cast, impressive VFX (at such low budget) – all of which provided a satisfying theatrical experience.
2
Film: Kalki 2898 AD
Directed by: Nag Ashwin
Cast: Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan
Produced by: Vyjayanthi Movies
Release Date: 27 June 2024
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Writer and director Nag Ashwin (Mahanati) showcases his incredible world-building skills and cleverly blends Indian mythology with a futuristic science-fiction setting in his magnum opus Kalki 2898 AD, featuring some of the biggest stars in the Indian film industry – Prabhas (Baahubali, Salaar), Amitabh Bachchan (Pink, Badla), Deepika Padukone (Pathaan, Jawan) and Kamal Haasan (Vikram).
Kalki begins with the Kurukshetra war in 3000 BC in which Kaurava warrior Aswatthama (Amitabh Bachchan) is cursed by Krishna to remain immortal and be witness to all the suffering in the world in the age of Kali. The film then shifts to a dystopian future 2298 AD where Kashi is the last remaining city on the Earth, which is exploited of all its resources by Complex, controlled by Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan). Yaskin sets up a lab that hosts a number of pregnant women. A serum is extracted from their womb and is passed onto Yaskin to keep him alive. One of those women held hostage is SU-M80 (Deepika Padukone). She escapes from Complex and hides in a secret place called Shambala. A bounty hunter Bhairava (Prabhas) takes up the task of capturing SU-M80 and handing her over to the Complex. Meanwhile Aswatthama comes across SU-M80 and realises he needs to save her unborn child, who is the tenth avatar of Vishnu. This results in a series of face-offs between Bhairava and Aswatthama.
Each world in Kalki 2898 AD – Kashi, Complex and Shambala – are unique and astounding with their own vehicles, costumes and weapons. The CGI is top-notch and the action choreography is fantastic.
Some of the highlights of the film are the opening Mahabharata segment, fight sequences between Prabhas’ Bhairava and Amitabh Bachchan’s Aswathamma, a pregnant Deepika Padukone’s SU-M80 walking through fire and the incredible climax reveal.
1
Film: Lucky Baskhar
Directed by: Venky Atluri
Cast: Dulquer Salmaan and Meenakshi Chaudhary
Produced by: Sithara Entertainments, Fortune Four Cinemas and Srikara Studios
Release Date: 31 October 2024
Streaming on: Netflix
Dulquer Salmaan delivered a powerhouse performance as a low-earning, debt-ridden, family-man bank cashier who is let down by the system and then resorts to deceit and financial crime to steer his way to riches in writer and director Venky Atluri’s (Vaathi) finest work till date.
Set in the backdrop of 1990s Mumbai, the film opens with Baskhar being interrogated by CBI officials in his bank. “How can a normal bank employee have ₹150 crores in their bank account?” CBI officer Laxman Rao (Sai Kumar) asks Baskhar who then narrates his incredible story.
The first-person narrative and non-linear screenplay works wonders for the film (you know he’s made it big and you are curious to know how). Venky Atluri’s smartly balances the financial crime sequences with family drama and emotions in such a way that you sympathise with the protagonist and start rooting for him despite being aware that he is breaking the law. The director has also put in a lot of effort to make banking and stock market jargon easy to understand.
Lucky Baskhar is technically brilliant too. Cinematography and camera work are fantastic (especially in the scene where Bhaskar runs to work after his scooter is snatched by a lender, and when Bhaskar runs to a stock broker to sell off his shares before trading ends). G. V. Prakash Kumar’s background score is fabulous and elevates many key scenes.