Best South Indian Movies of 2023: Where to watch on OTT?

The South Indian film industry has been enjoying the golden era of Indian cinema for the past few years, as we have witnessed some of the biggest blockbusters of all time that brought a revolution to the industry and proved its potential not only in India but also worldwide.

Behind the success of South cinema, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, is their makers’ content-driven approach and less focus on glamour, item songs, etc., like we mostly see in Bollywood movies nowadays.

Perhaps this is why, even in the Hindi belt, people have begun to prefer South films over Bollywood films. Films such as Baahubali, KGF 1 and 2, RRR, and Pushpa: The Rise demonstrated Hindi audiences’ growing interest in South Indian films.

Best South Indian Movies of Year 2023

Here’s the list of the best South Indian movies of 2023 that have impressed the moviegoers, now you can catch them on OTT platforms. and are set to entertain you this year like Best South Indian Movies of Year 2022.

1. Varisu

Release Date: January 11, 2023

Director: Vaashi Paidipally

Star Cast: Rashmika Mandanna, Thalapathy Vijay, Prakash Raj, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Khushbu, Jayasudha, Sangeetha Krish, Samyuktha Shanmughanathan

Vaashi Paidipally, who has won a National Award for his efforts in directing Telugu movies like Munna, Brindavanam, Yevadu, Oopiri, and Maharshi, is the director and co-writer of Varisu. Vaarasudu is the Telugu title of the bilingual movie; Varisu is the name of the Tamil adaptation.

The movie features Rashmika Mandanna and Thalapathy Vijay in the lead roles. Actors such as Prakash Raj, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Khushbu, Jayasudha, Sangeetha Krish, and Samyuktha Shanmughanathan are also the part of the film.

2. Waltair Veerayya

Release Date: January 13, 2023

Director: Bobby Kolli

Star Cast: Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, Catherine Tresa

Chiranjeevi’s film Waltair Veerayya was released during the Pongal 2023 and went on to become the highest-grossing Telugu movie of 2023.

3. Vaathi

Release Date: February 17, 2023

Director: Venky Atluri

Star Cast: Dhanush, Samyuktha Menon

Vaathi/Sir is bilingual and the third south Indian biggie in 2023. The film received rave reviews from both critics and the audience alike.

4. Veera Simha Reddy

Release Date: January 12, 2023

Director: Gopchand Malineni

Star Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Honey Rose, Duniya Vijay

Despite facing a clash with Chiranjeevi’s Waltair Veerayya, NBK’s Veera Simha Reddy rocked the box office in 2023. The film is the second highest-grosser Telugu film of 2023.

South Indian Movies which can make this to Best releases of 2023.

5. Shaakuntalam

Release Date: April 14, 2023

Director: Gunasekhar

Star Cast: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Dev Mohan

The film is based on classical Sanskrit author Kalidasa’s popular play Abhigyanam Shakuntalam, featuring Samarth in the titular role and Dev Mohan as the king of the Puru Dynasty, Dushyanta.

The film was extensively shot around Hyderabad, including Ramoji Film City, Ananthagiri Hills, and Gandipet Lake, as well as some parts of Northern India, including Kashmir. It is produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations.

6. Dasara

Release Date: March 30, 2023

Director: Srikanth Odela

Star Cast: Nani, Keerthy Suresh, Dheekhshit Shetty, Shine Tom Chocko

Jersey fame actor Nani’s rugged avatar created hype for this film since start, released on 30th March 2023. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana people are showering love over Nani’s career best performance and it’s going to be Big Box Office success for Nani.

7. Ponniyin Selvan: II

Release Date: April 28, 2023

Director: Mani Ratnam

Star Cast: Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Trisha

Acclaimed director Mani Ratnam’s dream project, Ponniyin Selvan: Part 01 was released on September 30, 2022, and it turned out to be the highest grossing Tamil film of 2023, grossing around Rs. 500 crore worldwide.

Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 and Part 2 are co-produced by Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions and are based on Kallki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel of the same name.

Next Big Releases might win Box Office and audiences

These are biggies, expectations are so high because of powerful star cast, let’s see which movies impress the fans most.

1. Jailer 

Release Date: 10 Aug, 2023

Director: Nelson

Star Cast: Rajinikanth, Shiva Rajkumar, Ramya Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi, Yogi Babu

The Tamil action comedy film is produced by Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures, and it marks the debut of Shiva Rajkumar in Tamil cinema. Earlier, the film was being made under the working title Thalaivar 169, as it is the 169th project of megastar Rajinikanth.

The official title of the film was revealed in June, whereas filming began in August. The film’s music is composed by Anirudh.

2. Salaar

Release Date: September 28, 2023

Director: Prasanth Neel

Star Cast: Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu

Produced by Vijay Kiragandur under his banner, Hombale Films, this Telugu action thriller film was announced in 2020, and its shooting started in January 2021 near Godavarikhani, Telangana.

It is one of the most anticipated project of Telugu superstar Prabhas, who is currently gearing up for his upcoming bilingual Hindi-Telugu film Adipurush. It is the first collaboration between Prabhas and KGF director Prashanth Neel.

3. Pushpa: The Rule—Part 2

Release Date: August/September 2023

Director: Sukumar

Star Cast: Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Mohanlal (Cameo)

Telugu superstar Allu Arjun’s blockbuster film Pushpa: The Rise—Part 01 is set to be back with its sequel, titled Pusha: The Rule—Part 2, in the middle of 2023. The first film received universal acclaim for its action sequences, cinematography, direction, soundtrack, and performances by the star cast.

The film was a big commercial success and became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2021, grossing around Rs. 373 crore at the box office.

4. Indian 2

Release Date: October 2023

Director: S. Shankar

Star Cast: Kamal Hassan, Nedumudi Venu, Kichcha Sudeep, Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Priya Bhavani Shankar

It is a standalone sequel to Kamal Hassan’s 1996 vigilante action film “Indian.” It is produced by Lyca Productions in association with Red Giant Movies. The film was announced in 2017, and its shooting started in January 2019 in Chennai.

The shooting had to be halted following an accident on the set in February 2020, which led to the deaths of a few crew members. Later, production was also suspended due to COVID-19, and finally it was resumed in August 2022.

5. NTR30

Release Date: 2023/2024

Director: Koratala Siva

Star Cast: N.T. Rama Rao Jr.

Tentatively titled NTR30, Telugu superstar NTR Junior’s untitled film is one of the most ambitious projects in the Telugu film industry. The film is creating a lot of hype on social media, and fans are really eager to watch the movie in theatres.

The film’s pre-production work has been completed, and it will begin shooting in the second or third week of January. It is the second collaboration between NTR Jr. and Koratala Siva after Janatha Garage.

6. Suriya42

Release Date: Summer 2023

Director: Siva

Star Cast: Suriya, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu

Suriya42, the Pan-Indian action adventure film, is the 42nd film of Suriya’s career. It is shot in 3D and will be released in 10 languages. It is said to be the first film to be released on a global scale.

The major portion of the film has already wrapped up, and it is said that the makers are planning to have a complete wrap-up of the film by March this year.

7. Thangalaan

Release Date: TBA

Director: Pa. Ranjith

Star Cast: Vikram, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Malavika Mohanan

The Vikram-starrer Pan-Indian film Thangalaan, which is produced by Studio Green, KE Gnanavel Raja, and Neelam Productions, is set to be released in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi.

Tentatively titled “Chiyaan 61,” it got its official title “Thangalaan” on the occasion of Diwali 2022. Set against the backdrop of the pre-independence era, the film is written by Tamil Praba, and its music is composed by GV Prakash.

8. L2: Empuraan

Release Date: TBA

Director: Prithviraj Sukumaran

Star Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas

L2: Enpuraan is the sequel to the 2019 political action thriller Lucifer, which is the highest grossing Malayalam film so far. L2 is the second instalment in a trilogy and will be followed by an untitled sequel.

L2 will revolve around the before and after events shown in Lucife

9. Chandramukhi 2

Release Date: TBA

Director: P. Vasu

Star Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Raghava Lawrence, Vadivelu

Chandramukhi 2 is the sequel to the 2005 Tamil horror film Chandramukhi, which was the remake of Vasu’s Kannada film Apthamitra, which itself was based on the 1993 Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu.

Chandramukhi featured Rajinikanth and Jyothika in the lead roles whereas second film features Raghava Lawrence and Kangana Ranaut. It is the second Tamil film of Ranaut after Thalaivii. The film’s post theatrical rights have been acquired by Netflix.

10. RC15

Release Date: TBA

Director: S. Shankar

Star Cast: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, S.J. Suryah, Anjali, Jayaram

RC15 is the working title of the 15th film of Telugu superstar Ram Charan, and it is a much-hyped political thriller. It is the Telugu debut film of S. Shankar, from the story of Karthik Subbaraj.

The film is produced by Dil Raju and Sirish under Sri Venkateswara Creations, and it has music composed by S. Thaman in his third collaboration with Ram Charan after Naayak and Bruce Lee: The Fighter.

11. SSMB 28

Release Date: January 13, 2024

Director: Trivikram Srinivas

Star Cast: Mahesh Babu, Pooja Hegde, Samyuktha Menon, Ramya Krishnan

Mahesh Babu starrer SSMB 28 will release on January 13, 2024, the movie is directed and written by Trivikram Srinivas. Apart from Mahesh Babu the movie features Pooja Hegde, Samyuktha Menon, and Ramya Krishnan in the pivotal roles.

12. Project K

Release Date: January 12, 2023

Director: Nag Ashwin

Star Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Disha Patani

Produced by C. Aswani Dutt’s Vyjayanthi Movies, Project K is the working title of Telugu superstar Prabhas starrer science fiction film. The film makers the Telugu debut of Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone.

Reportedly, the film is being made on a budget of Rs. 500 crore and is one of the most expensive films ever made. It is simultaneously shot in Telugu and Hindi languages.

13. Sathuranga Vettai 2

Release Date: TBA

Director: N.V. Nirmal Kumar

Star Cast: Arvind Swami, Trisha Krishnan, Prakash Raj

The second edition of Sathuranga Vettai 2 is in the filming stage, and it will star Arvind Swami, Trisha Krishnan, and Prakash Raj in pivotal roles. The movie will be directed by N.V. Nirmal Kumar and will be bankrolled by Manobala.

Best South Indian Movies 2023 FAQs