90 List of Must-Watch Telugu Movies (2000-2021)

In a romantic film, the story usually revolves around two protagonists who fall in love with each other. The plot can deal one of the many issues within love like triangle love, social class or caste differences, sacrifices, sentiments, destructive love and many more. Irrespective of whether the ending is happy or tragic, you can expect a lot of running around trees, soulful music and heart-tugging scenes. Ofcourse, one need not mention about the intimate scenes pictured between the two that can range from subtle romance to steamy hot performances.

Top 10 Must-Watch Romantic Telugu Movies:

> Manmadhudu – 2002
> Varsham – 2004
> Nuvvosthanante Nenodhantana – 2005
> Bommarillu -2006
> Ye Maya Chesave – 2010
> Ala Modalaindhi – 2011
> Pelli Choopulu -2016
> Arjun Reddy - 2017
> Rx 100 – 2018
> Geetha Govindam – 2018

2. Comedy:

Comedy films are intended to make audience laugh with light-hearted dramas. The plot can be insanely simple or complex that is filled with humorous dialogues and physical action. Some movies may have situational comedy scenes which overlap with romance, thriller, drama etc. while some can be totally led by comedians. You will notice that many scenes feature exaggerated versions of characters we come across in our day-to-day life. Comedy movies may either have a thought-provoking or happy ending, either which way we can find some relief from our mundane life.

Top 10 Must-Watch Comedy Telugu Movies:

> Kshemanga Velli Labhanga Randi – 00
> Nuvvu Naku Nachav – 2001
> Allari – 2002
> Malliswari – 2004
> Shankar Dada MBBS – 2004
> Ashta Chamma – 2008
> Pilla Zamindar -2011
> Sudigadu - 2012
> Bhale Bhale Magadivoi – 2015
> F2: Fun and Frustration – 2019

3. Thriller:

As the name suggests, this genre leaves the audience feeling "thrilled" with excitement or suspense. Thriller movies are packed with unexpected twists in the plot, uncertainty, fight and chase scenes, anxiety and edge-of-the-seat moments. The main character is usually placed in a tricky situation with almost no room to escape from the situations or mysteries. There are many subgenres in this category, like suspense thrillers, action-thrillers, erotic thrillers etc., which deal with subjects like murder mysteries, court-room scenes, kidnaps, gangsters, detectives etc.

Top 10 Must-Watch Telugu Thriller Movies:

> Drishyam – 2014
> Karthikeya - 2014
> Kshanam – 2016
> Gentleman – 2016
> Bhagamathi – 2018
> Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya – 2019
> Evaru – 2019
> MathuVadhalara – 2019
> HIT – 2020
> Super Over - 2021

4. Horror:

Horror films are designed to fighten you and invoke your worst fears like death, ghosts etc.. The plots usually has a bunch of unsuspecting people encountering a series of unexplained paranomal activities that can scare the wits out of us. The scenes are often accompanied with terrifying background music to trigger feelings of danger and anxiety in the audience. Sub-genres of horror movies are horror-thrillers, psychopath thrillers, ghost stories, comedy-horror etc. The use of technology is rampant in these movies to create realistic ghost scenes that can give us many sleepless nights!

Top 10 Must-Watch Telugu Horror Movies:

> Chandramukhi – 2005
> A Film by Aravind - 2005
> Kanchana – 2011
> Arundhati -2009
> Avunu - 2012
> Prema Katha Chitram – 2013
> Ice Cream – 2014
> Raju Gari Gadhi – 2015
> Taxiwala - 2018
> Nishabdham - 2020

5. Action:

Action movies are packed with high-energy scenes that can give you an adrenaline rush. The story can combine many genres like romance, comedy, drama, etc. but adventure and action are given the center-seat. The scenes have a continuous scope for action featuring physical stunts like running, chasing, jumping, martial arts, weapons, fights and escapes. The male protagonist in this genre is usually portrayed as a superhero who can perform every stunt in the world, while the heroine supports him in his adventures.

Top 10 Must-Watch Telugu Action Movies:

> Chathrapathi - 2005
> Pokiri – 2006
> Vikramarkudu - 2006
> Billa– 2009
> Dookudu - 2011
> Yevadu - 2014
> Dhruva – 2016
> 118 - 2019
> Janatha Garage – 2016
> Saaho - 2019

6. Biopics:

A biopic is a short form for a Biographical film which deals with the life of a popular individual or group. The plot usually revolves around past events, which may be juxtaposed with events in contemporary times. Story can either be true to the book or exaggerated by infusing commercial elements like punchy dialogues, fictional scenes, songs etc. Biopics can either portray a person as a hero or point out their flaws to a certain degree. Most biopics are made on war heroes, film personalities, sports persons, politicians etc.

Top 10 Must-Watch Telugu Biopic Movies:

> RaktaCharitra – 2010
> Rajanna - 2011
> Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya - 2013
> Rudramadevi - 2015
> Mahanati – 2018
> Mallesham – 2019
> Yatra – 2019
> George Reddy – 2019
> NTR Kathanayakudu – 2019
> Aakasame Nee Haddhu Ra - 2020

7. Periodic Drama:

A Periodic drama features events set in the past to transport the audience to the by-gone times. The challenge involved in a periodic drama is to recreate the scenes accurately using elaborate movie sets, costumes, jewellery, change of language, weapons etc. Apart from entertaining the viewers, period dramas also educate them about our history and culture. However, the plots need not always be based on true-life incidents and can be purely fictional. There can be sub-genres like comedy, romance, action etc. in these movies.

Top 10 Must-Watch Telugu Biopic Movies:

> Sri Rama Dasu – 2006
> Sri Rama Rajyam – 2011
> Kanche – 2015
> Bahubali - 2015
> Gowthami Putra Sathakarni – 2017
> Ghazi Attack – 2017
> Bahubali 2 : The conclusion – 2017
> Rangasthalam - 2018
> Syera Narasimha Reddy – 2019
> RRR – 2021 (TBR)

8. Drama:

Drama is a large genre in Telugu movies that deal with people and their lives. The characters are close to reality which are faced with a wide range of problems, emotions and incidents in their reel-life. There can be a number of themes like love, family, poverty, religion, tragedy, political issues etc. Drama is often interspersed with other genres like romance, comedy, thriller, action etc. to design a commercially viable plot. Most movies focus on present issues in the society and often end with a message-oriented climax.

Top 10 Must-Watch Telugu Drama Movies:

> Vedam – 2010
> Prasthanam – 2010
> Mithunam - 2012
> Eega - 2012
> Attarintiki Daredhi – 2013
> Manam - 2014
> Oopiri – 2016
> Fida - 2017
> C/o Karcharlapalem - 2018
> Jersey – 2019

9. Fantasy:

Fantasy movies deal with a lot of unrealistic, otherwise impossible events in real life. They often feature stories like Chandamama Kathalu which we read during our childhood days. There are a lot of fantastical elements like witches, magic, myth, whimsical locations and fairytales which can appeal to both children and adults alike. Telugu fantasy movies combine mythology, horror and supernatural genres which can frighten the audience and give them a "Wow" moment at the same time.

Top 10 Must-Watch Telugu Fantasy Movies:

> Devi Putrudu - 2004
> Yamadonga – 2007
> Magadheera – 2009
> Khaleja – 2010
> Anaganaga O Dheerudu – 2011
> Damarukam - 2012
> Gopala Gopala - 2015
> Yekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada – 2016
> Om Namo Venkatesaya - 2017
> Oh! Baby – 2019

Those are some of the popular genres in Telugu cinema, along with a list of must-watch Tollywood movies. So, tell us, what is your favorite genre and why? Also, share your list of best Telugu movies ever that our readers cannot afford to miss!