Top 12 South Indian romantic movies on Amazon Prime, Zee5 and more: From Alai Payutey to Yeh Maya Chesave

There’s no denying that Indian audiences have a special attachment to romantic films. Romance, as a genre, is an integral part of movies in this country and has created many fans of romance itself.

Over the years, there have been a number of actors known for their ability to impress audiences with their romantic films. Starting with Guru Dutt in the late 50s, Gemini Ganesan, Sivaji Ganesan, R. Madhavan and even Dulquer Salmaan and Vijay Deverakonda. Here are the top 12 South Indian romantic movies that will touch the emotions of the audience, make them laugh, laugh and sometimes bring tears to their eyes.

Top 12 South Indian Romantic Movies

1. Zenmabin Combas (1994)

• Screenwriter and director: priyadarshan
• language: Malayalam
• IMDb rating: 8.1/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 44 minutes
• Genre: Love comedy
• cast: Mohanlal, Shobana, Nedumudi Venu, KPAC Lalitha, Sreenivasan, Sankarady, Sukumari.
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Priyadarshan as a filmmaker is known for his ability to convey complex emotions, including romance, without any effort at all. His 1994 film, Her Combas, starring Mohanlal and Shobana, is undoubtedly the epitome of this skill. The film revolves around a landlord and his girlfriend’s employee who fall in love with the same woman. The film was widely praised upon its release and became the highest-grossing film of the year. Zembabin Kombath was also remade in Tamil starring Rajinikanth as Muthu and in Hindi with Aravind Swamy as Saath Rang Ke Sapne.

2. Alai Payutei (2000)

• Screenwriter and director: Mani Ratnam
• language: tamil
• IMDb rating: 8.3/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 36 minutes
• Genre: romantic drama
• cast: R. Madhavan, Shalini, Jayasudha, Vivek, KPAC Lalitha, Swarnamaria
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Mani Ratnam is a master of romantic stories. His 2000 film Alaipayutei was no exception. The film also marked R. Madhavan’s Tamil debut. ‘Alai Payutei’ tells the story of a couple and how their love grows over time while overcoming various obstacles. It also has a very philosophical underpinning, the conflict between traditionalism and modernism. The film received very positive reviews upon release and is also considered a cult classic.

3. Varanam Airam (2008)

• Screenwriter and director: Gautam Vasudev Menon
• language: tamil
• IMDb rating: 8.2/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 49 minutes
• Genre: romantic action drama
• cast: Suriya, Simran, Sameera Reddy, Divya Spandana, Avishek Kartik
• Where to watch: G5

For lovers of the romantic genre, Varanam Airam is not an unfamiliar name. The 2008 film was her second collaboration with GVM and Suriya after Kaakha Kaakha. The Singham actor plays the dual roles of his father and son in the film and the story revolves around a son who is in the army reminiscing about his memories with his father after his father’s death. . The helmer even dedicated the film to her father. The film is considered one of his best romantic films ever made and also has a fervent fan following.

4. Garipata (2008)

• Screenwriter and director: yogaraj bhaat
• language: kannada
• IMDb rating: 8.3/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 26 minutes
• Genre: love comedy drama
• cast: Ganesh, Anant Nag, Rajesh Krishnan, Diganth, Daisy Bopanna.
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Garipata has gained a huge fan following among the Kannada film audience. The movie is about a group of three friends who go on a vacation to distract themselves from a friend who has just broken up with them. They eventually overcome some obstacles and fall in love with a woman who stayed at the host’s house during the holidays. The film follows a unique form of storytelling and was widely acclaimed upon release.

5. Ye Maya Chesave (2010)

• Screenwriter and director: Gautam Vasudev Menon
• language: telugu
• IMDb rating: 7.7/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 29 minutes
• Genre: romantic drama
• cast: Naga Chaitanya, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Krishnudu, Devan, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Ye Maaya Chesave was GVM’s next film right after Varanam Aayiram. The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil starring Simbu and Trisha in the roles of Vinnaisandhi Varvaya. The film explored themes of age and religion as elements of love and was a huge success among both fans and critics. The film was also remade in Hindi as Ek Deewana Tha.

6. O Kaadhal Kanmani (2015)

• Screenwriter and director: Mani Ratnam
• language: tamil
• IMDb rating: 7.4/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 19 minutes
• Genre: romantic drama
• cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Nithya Menen, Prakash Raj, Leela Samson, Ramya S, Vinodini Vaidyanathan.
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Fifteen years after ‘Alai Payutey’, Mani Ratnam has once again proved himself to be a master when it comes to romantic films. O Kadhal Kanmani (OK Kanmani for short) tells the story of a young couple in a live-in relationship in Mumbai. The film explored the themes of modern thinking in urban India and gave a sharp contrast on important themes such as marriage and tradition. The film was later remade in Hindi starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor.

7. Premam (2015)

• Screenwriter and director: Alphonse Putren
• language: Malayalam
• IMDb rating: 8.3/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 36 minutes
• Genre: youth love comedy
• cast: Nivin Pauly, Aparna Balamurali, Sai Pallavi, Madonna Sebastian, Shabaresh Varma
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Premam is a trendsetter in Malayalam cinema and has definitely left her mark on the film industry at the national level. The film follows the story of a group of friends from their teens to adulthood and their love story over the years. The film also marked the film debut of Sai Pallavi, who became an overnight sensation with her portrayal of Malar in the film. The film was a huge success, with several fans attempting to imitate the film’s iconic black shirt and Mundu combination. The film was later remade in Telugu by Chandu Mondeti, starring Naga Chaitanya and Shruti Haasan.

8. Geetha Govindam (2018)

• Screenwriter and director: parashuram
• language: telugu
• IMDb rating: 7.7/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 28 minutes
• Genre: Love comedy
• cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandana, Venera Kishore, Subbaraju, Annapoorna
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Geetha Govindam marked the first on-screen collaboration of rumored couple Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna. The film revolves around Vijay Govind who develops feelings for his girlfriend Geetha. However, Geetha turns him down due to her misunderstanding. How they overcome their misunderstanding and ultimately come together forms the basic plot of the story.

9. ’96 (2018)

• Screenwriter and director: C. Premkumar
• language: tamil
• IMDb rating: 8.5/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 38 minutes
• Genre: romantic drama
• cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Trisha Krishnan, Devadarshini, Janagaraj, Rajkumar
• Where to watch: aha video

’96 is probably one of the most popular names on this list. This movie tells the story of two high school sweethearts from 1996 who meet after 22 years at a college social gathering. The film deals with how they talk about all the misunderstandings that were preventing them from dating. The film received wide acclaim upon release for its music, cinematography, and performances.

10. Diamond (2020)

• Screenwriter and director: KS Ashoka
• language: kannada
• IMDb rating: 8/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 16 minutes
• Genre: romantic drama
• cast: Khushi Ravi, Prusvi Ambar, Deekshi Shetty, Pavithra Lokesh
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Dear follows the romantic journey of the eponymous character from college to adulthood. The film also depicts a complicated love triangle that leaves the title character in a state of turmoil. Upon its release, the film was widely praised for its strong storytelling and was remade in Hindi, Telugu, and Marathi.

11. Hridayam (2022)

• Screenwriter and director: Vineeth Sreenivasan
• language: Malayalam
• IMDb rating: 8.1/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 51 minutes
• Genre: youth romantic drama
• cast: Pranav Mohanlal, Darshana Rajendran, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Johnny Antony, Vijayaraghavan, Aju Varghese
• Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

It is well known that Vineeth Sreenivasan has a knack for telling feel-good coming-of-age stories. The 2022 film ‘Hridayam’ starring Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Darshana Rajendran has become one of the most popular films of the year. The film depicts the protagonist Arun’s journey from college to adulthood, how he deals with relationships and breakups, and how he learns from, avoids and grows from past mistakes. The film also received very positive reviews upon release.

12. Sita Ramam (2022)

• Screenwriter and director: hanu ragavapudi
• language: telugu
• IMDb rating: 8.6/10
• Execution time: 2 hours 43 minutes
• Genre: period drama romance
• cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandana, Tarun Bhaskar, Gautam Vasudev Menon
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

‘Seetha Ramam’ is one of the most popular romantic movies to be released in 2022. The film, set in the 1960s, depicts the love story of an army officer named Ram and a civilian named Sita Mahalakshmi. The film was widely praised upon its release and is considered to be one of the best performances by lead actors Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur.