6 Great Telugu Romance Movies On Disney+ Hotstar

As we gear up to watch the romantic drama Baby, in theatres this Friday, perhaps it’s a good time to revisit (if you are a Telugu movie buff) or discover (if you are exploring Telugu cinema) some of the finest romance films the industry has to offer. All six films here look at romance through different lenses and genres—ranging from light-hearted, sweet rom-com featuring a woman-hating person to intense war drama that uses a catastrophic event like World War II to address the evils of caste and how love transcends such manmade demarcations. Well, we got you covered.

Tholi Prema (1998)

Tholi Prema, which turns 25 this year, was a sensation upon release. Karunakaran’s debut steered clear of melodrama and cliches to give us a film that remains fresh and effortlessly watchable even today. The love story was a breath of fresh air in every sense. There are no villains tearing the couple apart, no warring families, and no Romeo and Juliet-like class difference preventing the lovers from uniting. Anu (Keerthy Reddy) comes into the life of Balu (Pawan Kalyan) like an angel for a fleeting moment at his lowest point and vanishes from his sight as the enchanted man craves to meet her one more time. Almost half of the runtime follows Balu’s efforts to meet the love of his life, and when they finally meet, fate has different plans. Featuring instantly likable characters and Karunakaran’s super cute montages, Tholi Prema is a sweet film that doesn’t follow the conventional route. You have to see it to understand its freshness.

Anand (2004)

Like Tholi Prema, Sekar Kammula’s Anand also created waves during its original release. Anand, regarded as one of the finest films ever produced by Telugu cinema, remains a class apart, thanks to its sensitive, grounded portrayal of relations and its emphasis on the beauty of smaller things in an industry that’s always obsessed with high stakes and drama. Anand’s tagline, ‘Oka manchi coffee laanti cinema (A film as akin to a good cup of coffee)’ is a fitting description of the film’s vibe. It’s pretty difficult to keep the appreciation of Anand brief because the film gets so many things right—from the way Kamalini Mukherjee’s Roopa is written as an independent yet vulnerable woman to her mature romance with the titular character, played by Raja. Despite featuring some heavy plot points, Anand is a breezy watch that’ll leave you wanting more of the characters.

Varsham (2004)

Varsham might be packed with action elements, but at heart, it’s a wonderful love story and a retelling of Ramayana, in a way. Prabhas plays Venkat, a youngster who falls for Sailaja (Trisha) the moment he sees her dancing in the rain. He isn’t the only one to be smitten by her charm and beauty, though. The violent Bhadram, the Raavan of Varsham, is also mesmerised by Sailaja. What follows a cute love story featuring Venkat and Sailaja is a dramatic breakup as she becomes a film actress and when the Raavan eventually strikes, you know what Ram is tasked to do. Varsham, without a doubt, is the better Ramayan Prabhas starred in and a major cue to Trisha’s pleasing performance and Devi Sri Prasad’s fantastic music.

Malli Malli Idhi Rani Roju (2015)

Malli Malli Idhi Raani Roju is the purest romance movie on this list. With zero diversions, the film is an unadulterated, mature love story with ‘90s charm. Faith is not the biggest adversary in this interfaith love story between Ram (Sharwanand) and Nazeera (Nithya Menen), but destiny is. Ram falls in love with Nazeera just by seeing her eyes and remains unaware of her identity for nearly half of the film. Just when you feel everything’s going good for the couple, destiny plays the spoilsport and hurls them in different directions, only to give them a shot at reuniting years later. Malli Malli Idhi Rani Roju might not be the most inventive take on romance and longing, but the story, despite the familiarity, it is told with honesty. As said, the film has a great ‘90s love story mood, and the ‘airport climax’ just like Tholi Prema is a corroboration.

Manmadhudu (2002)

Manmadhudu is straight out of the most loved Telugu films of the 2000s, thanks to Trivikram’s witty writing that made him one of the most celebrated writers of Telugu cinema. The quirk in the film starts right from the title Manmadhudu (Cupid, the god of desire and love) because our protagonist Abhi hates women. We learn that Abhi's painful backstory, featuring an unrequited love, has rendered him cold, and the film traces how he finds love again when Harika (Sonali Bendre) joins his marketing firm. Manmadhudu is all things you can expect from a wholesome entertainer: touching, funny and warm. It is, without a doubt, the most entertaining romantic film on the list.

Kanche (2015)

Krish Jagarlamudi’s Kanche is one of the most ambitious films to come out in Telugu. Not just its scale but as an idea too, Kanche is both big and brave. It is set against the backdrop of World War II, a part of history that’s rarely explored in Indian cinema. Dhupathi Haribabu is one of the Indian volunteer soldiers drafted to fight the Nazis. The film draws parallels between World War II and the caste system that stands between Haribabu and his love, Sitadevi (Pragya Jaiswal). Kanche’s love story is strong, one laced with larger commentary, making it a must-watch.