E-Paper
Best Telugu films of 2022: SS Rajamouli's RRR and Adivi Sesh's Major to Ante Sundaraniki and Sita Ramam
Best Telugu films of the year: From RRR starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR to Adivi Sesh's Major and Dulquer Salmaan's Sita Ramam, here are some of the best movies to come out of the Telugu film industry in 2022, in no particular order.
In 2022, Telugu cinema continued to champion the commercial cinema space, but a few films such as Mishan Impossible, DJ Tillu, Ante Sundaraniki, and Sita Ramam managed to reinvent and leave a lasting impact. We look at some of these films and what made them standout.
SS Rajamouli delivered what he promised. This was unadulterated masala cinema with the right dose of emotions thrown in to work effectively on the big screen. Predictable plot, but the way SS Rajamouli mounted it on a large canvas is nothing short of an experience you can’t forget for a long time.
DJ Tillu
DJ Tillu is one of those mindless entertainers that purely worked because the film never took itself seriously. Here was a film that used the Hyderabadi dialect effectively in mainstream cinema after a very long time, and it worked wonders. Unarguably, one of the most entertaining films of the year.
Sita Ramam
Hanu Raghavapudi’s Sita Ramam, a beautiful modern-day reimagining of the classic Ram-Sita story, is the kind of film that can even make those, who aren’t a fan of love stories have a change of heart. With its breath-taking visuals and soulful music, Sita Ramam has its heart in the right place and conveys its message about love and humanity over war quite effectively. It’s the kind of film that reassures that grand romantic tales can never go out of fashion.
Mishan Impossible
Children’s films come across rarely in Telugu cinema. Swaroop RSJ’s Mishan Impossible is a crime comedy that’s smartly built on the innocence of three kids, who are aptly cast. Truly, it was a small film with big heart and ambitions. It was very brave of Taapsee Pannu to back it and play a second fiddle to the kids.
Masooda
Debutant director Sai Kiran’s Masooda came at a time, when horror as a genre was done-to-death in Telugu cinema. It managed to stand out with its rooted treatment and good use of thrills to keep one invested in the story. Despite the familiar beats with respect to the story, this was a deft horror film.
Ante Sundaraniki
Vivek Athreya’s wildly creative and wholesomely entertaining Ante Sundaraniki has to be the bravest attempts of the year. A romantic comedy that beautifully transforms into a remarkable social commentary. Nani and Nazriya as the lead pair make it such a charming film to watch with their performances.
Ammu
Cut from the same cloth as films such Thappad and 47 Naatkal, Aishwarya Lekshmi’s Ammu is a very familiar tale of domestic abuse of a helpless wife, but thankfully it takes a very interesting detour to present a refreshing end. It is a thriller about a domestic abuse victim standing up for herself.
HIT 2
Director Sailesh Kolanu’s HIT sequel packs a solid punch with a story of a serial killer, who’s after young women. Unlike the first part, HIT 2 looked grander and more stylish, but still managed to leave an impact with a chilling story and largely engaging investigation scenes.
Major
Major is not the first film to be made on the 26/11 terror attacks, which turned Mumbai into a war zone. However, what differentiates it from the other movies is that it focuses on the life of late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan – the duty-bound hero (played to a tee by Adivi Sesh) who sacrificed his life while fighting the terrorists and rescuing 14 hostages in the Taj Mahal Hotel. This is a rousing story, far from perfect, of a fallen hero whose sacrifice effectively answers the film’s core plot point – what does it mean to be a soldier?
Virata Parvam
An adventurous tale of romance set against the backdrop of a revolution set in Telangana of the 1990s. Inspired by some true events, the film predominantly rests on the shoulder of Sai Pallavi, whose performance is a reminder of why she’s one of the most versatile actors of this year. The film may have earned mixed response from audiences through its theatrical release, but this is not a movie you’d easily forget.
