Why Regional Indian Cinema Deserves More Attention

When people think of "Indian movies," they usually think of Bollywood. But the best Indian cinema is increasingly coming from the south — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.

The Quality Revolution

In the last decade, regional Indian cinema has undergone a quality revolution:

• Malayalam cinema is producing consistently excellent films that rival the best in world cinema — tight scripts, nuanced performances, and real stories
• Tamil cinema is blending commercial appeal with artistic ambition — from Vetrimaaran's raw realism to Lokesh Kanagaraj's action universes
• Telugu cinema proved it can create pan-India phenomena (RRR, Pushpa) while also producing intimate dramas
• Kannada cinema delivered KGF and is building a new wave of auteur-driven films

The Language Barrier Is Gone

Thanks to dubbing and subtitles on streaming platforms, language is no longer a barrier. A Malayalam film on Netflix comes with Hindi, English, and Tamil subtitles. You can watch a Telugu masterpiece on Amazon Prime without knowing a word of Telugu.

The GoodScore Data Confirms It

When we rank Indian films by GoodScore, regional cinema dominates the top positions. Malayalam and Tamil films consistently score higher than Bollywood films — not because of quantity, but because of consistently higher quality storytelling.

If you haven't explored regional Indian cinema yet, you're missing out on some of the best films being made anywhere in the world right now. GoodWatch can help you find the best ones — across languages, across platforms.