19 of top 50 films from South industry since 2015 

Southern cinema has decisively moved from the periphery to the centre of India’s film landscape. 

According to IMDb’s new report, 25 Years of Indian Cinema, 19 of the 50 most popular Indian movies released between 2015 and 2024 originated from the Southern industries, with Telugu cinema alone contributing nine. In contrast, only five southern titles made the cut in the previous decade (2005-2014).

The comprehensive study, based on data from more than 250 million monthly users worldwide, examines the top five most popular Indian films from each year between 2000 and 2025. The findings highlight a dramatic transformation in storytelling priorities, audience behaviour, and the structure of stardom over the past 25 years.

The report identifies the 2015 release of S.S. Rajamouli’s “Baahubali: The Beginning” as a watershed moment that redefined cinematic scale and narrative reach. The rise of OTT platforms and widespread dubbing have lowered language barriers and changed how audiences consume films, encouraging them to explore cinema across linguistic lines.

By 2022, four of the five most popular Indian films were non-Hindi productions. Rather than displacing Hindi cinema, this signals what IMDb calls a “durable realignment”, one that expands the creative ecosystem with new genres, stars, and storytelling styles.

Collaboration across industries is also driving this growth. From Atlee’s “Jawan” to Rajamouli’s “RRR” and Prashanth Neel’s “Salaar,” pan-Indian projects are leveraging cross-industry talent pools and distribution networks to reach broader audiences. The dominance of remakes is declining as dubbed originals gain popularity, and language itself is now viewed as a genre marker, with Telugu and Kannada cinema associated with spectacle, Malayalam with realism, and Tamil with ideological narratives.

IMDb’s analysis shows a shift away from short-term box office performance to long-term cultural value. Films such as Tumbbad (2018) and Sanam Teri Kasam (2016), initially overlooked, gained significant traction years after release. Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) emerged as the top film in terms of sustained relevance, followed by 3 Idiots (2009) and Drishyam (2015).

This trend indicates that audience discovery is now a prolonged process, fuelled by streaming recommendations, word-of-mouth, and re-releases. As a result, the industry is moving away from binary “hit or flop” verdicts.

The report also points to a major shift in the structure of stardom. In the early 2000s, Shah Rukh Khan dominated eight of the 25 most popular films released between 2000 and 2004. Over the last five years, however, 23 different male actors have led the top 25 movies, signalling the fragmentation of star power.

Shah Rukh Khan remains a dominant presence, featuring in 20 of the top 130 films of the past 25 years and ranking in IMDb’s weekly Top 10 Popular Celebrities every week in 2024, but stars today act more as “multipliers” of a film’s strength rather than guaranteed box-office draws.

The star archetype itself has diversified. New-age actors such as Ranbir Kapoor, Allu Arjun, Rajkummar Rao, and Rashmika Mandanna represent different facets of modern stardom, while Southern stars like Prabhas and Vijay Sethupathi continue to retain strong theatrical pull. Women, meanwhile, are shaping their careers beyond cinema, with Deepika Padukone (10 films) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (6 films) among the most prolific names, and expanding their influence through global projects and entrepreneurship.

The globalisation of Indian cinema is another major trend. IMDb identifies four broad categories of international success:

Crossover hits such as 3 Idiots, Dangal, and RRR that resonate beyond cultural boundaries.

Festival favourites like The Lunchbox and Monsoon Wedding that appeal to global cinephiles.

Domestic blockbusters including Pushpa and KGF that consolidate diaspora audiences.

Diaspora-led hits driven by superstar appeal, such as Veer-Zaara and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

With over 80% of its page views coming from outside India, 3 Idiots remains the most popular Indian film globally on IMDb. Meanwhile, Rajamouli’s RRR has proven that culturally specific, authentically Indian stories can succeed internationally without dilution.

The long tail of Indian cinema is also growing significantly. In 2000, only 41 films received more than 1,000 IMDb votes. By 2024, that number had surged to 470, representing 22% of all Indian films released that year. Telugu cinema leads this expansion, rising from 20 qualifying titles in 2014 to 180 in 2024. Malayalam cinema, while absent from the top 130 list, has built a strong base of critically acclaimed, low-budget films that influence larger industries.