Year Ender 2025: Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra To Thudarum, 8 Best South Indian Films That Won Hearts

As 2025 draws to a close, South Indian cinema once again proved why it continues to dominate the box office. From large-scale spectacles to emotionally rooted narratives, the year offered a mix of cinema that resonated with both audiences and critics.

Here’s a look at the films that stole spotlight in 2025

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra has emerged as the top-grossing Malayalam film of 2025. Released in theatres on August 28, 2025, the ambitious superhero film quickly became a hit, thanks to positive word of mouth. Written and directed by Dominic Arun, the film has delivered impressive box office numbers and is now set to make its OTT debut soon.

According to Sacnilk, the film earned around Rs 155.84 crore in India and Rs 302.11 crore globally. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Dulquer Salmaan admitted that the success had exceeded expectations. “I was seeing responses from everywhere. It’s proof that audiences today are open to different languages and fresh storytelling. People watched it on day one, reviewed it, made reels – it was surreal,” he said.

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra tells the story of an ordinary man who unexpectedly discovers he possesses superhuman abilities, setting him on a path of duty and sacrifice. As he learns to harness his powers, he becomes embroiled in a battle against forces that threaten humanity, blurring the line between his personal life and his responsibilities as a defender. With themes of heroism, identity and destiny, the film blends action, drama and spectacle, offering a fresh take on the superhero genre in Indian cinema.

Thudarum

Mohanlal’s Thudarum raked in Rs 5.5 crore on Day 1, making it the second-biggest Malayalam opener of the year. And guess who holds the No. 1 spot too? Yup, it’s still Mohanlal with Empuraan. Man’s literally competing with himself! Starring the legendary Shobana alongside Lalettan, Thudarum brought fans rushing to cinemas. The film opened at a whopping Rs 5.5 crore on Day 1, as per industry tracker Sacnilk. Thudarum has achieved the second-biggest opening for a Malayalam film this year following L2: Empuraan (featuring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Mohanlal), which scored a massive Rs 18.6 crore on its opening day.

Thudarum brings together the iconic duo of Mohanlal and Shobana for the first time since Mambazhakaalam (2004). The film tells the story of a family man whose life takes an unexpected turn when his beloved car gets caught up in a legal mess. The film features a standout performance by Prakash Varma in a revelatory role, alongside Binu Pappu, Farhaan Faasil, Thomas Mathew, and the legendary Bharathiraja. Produced by M Renjith, Thudarum marks director Tharun’s third project following the successes of Operation Java and Saudi Vellakka.

Kantara Chapter 1

Kantara Chapter 1, the Rishab Shetty starrer magnum opus mythological drama, has created a storm at the box office. Released on October 2, amid high expectations, the film has lived up to the audience’s expectations and garnered praise, especially for its stunning visuals, powerful storytelling and incredible action sequences.

The magnum opus project collected a whopping Rs 337.4 crore in its first week, while the second week collection was Rs 147.85 crore, across all languages in India. It would be interesting to see how the film performs even after the arrival of two big projects.

Helmed by Shetty himself, and backed by Hombale Films, the film also features Gulshan Devaiah, Jayaram and Rukmini Vasanth in significant roles.

It follows the story of a tribal warrior named Berme in 4th-century coastal Karnataka, who defends his people and their sacred forest against the encroaching Kadamba kingdom led by Prince Kulashekara. The film is a prequel to the original Kantara and explores the origins of the divine spirits, the Daivas Guliga and Panjurli, central to the region’s spiritual lore.

Hit 3

Nani and Srinidhi Shetty’s Hit: The Third Case (aka Hit 3) received excellent reviews on its release. Directed by Sailesh Kolanu, this third instalment in the popular HIT (Homicide Intervention Team) franchise pulled steady numbers at the box office. While the film experienced a slight dip in collections on its first Sunday, it still raced past the coveted Rs 100 crore mark globally, a solid milestone for this crime-action thriller.

Interestingly, HIT 3 outperformed the first Monday collections of Nani’s last three releases. While Dasara managed ₹3.65 crore, Hi Nanna brought in ₹2.35 crore, and Saripodhaa Sanivaaram collected ₹4 crore, HIT 3 led the pack with ₹4.02 crore. The film also maintained a decent overall occupancy rate of 24.01% in the Telugu market on Monday. Morning shows began on a quieter note with 17.20% occupancy, but numbers picked up by the afternoon (28.53%) and held steady through the evening (23.22%) and night (27.07%) shows.

The HIT franchise started with HIT: The First Case in 2020, which starred Vishwak Sen and Ruhani Sharma in important roles. Following that, HIT: The Second Case came out in 2022, led by Adivi Sesh and Meenakshi Chaudhary, continuing the thrilling narrative with new characters and a fresh investigation. Each film in the franchise stands on its own while keeping the central theme of crime investigation alive.

Dragon

Tamil actor Pradeep Ranganathan’s Dragon left netizens impressed. The film received a lot of love. KS Ravi Kumar, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Anupama Parameshwaran, Mariam George, and others play key roles in the project. The movie also made a huge impact at the box office and surpassed Ajith Kumar’s Vidaamuyarchi’s to become one of the top grossing Tamil films of 2025. Originally released on February 21, the Ashwath Marimuthu directorial film is now streaming on Netflix in multiple languages.

Dragon follows the journey of Ragavan, played by Pradeep Ranganathan, who struggles with academics and takes a rebellious path. As the story progresses, Ragavan pretends to have a job and betrays his parents while trying to rise in the corporate world.

Tourist Family

Tourist Family, Tamil Film, was a huge success at the box office. Despite facing tough competition from Nani’s HIT 3 and Suriya’s Retro, Tourist Family earned an estimated Rs 11.2 crore net at the domestic box office, as per Sacnilk’s reports. The film also saw huge occupancy rates in Chennai, Pondicherry, Trichy, Salem, Coimbatore and other regions.

Sasikumar and Simran-starrer Tourist Family was released at the theatres on May 1. Directed by Abishan Jeevinth, this emotional family saga portrays the heartfelt story of a Tamil family that was forced to leave their home in Sri Lanka and move to India during a time of socio-political turmoil and the COVID-19 crisis. The story follows the struggle, resilience and emotional hurdles of the family as they begin to navigate life in a foreign land.

Court: State Vs Nobody

Court: State vs A Nobody is taking the Telugu film industry by storm. Despite being made on a minimal budget, the courtroom drama has already crossed the Rs 50 Crore mark at the global box office and continues to attract crowds in theatres. Thanks to the massive footfalls, the film has secured its place among the most profitable Telugu films of 2025.

Directed and written by Ram Jagadeesh, the highly anticipated thriller Court—State Vs A Nobody features an ensemble cast, including Priyadarshi, Rajasekhar Aningi, Harsha Vardhan, Rohini, Harsh Roshan, Subhalekha Sudhakar, and others. As the name suggests, the film is a courtroom drama that follows Mettu Chandrashekar, also known as Chandu. Hailing from Visakhapatnam, Chandu comes from a humble background and takes up different jobs to survive. Jabilli, a student from a well-off family, steps into his life. They form a close friendship and begin to spend time with each other.

Things take an unexpected turn after Jabilli’s uncle Mangapathi finds her at Chandu’s residence. Driven by caste beliefs and family honour, he gets Chandu arrested by the police, accusing him under the POCSO Act in a bid to destroy his future.

As the lawsuit moves forward, Jabilli’s family turns to lawyer Surya Teja to defend Chandu. The courtroom battle heats up as Surya fights to prove Chandu’s innocence, against Mangapathi’s power.

Ronth

Ronth is a critically acclaimed Malayalam film by Shahi Kabir. It stars Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Mathew and it focuses on two cops’ intense night patrol, exploring duty, morality, and the harsh realities of policing. Reportedly, the film earned worldwide gross of approximately ₹9.81 crore against a ₹5 crore budget, making it a profitable venture with about 31.6% ROI.