How small southern films are quietly winning without stars or hype

Mint

09-07-2025

Even as the Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu film industries reel under a lean spell, a clutch of small- and mid-budget films, particularly from the south, has helped the business stay afloat.
Trade experts say the success of movies like Tourist Family, Dragon and Alappuzha Gymkhana in Tamil and Malayalam has brought some respite, thanks to their connection with regional audiences and emotionally engaging storytelling.
Despite limited marketing and relatively less familiar faces, these films have managed to draw audiences to theatres, signaling a shift in the traditionally star-driven ecosystem.
What's also helping is the reasonably priced tickets in southern theatres, which encourage viewers to take chances on lesser-known titles instead of waiting for big-budget tentpoles.
Tourist Family, a Tamil comedy-drama, grossed ₹72.58 crore in India against a budget of ₹16 crore. Dragon, a comedy film starring upcoming actor Pradeep Ranganathan, is one of the biggest hits in the language so far this year, with domestic earnings of over ₹120 crore on a ₹35 crore budget. Alappuzha Gymkhana, a Malayalam-language sports film with no big names, clocked ₹52.23 crore on a budget of ₹12 crore.
'Southern film industries continue to deliver content that is culturally rooted, emotionally engaging and authentic to local sensibilities. We've often seen cinema from the south offer a space where storytelling, performance and word-of-mouth can drive a film's success, regardless of scale," said Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer-cinemas, BookMyShow.
This trend has also led to the rise of a fresh crop of actors like Naslen, Mamitha Baiju, Sajin Gopu, Pradeep Ranganathan, Manikandan, and Teja Sajja, who are gaining prominence this year, building on their fan following.
Despite lower budgets, south Indian films follow the commercial template of dialogues, action and big-screen, cinematic sensibilities well, said Ashutosh Agarwal, owner of Star World Cinemas in Uttar Pradesh.
'Everywhere in India, people basically want to watch commercial films with songs, drama and action and the word-of-mouth will be positive even if it is a small budget film," Agarwal said.
A relatively lesser-known face doesn't make a difference, he said. "Nobody in the Hindi belt knew of Prabhas before Baahubali or of Yash before KGF, and it was these films that turned them into stars.
According to industry experts, the struggle for small and mid-budget films in drawing audiences is more specific to Hindi cinema due to its urban content and ticket prices.
'If your content is seen as talking down to audiences and the prices remain high, there will obviously be a disconnect," said Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas. 'Southern cinema, on the other hand, doesn't do that."