Comedy is undeniably one of the most difficult genres for a filmmaker to master. It is also one of the most demanded genres amongst the audience. Who doesn’t love a good laugh! Over the years, the South Indian film industries have provided the audience with some top notch comedy movies that have the ability to evoke every emotion from a light chuckle to a roaring laughter from the audience. Here are the top 10 South Indian comedy films that promise to leave the audience laughing until they cry.
Top 10 South Indian comedy films
1. Jigarthanda (2014)
- Writer-Director: Karthik Subbaraj
- Language: Tamil
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- Running time: 2 hours 51 minutes
- Genre: Crime-comedy-drama
- Cast: Bobby Simha, Siddharth, Karunakaran, Guru Somasundaram, Lakshmi Menon
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Jigarthanda was just the second film of Karthik Subbaraj, but it is arguably the most famous work by the filmmaker. The film had quite a number of elements that would soon be recognized as a trademark of the Petta director. Jigarthanda follows the tale of a short filmmaker, who aspires to make a feature film. The film explores his journey towards achieving the goal, and his encounters with a gangster named Sethu. The film had highly philosophical elements to it as well, which the maker has cleverly veiled with comedy. Undeniably the comical timing and the comedic elements in the film are what stand out in Jigarthanda.
2. Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019)
- Writer-Director: Swaroop RSJ
- Co-writer: Naveen Polishetty
- Language: Telugu
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- Running time: 2 hours 28 minutes
- Genre: Comedy-mystery
- Cast: Naveen Polishetty, Shruti Sharma, Suhas, Shredha Rajagopalan, Ram Dutt
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya marked the debut of Naveen Polishetty as a lead actor. The crime-mystery film uses situational comedy as the driving force to tell the tale of the eponymous character who is a detective based in Nellore. The detective’s life takes a turn when he begins investigating the case of an unidentified body abandoned next to a railway track. The film received highly positive reviews upon release.
3. Jan. E. Man (2021)
- Writer-Director: Chidambaram S Poduval
- Co-Writer: Ganapathi S Poduval
- Language: Malayalam
- IMDb rating: 7.8/10
- Running time: 2 hours 27 minutes
- Genre: Comedy-drama
- Cast: Basil Joseph, Arjun Ashokan, Balu Varghese, Lal, Ganapathi S Poduval, Riya Saira
- Where to watch: SunNXT
Jan. E. Man marks the directorial debut of Chidambaram S Poduval. The film follows a dark comedy narrative and tells the tale of a group of friends, who have gathered to celebrate one of their birthdays. However, unfortunately, right across the road there was a funeral due to the passing of an old man. The premise of a birthday being celebrated on one side of the road while death is being mourned on the other side forms the crux of the film. There are added elements of business and fandom that add to the plot as well. The film garnered praise from fans and critics at the time of release.
4. Avane Srimannarayana (2019)
- Director: Sachin B Ravi
- Writers: Rakshit Shetty, Chandrajith Belliappa, Anirudh Kodgi, Abhijith Mahesh, Nagarjuna Sharma, Abhilash
- Language: Kannada
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
- Running time: 3 hours 04 minutes
- Genre: Western-fantasy-adventure-comedy
- Cast: Rakshit Shetty, Shanvi Srivastava, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, Madhusudhan Rao
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Avane Srimannarayana brought about a unique take on the comedy genre. The film is helmed by Sachin B Ravi in his directorial debut and follows the tale of a corrupt police officer trying to escape the hands of two brothers who are against each other. All of them vie for a treasure chest that was hidden fifteen years ago as well. The film was highly praised by fans and critics at the time of release and even won accolades for its action direction.
5. Kolamaavu Kokila (2018)
- Writer-Director: Nelson Dilipkumar
- Language: Tamil
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
- Running time: 2 hours 02 minutes
- Genre: black comedy-crime
- Cast: Nayanthara, Yogi Babu, Saranya Ponvannan, Hareesh Peradi, Rajendran
- Where to watch: Zee5
Kolamaavu Kokila was the directorial debut of Nelson Dilipkumar. The film follows the tale of the eponymous character who is forced to get into the drug mafia due to life circumstances. The film set the benchmark for Nelson’s filmmaking, and the situational comedy in the film garnered high praise. How Kokila gets out of the drug cartel forms the crux of the story.
6. Mathu Vadalara (2019)
- Writer-Director: Ritesh Rana
- Co-Writer: R. Teja
- Language: Telugu
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Genre: Comedy-thriller
- Cast: Sri Simha, Satya, Naresh Agasthya, Brahmaji, Vennela Kishore
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Mathu Vadalara tells the tale of two delivery boys who find themselves in trouble because of their greed for money. Their life takes a turn when they come across a drug lab, where illegal substances are made and sold. They also find out that it is their third roommate who runs the lab, bringing in more trouble. The film was highly praised at the time of release and even won several accolades. The dark humor used in the film was unlike what was seen before in other films as well.
7. Nna Thaan Case Kodu (2022)
- Writer-Director: Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval
- Language: Malayalam
- IMDb rating: 8/10
- Running time: 2 hours 19 minutes
- Genre: Courtroom–Satire
- Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Gayathrie Shankar, Basil Joseph, Unnimaya Prasad, Rajesh Madhavan
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Arguably one of the best Malayalam films to come out last year was Nna Thaan Case Kodu. The film, which literally translates to ‘Sue Me’ is a courtroom satire that follows the tale of a petty thief who is wrongly arrested for theft. Adding on to it, he was bit by the guard dogs of the house he was accused of thieving as well. The film sheds light on the nonchalance of politicians, who are not held accountable for ignoring their tasks. The performance of Kunchacko Boban, coupled with the ruthless comedy earned a place in the hearts of fans as well.
8. Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare (2023)
- Writer-Director: Nithin Krishnamurthy
- Language: Kannada
- IMDb rating: 7.4/10
- Running time: 2 hours 16 minutes
- Genre: black comedy
- Cast: Prajwal BP, Manjunath Nayaka, Rakesh Rajkumar, Srivatsa Shyam, Tejas Jayanna Urs
- Where to watch: Zee5
Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare is undoubtedly one of the most prominent Kannada films to come out this year. The director, as well as the major cast, were all debutants, telling the story of an aspiring filmmaker, and the adventure he and his friends go through in their hospital. The film also features cameo roles by prominent names like Rishab Shetty, Ramya, Pawan Kumar, Diganth, and many more. The film received widespread acclaim at the time of release for the way the black comedy genre was handled responsibly.
9. Super Deluxe (2019)
- Writer-Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja
- Co-Writers: Mysskin, Nalan Kumarasamy, Neelan K. Sekar
- Language: Tamil
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- Running time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Genre: Philosophical black comedy
- Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Fahadh Faasil, Ramya Krishnan, Mysskin, Gayathrie, Ashwanth Ashokkumar
- Where to watch: Netflix
Super Deluxe is the second directorial venture of Thiagarajan Kumararaja after Aaranya Kandam which came out in 2011. Super Deluxe tells the tale of four stories, which are cleverly interwoven together with a single thread. Thiagarajan Kumararaja has used a unique and specific kind of dark comedy in the film, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Nonetheless, the filmmaker has successfully used comedy as a mechanism to elaborate and explain his philosophical viewpoints as well. The film received critical as well as commercial acclaim at the time of release.
10. Romancham (2023)
- Writer-Director: Jithu Madhavan
- Language: Malayalam
- IMDb rating: 7.5/10
- Running time: 2 hours 09 minutes
- Genre: Horror-comedy
- Cast: Soubin Shahir, Arjun Ashokan, Sajin Gopu, Siju Sunny, Chemban Vinod Jose
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
Romancham is the directorial debut of Jithu Madhavan. The film is inspired by real stories and tells the tale of seven bachelors who share an apartment in Bangalore. Their life takes a turn when one of them decides to try out an Ouija Board, to overcome their boredom. The events that follow make up the basic plotline. The film ended on the promise of a sequel, as well. Romancham became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films this year and was praised for its storytelling.
