Industry Hits In Telugu Cinema
by Samrudh_David | created - 22 Sep 2016 | updated - 10 months ago | PublicThe Telugu films which achieved the industry hit status (All time highest grosser) in the history of the Telugu cinema are listed here.
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1. Bhakta Prahlada (1932)
108 min | Drama, Fantasy
Bhakta Prahlada is the first full length Telugu talkie film based on the story of Narasimha and Prahlada in Hindu mythology.
Director: H.M. Reddy | Stars: Venkata Subbaiah Munipalle, Surabhi Kamalabai, L.V. Prasad, B.V. Subba Rao
Votes: 91
Total Gross : 0.75 Lakhs (Share : 0.5 Lakhs) - Pure Estimate
2. Savitri (1933)
125 min | Drama
A women named Savitri fights with Yama (Head of the Hell) to save her husband's life.
Director: Chittajalu Pullayya | Stars: Vemuri Gaggaiah, Surabhi Kamalabai, Ramatilakam
Votes: 14
Total Gross : 3 Lakhs (Share : 2 Lakhs) - Pure Estimate
3. Lava Kusa (1934)
165 min | Drama, Musical
This is the Ramayana story of Seeta (Sriranjani) who retires to the forest and gives birth to twin boys, Lava (Bhimarao) and Kusa (M. Rao). They later take on the might of Rama (Subba Rao) ... See full summary »
Director: Chittajalu Pullayya | Stars: Parepalli Subba Rao, Sriranjani Sr., Master Bhimarao, Malleshwara Rao
Votes: 17
Total Gross : 5 Lakhs (Share : 3 Lakhs) - Pure Estimate
4. Malapilla (1938)
175 min | Drama
The son of a priest falls in love with a Harijan girl and elopes with her. The film was a social drama that deals with untouchability prevalent in pre-independent India.
Director: Gudavalli Ramabrahmam | Stars: Govindrajulu Subba Rao, Kanchanamala, Suri Babu P., Sundaramma
Votes: 60
Total Gross : 10 Lakhs (Share : 6 Lakhs) - Pure Estimate
5. Bala Nagamma (1942)
Not Rated | 220 min | Action, Drama, Musical
When a young man discovers that his mother was kidnapped by a wicked wizard, he decides to save her.
Director: Chittajalu Pullayya | Stars: Kanchanamala, Govindrajulu Subba Rao, Banda Kanakalingeshwara Rao, Balijepalli Lakshmikanta Kavi
Votes: 25
Total Gross : 15 Lakhs (Share : 9 Lakhs) - Pure Estimate
6. Bhakta Potana (1943)
Not Rated | 186 min | Biography, Drama
It is a biographical film based on the life of Potana, who translated Bhagavatam into Telugu language.
Director: Kadiri Venkata Reddy | Stars: Chittor V. Nagaiah, Mudigonda Lingamurthy, Hemalatha, Vanaja Naalam
Votes: 50
Total Gross : 20 Lakhs (Share : 12 Lakhs) - Pure Estimate
7. Thyagayya (1946)
186 min | Family, History, Musical
Classic about the life story of Carnatic Music pioneer Thyagayya.
Director: Chittor V. Nagaiah | Stars: Chittor V. Nagaiah, Baby Vanaja, Hemalatha Devi, Sarita Devi
Votes: 70
Total Gross : 25 Lakhs (Share : 15 Lakhs) - Pure Estimate
8. Balaraju (1948)
Not Rated | 163 min | Drama, Musical
When a yaksha and his lover are cursed to be reborn as humans, they should overcome several hurdles to get united again.
Director: Ghantasala Balaramaiah | Stars: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi, Varalakshmi S., D.S. Sadasiva Rao
Votes: 18
Total Gross : 30 Lakhs (Share : 18 Lakhs)
9. Keelu Gurram (1949)
220 min | Drama, Fantasy
A young man after knowing his past through his queen mother who has been abandoned from the kingdom by the king for some false complaints against her, tries to make the things get better in the kingdom with the help of a magical horse.
Director: Raja of Mirzapur | Stars: Anjali Devi, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Kanakam, Suryashree
Votes: 48
Total Gross : 35 Lakhs (Share : 20 Lakhs)
10. Gunasundari Katha (1949)
Not Rated | 172 min | Drama, Fantasy
Loosely based on Shakespeare's King Lear.
Director: Kadiri Venkata Reddy | Stars: Sriranjani, Siva Rao Kasturi, Sivaram Vallabhajosyula, Govindrajulu Subba Rao
Votes: 39
Total Gross : 40 Lakhs (Share : 25 Lakhs)
11. Pathala Bhairavi (1951)
192 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A poor man, in love with a princess, is persuaded by an evil sorcerer to help him get the blessing of a Goddess.
Director: Kadiri Venkata Reddy | Stars: N.T. Rama Rao, S.V. Ranga Rao, Malathi K., Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu Chilakalapudi
Votes: 782
Total Gross : 50 Lakhs (Share : 30 Lakhs)
12. Devadasu (1953)
Not Rated | 191 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Adapted from a popular Bengali novel, Devadasu narrates the story of a rich guy and poor girl separated by class system of India. Parvati is forcefully married off to a middle-aged rich man and Devadasu becomes a drunkard.
Director: Vedantam Raghavaiah | Stars: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, S.V. Ranga Rao, Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu Chilakalapudi
Votes: 304
Total Gross : 60 Lakhs (Share : 35 Lakhs)
13. Rojulu Marayi (1955)
211 min | Drama
A landlord cheats people in a village and grabs their lands. A young man reveals the landlord's true colors before everyone. So he creates differences between the young man and his wife. But they overcome all the misunderstandings.
Director: Tapi Chanakya | Stars: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sowcar Janaki, Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu Chilakalapudi, Relangi Venkatramaiah
Votes: 28
Total Gross : 70 Lakhs (Share : 40 Lakhs)
14. Mayabazar (1957)
Not Rated | 192 min | Comedy, Drama
Balarama promises Subhadra to get his daughter married to her son. But when the Pandavas loses their kingdom to the Kaurava's, Balarama breaks his promise.
Director: Kadiri Venkata Reddy | Stars: N.T. Rama Rao, S.V. Ranga Rao, Savitri, Akkineni Nageswara Rao
Votes: 5,787
• Including all its versions, this movie has earned around 75 lakhs share for its distributors with its Telugu version contributing around 60 lakhs, Tamil dubbed version contributing around 10 lakhs & 1965's Kannada dubbed version contributing around 5 lakhs
Total Gross : 1.25cr (Share : 75 Lakhs)
15. Lava Kusa (I) (1963)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Family, Musical
This movie deals with the later part of Ramayana written by Valmiki Maharshi and depicts the lives of the sons of Rama & Sita.
Directors: Rao C.S.R., Chittajalu Pullayya | Stars: N.T. Rama Rao, Anjali Devi, Chittor V. Nagaiah, Kanta Rao
Votes: 628
• Including all its versions, this movie has earned around 1 crore share for its distributors with its Telugu version contributing around 75 lakhs, Tamil dubbed version contributing around 25 lakhs
Total Gross : 1.75cr (Share : 1cr)
16. Dasara Bullodu (1971)
160 min | Drama, Family, Romance
Both Radha and Nirmala love a young man named Gopi. But Nirmala's father wants to make Gopi marry Nirmala in order to grab his property. But she realizes that Gopi and Radha are in love and tries to unite them.
Director: Rajendra Prasad V.B. | Stars: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Vanisri, Chandrakala, S.V. Ranga Rao
Votes: 51
Total Gross : 2.1cr (Share : 1.25cr)
17. Alluri Seetharama Raju (1974)
187 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Biopic on the life of the famous Telugu freedom fighter Alluri Seetarama Raju.
Director: V. Ramachandra Rao | Stars: Krishna, Kongara Jaggaiah, Vijaya Nirmala, Chandramohan
Votes: 392
Total Gross : 2.5cr (Share : 1.5cr)
18. Adavi Ramudu (1977)
159 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A forest officer in an undercover operation, raises all the tribal people and the villagers against the smugglers to teach them a lesson and gets them arrested.
Director: K. Raghavendra Rao | Stars: N.T. Rama Rao, Jaya Prada, Jayasudha, Nagabhushanam
Votes: 125
Total Gross : 3.5cr (Share : 2cr)
19. Premaabhishekam (1981)
155 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Rajesh loves Devi but discovers that he has cancer. He decides to avoid her and acts rude so that she can marry Prasad, her brother's friend.
Director: Dasari Narayana Rao | Stars: Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sridevi, Jayasudha, Mohan Babu
Votes: 123
Total Gross : 5cr (Share : 3cr)
20. Pratighatana (1985)
180 min | Drama
A woman after getting humiliated by a gangster in the public, fights against the corruption and the criminalization of politics in India.
Director: T. Krishna | Stars: Vijayshanti, Charan Raj, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Chandramohan
Votes: 65
Total Gross : 5.25cr (Share : 3.1cr)
21. Pasivadi Pranam (1987)
140 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Madhu (Chiranjeevi) is a painter who becomes a drunkard since his wife is killed immediately after their marriage in an accident. He leads a careless life until a kid (Baby Sujitha) who is ... See full summary »
Director: A. Kodandarami Reddy | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Vijayshanti, Raghuvaran, Tiger Prabhakar
Votes: 420
Total Gross : 5.5cr (Share : 3.25cr)
22. Yamudiki Mogudu (1988)
Not Rated | 145 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
A man, who wrongfully dies before his time, is reincarnated in the body of a lookalike.
Director: Ravi Raja Pinisetty | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Vijayshanti, Radha, Kaikala Satyanarayana
Votes: 366
Total Gross : 6cr (Share : 3.5cr)
23. Muddula Mavayya (1989)
142 min | Action, Drama
Raja after knowing that his sister is killed by her husband and father in law, decides to take revenge on them.
Director: Kodi Ramakrishna | Stars: Master Amit, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Brahmanandam, Seetha
Votes: 96
Total Gross : 6.5cr (Share : 3.85cr)
24. Shiva (1989)
Not Rated | 161 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Shiva is disgusted by the corruption in and around his new college, and along with his friends, he decides to take a stand against the status quo.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Amala Akkineni, Raghuvaran, J.D. Chakravarthi
Votes: 3,897
• The Tamil dubbed version grossed around 1 crore with a share of 50 lakhs in Tamil Nadu in 1990
Total Gross : 8cr (Share : 4.6cr)
25. Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990)
153 min | Action, Comedy, Family
A man finds a ring that gives the bearer great power but the goddess to whom the ring belongs wants it back.
Director: K. Raghavendra Rao | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Sridevi, Tanikella Bharani, Brahmanandam
Votes: 1,020
Total Gross : 8.5cr (Share : 4.9cr)
26. Gang Leader (1991)
Not Rated | 155 min | Action, Drama
Rajaram, an unemployed easygoing person, takes revenge on his elder brother's murderers and gets his separated family members together.
Director: Vijaya Baapineedu | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Sravanthi Chokkarapu, Vallabaneni Janardhan, Murali Mohan
Votes: 809
Total Gross : 9.5cr (Share : 5.5cr)
27. Chanti (1992)
139 min | Drama, Romance
When an astrologer predicts that Nandini would marry a person of her choice, her possessive brothers decide to guard her. Can they stop her from marrying the person of her choice ?
Director: Ravi Raja Pinisetty | Stars: Venkatesh Daggubati, Meena, Brahmanandam, Kallu Chidambaram
Votes: 267
Total Gross : 11.5cr (Share : 6.8cr)
28. Gharana Mogudu (1992)
149 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
An arrogant daughter of a rich industrialist decides to marry their factory employee in order to teach him a lesson. But things changes a lot after their marriage.
Director: K. Raghavendra Rao | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Nagma, Raogopalrao, Kaikala Satyanarayana
Votes: 576
• The Malayalam dubbed version grossed around 1 crore with a share of 40 lakhs in Kerala in 1994
Total Gross : 12.25cr (Share : 7.1cr)
29. Peda Rayudu (1995)
Not Rated | 165 min | Action, Drama
Pedarayudu is the story of three brothers who are inseparable and always thrive for the well being of the people in their village. Pedarayudu (Mohan Babu), the eldest sits on the ancestral throne to deliver justice in the village. Their lives take a turn when the younger brother Raja (Mohan Babu) is accused of killing a teacher. How does Raja prove his innocence forms rest of the story.
Director: Ravi Raja Pinisetty | Stars: Mohan Babu, Rajinikanth, Soundarya, Bhanupriya
Votes: 614
Total Gross : 17.25cr (Share : 10cr)
30. Pelli Sandadi (1996)
129 min | Musical, Romance
A musician finds the love of his life whom he saw in a dream but his marriage has already been arranged to another girl.
Director: K. Raghavendra Rao | Stars: Srikanth, Meka Srikanth, Ravali, Deepti Bhatnagar
Votes: 150
Total Gross : 18.75cr (Share : 11cr)
31. Ninne Pelladatha (1996)
146 min | Romance, Comedy, Drama
Raju and Mahalaxmi meet at a marriage ceremony and both are attracted to each other. They soon fall deeply in love with each other, and decide to inform their respective parents of their ... See full summary »
Directors: Krishna Vamsi, Y.V.S. Chowdary | Stars: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Tabu, Chalapathi Rao, Chandramohan
Votes: 780
• The Tamil dubbed version grossed around 1.25 crore with a share of 60 lakhs in Tamil Nadu
Total Gross : 19.5cr (Share : 11.25cr)
32. Preminchukundam Raa (1997)
151 min | Action, Romance
The story of two lovers who overcome all the hurdles to get united.
Director: Jayant Paranji | Stars: Venkatesh Daggubati, Anjala Zaveri, Babu Mohan, Banerjee
Votes: 287
Total Gross : 20cr (Share : 11.5cr)
33. Choodalani Vundi (1998)
148 min | Action, Drama, Romance
In Calcutta, a man searches for his son who has been kidnapped by his father-in-law.
Director: Gunasekhar | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Soundarya, Anjala Zaveri, Prakash Raj
Votes: 508
Total Gross : 21.25cr (Share : 12.3cr)
34. Samarasimha Reddy (1999)
148 min | Action, Drama
Revenge story between Samarasimha Reddy and Veera Raghava Reddy.
Director: Gopal B. | Stars: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Simran, Anjala Zaveri, Jayaprakash Reddy
Votes: 971
Total Gross : 28cr (Share : 16.25cr)
35. Kalisundam Raa (2000)
156 min | Drama
Raghavaiah (K. Vishwanath) and Ram Mohan Rao (Ranganath) are brothers-in-law. But Ram Mohan Rao is at loggerheads with Raghavaiah because of a family feud. Raghavaiah is nearing his 60's ... See full summary »
Director: Uday Shankar | Stars: Venkatesh Daggubati, K. Viswanath, Ranganath, Achyuth
Votes: 552
Total Gross : 28.5cr (Share : 16.5cr)
36. Nuvve Kavali (2000)
153 min | Romance
Best friends develop feelings for each other but cannot seem to sync their emotions.
Director: Vijay K. Bhaskar | Stars: Tarun, Richa Pallod, Saikiran, Chalapathi Rao
Votes: 643
Total Gross : 33.5cr (Share : 19.5cr)
37. Narasimha Naidu (2001)
Not Rated | 161 min | Action, Drama
Revenge story between two neighboring villages with one headed by a bad person and the other headed by a good person.
Director: Gopal B. | Stars: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Simran, Preeti Jhangiani, Achyuth
Votes: 916
Total Gross : 37.5cr (Share : 21.75cr)
38. Indra (2002)
Not Rated | 173 min | Action, Drama
Since 1965 bitter hatred and animosity has reigned between two families, namely that of Indrasen's and the Reddys, which results in the death of Indrasen's dad, and his two uncles, one of ... See full summary »
Director: Gopal B. | Stars: Chiranjeevi, Sonali Bendre, Aarthi Agarwal, Prakash Raj
Votes: 2,855
Total Gross : 49.8cr (Share : 28.8cr)
39. Pokiri (2006)
Not Rated | 164 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A money-minded criminal has to deal with two rival gangs as well as an evil cop threatening his girlfriend.
Director: Puri Jagannadh | Stars: Mahesh Babu, Ileana D'Cruz, Prakash Raj, Nassar
Votes: 15,595
Total Gross : 63.3cr (Share : 36.1cr)
40. Arundhati (2009)
131 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A brave queen battles an evil mystic. Three generations later, he comes back to haunt the queen's descendants.
Director: Kodi Ramakrishna | Stars: Anushka Shetty, Sonu Sood, Divya Nagesh, Aachi Manorama
Votes: 3,430
Total Gross : 73.5cr (Share : 41.5cr)
41. Magadheera (2009)
Not Rated | 147 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A warrior gets reincarnated 400 years later, after trying to save the princess and the kingdom, who also dies along with him. He then sets back again to fight against all odds and win back his love.
Director: S.S. Rajamouli | Stars: Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, Dev Gill, Srihari
Votes: 24,970
• When released in Japan in 2018, this movie has grossed JPY 130.1 million (8.25 crore) thus taking the total gross to 128.5 crore and distributor share to 74.5 crore
Total Gross : 120.25cr (Share : 72.5cr)
42. Attarintiki Daredi (2013)
Not Rated | 170 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
The scion of a powerful family is tasked with retrieving an estranged family member.
Director: Trivikram Srinivas | Stars: Pawan Kalyan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Pranitha Subhash, Boman Irani
Votes: 9,829
Total Gross : 127.9cr (Share : 75.4cr)
43. Baahubali: The Beginning (2015)
Not Rated | 159 min | Action, Drama
A child from the Mahishmati kingdom is raised by tribal people and one day learns about his royal heritage, his father's bravery in battle and a mission to overthrow the incumbent ruler.
Director: S.S. Rajamouli | Stars: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia
Votes: 136,961 | Gross: $6.74M
• All time highest grossing film in India at the time of the release.
Total Gross : 572.1cr (Share : 286.9cr)
44. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Not Rated | 167 min | Action, Drama
Amarendra Baahubali, the heir apparent to the throne of Mahishmati, finds his life and relationships endangered as his adoptive brother Bhallaladeva conspires to claim the throne.
Director: S.S. Rajamouli | Stars: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia
Votes: 114,368 | Gross: $20.19M
• All time highest grossing film in India.
Total Gross : 1742.3cr (Share : 806.3cr)
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