PremiumBest of 2023: The top 10 web series in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada
Here's a look at the extraordinary story-telling that the south produced in the year gone by. From crime thrillers to comedies and more, there was a wide variety of content.
Last Updated: 11.55 PM, Dec 09, 2023
This year has been a phenomenal year for OTT content from the south, especially in Tamil and Telugu, with Malayalam making small, but firm baby steps. Kannada, unfortunately, is still lagging far behind. Here’s a look at the top shows from south India that we think you should watch.
Kerala Crime Files
The first mainstream Malayalam web series, Kerala Crime Files is a police procedural following an investigation into the murder of a sex worker in a lodge in Ernakulam. How the investigating team figures out the perpetrator despite his best efforts to conceal his identity by leaving a fake address at the lodge, forms the crux of the 6-episode show that has Aju Varghese in the lead as the investigating officer.
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Masterpeace
Starring Nitya Menen, Divya Pillai, Sharafudeen, Ashokan, among others, this 5-episode family drama follows a quarrel between a couple that gets blown out of proportion when their parents enter the fray. What starts out as an ego issue that could have been easily resolved between the duo then gets complicated.
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Dayaa
This 8-episode Telugu crime drama by Pavan Sadineni, follow Dayaa (JD Chakravarthy), a freezer van driver at the Kakinada port, is content leading an ordinary life with his partner Alivelu (Eesha Rebba) and his long-time friends Chanti, Prabha. All hell breaks loose when a corpse mysteriously lands in his van in the middle of a delivery.
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Dayaa review: JD Chakravarthy is at his absolute best in this banger of a crime drama
Ayali
Director Muthukumar’s Tamil series is about a teenage girl from a community that believes young ones like her are destined for marriage as soon as they hit puberty, who aspires to study and become a doctor. How she handles her parents who hold on to the regressive tradition passed down over generations forms the crux of the 8 episode show.
Streaming on: Zee5
Story of Things
Written and directed by George K Antoney, this 5-episode Tamil anthology is about how inanimate objects, like a weighing scale, cell phone, AC, car and mirror come to life, and change the lives of people, some for the good, and while some send a chill down the spine. Starring Bharat, Aditi Balan, Ritika Singh, Shantnu Bhagyaraj, among others.
Streaming on: Sony LIV
Modern Love Chennai
A Tamil anthology of 6 romantic tales, featuring an ensemble cast including Kishore, Wamiqa Gabbi, Remya Nambeesan, Ashok Selvan, Ritu Varma, Ramkumar Ganesan, Sanjula Sarathi, Vasundhara Kashyap, among many others.
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Dhootha
The web series debut of actor Naga Chaitanya, this Telugu original show follows a high-flying journalist, who, under strange circumstances becomes entangled in a series of murders. His fight to prove his innocence forms the crux of this show. Also starring Pasupathy, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Parvathy Thiruvoth, among others.
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Kumari Srimathi
Nitya Menen leads this Telugu drama and plays a chef from a lower middle class family, who is embroiled in litigation over ancestral property, which she is determined to redeem. When the court mandates that she make a considerable compensation payout to her uncle, who’s claimed ownership, she has to strike out on her own to get the funds together. Whether or not she manages to get the money together in the court mandated time frame forms the story of the 7-episode show.
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Save The Tigers
A Telugu comedy about three frustrated family men, who in a drunken stupor kidnap a popular actress forms the central plot of this show that stars Abhinav Gomatam, Pavani Gangireddy, Priyadarshi, Krishna Chaitanya, among others.
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Anger Tales
This anthology of four stories follows four individuals with anger issues. How they deal with these pent-up emotions is what Anger Tales explores. The show stars Venkatesh Maha, Madonna Sebastian, Tharun Bhascker, Suhas, Phani Acharya, Bindu Madhavi, among others.
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Janatha Colony
This 8-episode Kannada comedy series follows the lives of a bunch of tenants at an apartment in Janatha Colony. Starring Bhoomi Shetty, Mythri Iyer, Shobraj Pavoor, Vandana Shetty, Yamuna Srinidhi, Aneesh Poojary, Sampath Jairam, among others.
Streaming on: Talkies