Best dark & gritty Telugu movies on ZEE5 in India
By the KyaDekhu team · Updated · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb
30 movies on ZEE5 in India match this list, with an average IMDb rating of 5.8. Ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating and popularity.
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1. Leader (2010)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 52m · Drama, Romance · IMDb 8.0 (6.2K votes)
Dark & gritty
Upon the death of his father, Arjun Prasad campaigns to become the CM of Andhra. He hopes to eradicate corruption from Indian Politics.
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2. Republic (2021)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 32m · UA · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 7.8 (4.3K votes)
Dark & grittyCold & detachedFast-pacedEdge-of-seat
Panja Abhiram is a youngster who wants to change the political system from the inside out. But when he’s chipped away at every turn, will he be the one to change the fate of his hometown?
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3. Tagore (2003)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 55m · Drama, Action · IMDb 7.9 (3.4K votes)
Dark & grittyEdge-of-seatTwistyVisually stunning
Tagore (Chiranjeevi) creates his own vigilante military network called the Anti-Corruption Force (ACF) that eliminates the most corrupt individuals, from all walks of life, in a systematic manner. As pressure builds on Police and Government to track down the Man who masterminds these killings, Balbir Singh (Puneet Issa
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4. Aravinda Sametha... Veera Raghava (2018)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 42m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 7.3 (10.9K votes)
Visually stunningDark & grittyEdge-of-seatMature
A young scion of a powerful family with a long history of violence decides to put an end to the bloodshed which leads him to a path of self discovery.
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5. Krack (2021)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 34m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 6.9 (7.9K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
Pothuraju Veera Shankar is a hot-headed circle inspector from Andhra who doesn’t like to hear the word ‘background’. Wherever he is appointed in the state, he brings all the notorious gundas to their knees with his signature policing style. When Shankar is appointed in Ongole, the brutal Katari commits a spine-chilling
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6. Bhaagamathie (2018)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 22m · UA · Thriller, Horror · IMDb 6.9 (3.7K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
Accused of murdering her husband, IAS officer Chanchala, is taken to a haunted house called Bhaaghamathie Bungalow, where police and CBI officials interrogate her to dig up dirt on a politician she had worked under. As she's left alone in the haunted house, spirits take control of her and IAS Chanchala transforms into
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7. Nijam (2003)
Movie · Telugu · 3h 5m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 6.6 (2.3K votes)
Dark & grittyMatureCold & detachedEdge-of-seat
A young man is guided by his mother in a methodical manner to avenge his father against the perpetrators who falsely accused and killed him.
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8. Johaar (2020)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 2m · Drama · IMDb 7.1 (425 votes)
Dark & gritty
An anthology of 4 stories of people struggling to make their lives better and how those plans are thrown into disarray when a politician decides to divert welfare funds to satiate his ego.
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9. Gaami (2024)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 27m · A · Adventure, Thriller · IMDb 6.3 (2.2K votes)
TwistyVisually stunningDark & grittyMature
Shankar is a wounded, reluctant and reclusive aghora on a quest to find the cure for his very rare human condition – the one that will be cured, only when he can confront and conquers the haunting ironical questions of his life.
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10. Guna 369 (2019)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 26m · UA · Romance, Action · IMDb 6.2 (556 votes)
MatureDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
Guna is a happy-go-lucky guy who believes the solution to solving issues is not through violence but through compromise.When he is framed for a crime he didn't commit by someone close to him, Guna is left with no choice and forced to the extremes to prove his innocence.
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11. Asura (2015)
Movie · Telugu · 2h · UA · Romance, Action · IMDb 6.4 (296 votes)
Edge-of-seatDark & grittyFast-paced
The story deals with the ego between a jailor(cop) and the prisoner who is subjected to death.
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12. Meka Suri (2020)
Movie · Telugu · 1h 26m · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 6.3 (3.6K votes)
MatureCold & detachedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
Meka Suri is a 2020 ZEE5 Original Telugu crime thriller movie, starring Abhinay and Sumaya in the lead. The story revolves around Meka Suri, a butcher, who gets married to his love, Rani. However, when Rani gets brutally murdered by a group of people, Meka Suri decides to avenge her death with the help of Naxalites.
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13. Lenin (2026)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 36m · U/A 16+ · Action, Drama · IMDb 6.2 (2.0K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
In a village trapped by generations of bloodshed, a determined young man dares to challenge the traditions fueling an endless cycle of violence.
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14. Kishkindhapuri (2025)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 5m · Horror, Thriller · IMDb 6.3 (4.2K votes)
Dark & grittyCold & detachedMatureEdge-of-seat
A ghost walking tour group visits an abandoned radio station, inadvertently awakening a vengeful spirit.
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15. Raahu (2020)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 3m · A · Crime, Drama · IMDb 6.1 (2.3K votes)
MatureCold & detachedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
Bhanu suffers from 'conversion disorder a.k.a hysterical blindness' where she goes temporarily blind under severe stress, in her case triggered upon seeing blood, must fight her enemy who inflicts more bloodshed than she ever imagined.
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16. Autonagar Surya (2014)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 37m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 5.4 (558 votes)
Dark & grittyEdge-of-seat
Surya, a juvenile offender, completes his education in prison and upon release embarks on his dream project. However, he has to overcome numerous obstacles to turn his dream into a reality.
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17. Rowdy (2014)
Movie · Telugu · 1h 54m · UA · Action, Romance · IMDb 5.6 (947 votes)
Edge-of-seatDark & gritty
Anna is a much revered Rowdy who is law onto himself. He opposes the construction of a dam that would displace villagers from 30 villages. His enemies plan to eliminate him by manipulating Anna's elder son. But they have to contend with the younger son Krishna.
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19. Iddarammayilatho (2013)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 18m · UA · Action, Romance · IMDb 5.9 (4.3K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
A young woman becomes embroiled in a financial and political conspiracy while studying in Spain, as she meets a young musician with a somewhat dark past unfolded through the pages of his lover's diary.
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20. Saakshyam (2018)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 46m · UA · Action, Romance · IMDb 4.6 (836 votes)
Fast-pacedDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
A group of people commit unspeakable crimes and are confident of getting away with it since there are no witnesses. But nature is witness to their crimes and when all five elements of nature combine to take revenge, can they survive against its wrath?
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21. Tees Maar Khan (2022)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 15m · UA · Action, Thriller · IMDb 5.2 (2.3K votes)
Edge-of-seatDark & gritty
Tees Maar Khan, a college student, dreams of joining the police force and his hard work pays off when he joins the force. Soon, Tees Maar Khan starts facing troubles from an influential person who collaborates with a mafia don and his sister and brother-in-law are murdered.
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22. iSmart Shankar (2019)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 21m · A · Action, Science Fiction · IMDb 5.4 (3.4K votes)
TwistyFast-pacedEdge-of-seatMature
A contract killer goes on the run after eliminating a target and eventually finds himself linked to a slain cop whose memory is transferred to his brain.
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23. Dhammu (2012)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 36m · A · Action, Drama · IMDb 4.9 (2.6K votes)
TwistyFast-pacedMatureEdge-of-seat
Rama Chandra, an orphan, gets involved in a feud between two royal families while trying to woo Sathya, his lady love. He soon realises that the lives of his fellow villagers depend on his choices.
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24. Khiladi (2022)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 34m · UA · Action, Thriller · IMDb 5.2 (4.1K votes)
TwistyFast-pacedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
Mohan Gandhi is a wanted criminal who’s serving time for a crime he might or might not have committed. With large sums of money, lies and deceit involved, who is he really?
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25. Rudrangi (2023)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 22m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 4.7 (3.6K votes)
MatureDark & grittyEdge-of-seatFast-paced
Set during the 1940s, Bheem Rao Deshmukh, a ruthless monarch and womanizer, rules Rudrangi and treats the local people there as his slaves.One day Bheem Rao comes across a woman named Rudrangi, and he falls for her beauty. Bheem Rao badly wants to have a sexual encounter with Rudrangi, and tyrannizes an entire village
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26. Bhairavam (2025)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 35m · A · Action, Crime · IMDb 4.5 (4.0K votes)
MatureDark & grittyEdge-of-seatSerious
The relationship between three childhood friends begins to crumble as their loyalty is tested.
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27. Skanda (2023)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 47m · UA · Action, Romance · IMDb 4.2 (3.4K votes)
Fast-pacedTwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
The prodigal son of a respected leader takes on two political rivals and forms bonds with their daughters.
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28. Nenevaru (2022)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 2m · UA · Romance, Thriller · IMDb 3.9 (3.0K votes)
Edge-of-seatDark & grittyTwistySerious
Krish and Chitra are in love. After Chitra goes missing, Krish starts killing people. But one day Akshara befriends him and get to know more about his life. What will happen when Akshara is revealed to be an undercover cop?
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29. Game Changer (2025)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 44m · U/A 13+ · Action, Drama · IMDb 5.0 (29.3K votes)
Fast-pacedDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
Ram, a newly appointed district collector, takes charge in a city in Andhra Pradesh and immediately confronts the deeply entrenched corruption and inefficiency plaguing the government. Determined to bring reforms, he initiates sweeping changes, sparking a fierce conflict with a powerful state Minister.
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30. Acharya (2022)
Movie · Telugu · 2h 32m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 3.8 (5.6K votes)
Dark & grittyEdge-of-seatSerious
Acharya, a middle-aged Naxalite-turned-social reformer, launches a fight against the Endowments Department over misappropriation and embezzlement of temple funds and donations.
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