Best dark & gritty Telugu movies in India

By the KyaDekhu team · Updated 23 October 2026 · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb

222 movies in India match this list, with an average IMDb rating of 6.0. Newest addition: Maremma, added to Prime Video on 9 Oct. Ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating and popularity; showing the top 30.

1. Rangasthalam (2018)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 59m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 8.2 (31.7K votes)

Visually stunningDark & gritty

Chitti Babu begins to suspect his elder brother's life is in danger after they team up to lock horns with their village president and overthrow his unlawful 30 year old regime.

JioHotstar Prime Video
2. Major (2022)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 29m · Action, History · IMDb 8.1 (34.7K votes)

Visually stunningEdge-of-seatDark & grittySerious

This biopic follows the life of Indian Army officer Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, from his childhood to his heroic actions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Netflix
3. Lucky Baskhar (2024)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 31m · UA · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.0 (44.2K votes)

TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached

A middle-class bank clerk who longs to trade stability for adventure gets more than he bargained for when he unexpectedly becomes a wealthy man.

Netflix
4. Athadu (2005)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 55m · U · Action, Thriller · IMDb 8.2 (16.7K votes)

TwistyEdge-of-seatVisually stunningDark & gritty

A hitman, Nandu, is hired to stage the assassination of a politician. However, when the politician is actually killed and Nandu is framed for the murder, he assumes a dead man's identity to evade the law.

MX Player · free with ads Prime Video · free with ads Prime Video
5. Arjun Reddy (2017)

Movie · Telugu · 3h 7m · A · Drama, Romance · IMDb 7.9 (30.6K votes)

MatureDark & grittyCold & detached

A brilliant but impulsive young surgeon spirals into self-destruction after a painful breakup, struggling to cope with love, loss, and the consequences of his own temper.

JioHotstar Prime Video
6. Pokiri (2006)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 43m · A · Action, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (17.3K votes)

Visually stunningMatureFast-pacedEdge-of-seat

Pandu is a contract killer and will accept any contract provided the amount is right. The police want him for questioning, while the underworld needs him to silence their opponents. No one really knows this assassin's background. It is only Pandu who knows his real identity, and he has no intention of sharing it with a

JioHotstar
7. Pushpa: The Rise (2021)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 59m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 7.6 (1.0L votes)

Visually stunningEdge-of-seatDark & grittyFast-paced

As Pushpa, a labourer, rises in the world of red sandalwood smuggling, he ends up making many enemies. However, violence ensues when the police try to topple his illegal business.

MX Player · free with ads Prime Video · free with ads Prime Video
8. Evaru (2019)

Movie · Telugu · 1h 58m · UA · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.1 (10.3K votes)

TwistyCold & detachedMatureDark & gritty

When a high-ranking police officer is killed by his alleged rape victim, Sub-inspector Vikram Vasudev is entrusted with investigating what seems like an open-and-shut case. However, as he delves deeper, Vikram finds the case spiralling into a dark tale filled with unexpected surprises.

Prime Video · free with ads Prime Video
9. Rao Bahadur (2026)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 49m · U/A 16+ · Fantasy, Drama · IMDb 8.3 (7.4K votes)

TwistySlow-burnCold & detachedDark & gritty

Plagued by guilt and fear, an eccentric aristocrat retreats into his ancestral manor, creating an alternate world that deeply blurs reality and imagination.

Netflix
10. Goodachari (2018)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 27m · UA · Thriller, Action · IMDb 7.8 (13.1K votes)

Fast-pacedTwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty

Gopi, is the son of an ex-RAW agent Raghuveer. Brought up by his uncle Sathya, he wants to be an agent just like his father and uncle. But Satya wants him to lead a normal life and not be killed like his father was. What happens in Gopi’s life that turns everything upside down?

Prime Video
11. 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.

ZEE5 · free with ads
12. Brochevarevarura (2019)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 2m · U · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.0 (5.4K votes)

TwistyFast-pacedEdge-of-seatDark & gritty

Three underachieving students befriend Mitra from another class. They devise a plan to help her but it leads to various problems.

Prime Video
13. Dhruva (2016)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 45m · UA · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 7.7 (9.1K votes)

TwistyEdge-of-seatFast-pacedDark & gritty

A committed police officer is on a very dangerous mission to destroy the most corrupt person in the country, Siddharth Abhimanyu.

JioHotstar
14. The Ghazi Attack (2017)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 6m · UA · Action, War · IMDb 7.5 (16.3K votes)

Visually stunningEdge-of-seatCold & detachedSerious

India’s first underwater war film tries to decode the mystery behind the sinking of Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi during the India-Pakistan war of 1971.

Netflix Prime Video
15. Aarya 2 (2009)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 35m · UA · Romance, Comedy · IMDb 7.5 (8.8K votes)

Dark & grittyMatureTwistyFast-paced

Two young boys staying together at an orphanage become friends. One of them is adopted by a wealthy family and grows up to become the owner of a software company. He provides employment for his friend, but when they both fall in love with the same young woman, conflict emerges.

MX Player · free with ads
16. Chatrapathi (2005)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 38m · UA · Drama, Action · IMDb 7.6 (6.9K votes)

Dark & grittyVisually stunningEdge-of-seat

Sivaji and his family are uprooted from their community in Sri Lanka and wind up as bonded labourers in Vishakhapatnam. Like his legendary namesake, he rises up to become the saviour of the oppressed.

JioHotstar Prime Video
17. Dacoit (2026)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 30m · U/A 13+ · Action, Romance · IMDb 7.4 (10.4K votes)

Fast-pacedEdge-of-seatDark & grittyCold & detached

Betrayed by his better half, a man is convicted for a crime he didn't commit. Once free, he hunts her down in pursuit of vengeance, as their stories intertwine with a series of robberies.

Prime Video
18. 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?

ZEE5
19. Bāhubali: The Epic (2025)

Movie · Telugu · 3h 44m · U/A 16+ · Action, Drama · IMDb 8.2 (2.6K votes)

Visually stunningTwistyEdge-of-seatFast-paced

When a mysterious child is found by a tribal couple near a roaring waterfall, they raise him as their own. As he grows, Sivudu is drawn to the world beyond the cliffs, where he discovers the ancient kingdom of Mahishmati, ruled by a cruel tyrant, haunted by rebellion, and bound to his past. What begins as a quest for l

Netflix
20. Nani's Gang Leader (2019)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 35m · UA · Comedy, Crime · IMDb 7.6 (5.6K votes)

TwistyFast-pacedEdge-of-seatFunny

A crime novelist is approached by a group of bereaved women to help them plot revenge against those responsible for the loss of their loved ones.

JioHotstar Prime Video
21. Temper (2015)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 27m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 7.4 (9.0K votes)

MatureDark & grittyFast-pacedVisually stunning

Daya is a corrupt cop who joins hands with the local don. When Daya's girlfriend gets kidnapped, it triggers Daya to go against Vasu and his empire, leading him to uncover a bigger motive behind the kidnapping.

MX Player · free with ads Prime Video · free with ads
22. 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

Prime Video ZEE5
23. 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.

JioHotstar ZEE5 · free with ads ZEE5
24. Kalki 2898-AD (2024)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 56m · UA · Drama, Action · IMDb 7.0 (78.1K votes)

Visually stunningEdge-of-seatFast-pacedDark & gritty

In the year 2898 AD, around 6000 years after Kurukshetra war, Ashwatthama gears up for his final battle of redemption at the sign of hope in a dystopian world and Bhairava, a wisecracking and self-interested bounty hunter, tired of the perilous life becomes the hurdle in the process.

Netflix Prime Video
25. Narappa (2021)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 33m · UA · Drama, Action · IMDb 7.6 (4.4K votes)

Dark & grittyEdge-of-seatMature

Narappa is forced to flee into the forest with his younger son, Sinappa, after Sinappa murders an upper caste landlord to avenge his older brother’s death. And now Narappa must make more sacrifices and navigate a deeply unjust justice system to give his son a chance at future.

MX Player · free with ads Prime Video · free with ads Prime Video
26. Drushyam 2 (2021)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 35m · U · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 8.1 (2.3K votes)

TwistyEdge-of-seatDark & grittyCold & detached

7 years after the events of Drushyam, the family lives with the trauma from that fateful night. A gripping tale of an investigation and a family threatened by it. Will Rambabu be able to protect his family this time?

MX Player · free with ads Prime Video
27. HIT: The 2nd Case (2022)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 4m · A · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 7.2 (12.2K votes)

MatureTwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seat

Krishna Dev aka KD, a laidback cop working in Andhra Pradesh State HIT, takes on a gruesome murder case. As KD unravels the layers of the crime, the stakes rise unbelievably high and the threat comes unusually close.

Prime Video · free with ads Prime Video
28. Kshana Kshanam (1991)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 32m · U · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 8.1 (2.2K votes)

Fast-pacedTwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty

Chandu is a petty thief who comes across Satya, an innocent girl who unwittingly comes across a way to a huge amount of money stolen from a bank. While the gang that robbed the bank go after her for the clue, one member dies in her apartment and she believes she's the one that killed him. Every one including the origin

JioHotstar Prime Video
29. Janatha Garage (2016)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 45m · UA · Action, Drama · IMDb 7.2 (9.7K votes)

Dark & grittyEdge-of-seat

Anand is an environmental activist who lives in Mumbai. A chance exchange programme takes him to Hyderabad and here, a chance encounter with Satyam results in him taking over the Janatha Garage from the latter.

JioHotstar
30. Saripodhaa Sanivaaram (2024)

Movie · Telugu · 2h 52m · UA · Action, Thriller · IMDb 7.1 (14.1K votes)

TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seat

Set in Sokulapalem, bound by a promise to his mother, Surya, an LIC agent leads a normal life on six days, maintains a careful ledger of everyone made him angry,unleashing his anger only on Saturdays, solely for justifiable reasons. A tragic incident pits him on a collision course with the ruthless and borderline-manic

Netflix