: Directed by Gunasekhar and starring Mahesh Babu, this sports-action drama became a milestone for its screenplay and realistic set design of the Charminar.
: A sports drama that received widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and lead performance. Arjun Reddy
| Decade | Dominant Genre | Top Stars | Game-Changing Film | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Family drama, faction | Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, Mahesh Babu | Okkadu (2003) | | 2006-2010 | Comedy, fantasy, reincarnation | Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan | Magadheera (2009) | | 2011-2015 | Action-comedy, social drama | Pawan Kalyan, Jr. NTR, Mahesh Babu | Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) | | 2016-2020 | Pan-Indian, rustic stories | Vijay Deverakonda, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun | Baahubali 2 (2017) & Arjun Reddy (2017) | telugu movies list 2000 to 2020
Would you like a ranked top-10 list for each decade (2000–2009 and 2010–2020) or a watch-order for newcomers?
Koratala Siva and Mahesh Babu teamed up for this drama about village adoption, sparking real-world social conversations and reinforcing the "commercial film with a social message" trend. : Directed by Gunasekhar and starring Mahesh Babu,
Directed by Puri Jagannadh, this industry hit starring Mahesh Babu revolutionized the characterization of a Telugu cinematic hero and was remade in multiple languages.
A massive commercial success starring Mahesh Babu that perfected the action-comedy blend, heavily influencing the structure of commercial films for the next decade. NTR, Mahesh Babu | Baahubali: The Beginning (2015)
(2001): A cult classic for its clean comedy and emotional writing.