Best of 2024: Most underrated South movies and series - Aattam, Brinda, J Baby, and more

2024 has been a great year for Indian cinema, which produced some highly exciting content on both theatres and OTT spaces. When it comes to the South film industry, things have been highly excited for the Malayalam film industry, which had one of the most successful years in the history with back-to-back blockbuster and critically acclaimed films. While Telugu cinema excelled in the commercial space, 2024 was a mix bag for the Tamil and Kannada film industries.

Here we present the list of the most underrated movies and series from the South film industry, that truly deserve so much more love from the audiences. Have a look...

Most underrated South movies and shows of 2024

Aattam

Cast: Zarin Shihab, Vinay Forrt, Kalabhavan Shahjohn

Director: Anand Ekarshi

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

The Malayalam drama film, helmed by Anand Ekarshi, hit the big screens in January 2024. Despite receiving so much love from both the critics and the cinephiles, Aattam failed to make it big at the box office. The gripping drama, which won the 70th National Film Award for Best Feature Film, clearly deserves much more love from the audiences across the globe.

1000 Babies

Cast: Rahman, Neena Gupta, Sanju Sivram, Ashwin K Kumar

Director: Najeem Koya

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

The Disney+ Hotstar crime thriller series, headlined by senior actor Rahman, hit the OTT screens in October 2024. The series, helmed by Najeem Koya, earned rave reviews from the critics, but failed to create a major stir among the common audiences. 1000 Babies is unarguably one of the best web series produced by the Malayalam entertainment industry, so far.

Blue Star

Cast: Ashok Selvan, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Prithvi Rajan, Keerthi Pandian

Director: S Jayakumar

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

The sports drama film directed by S Jayakumar earned positive reviews from the critics, but went largely unnoticed by the masses. Ashok Selvan and Shanthanu Bhagyaraj play the central characters in Blue Star, which Arakkonam village of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and revolves around the rivalry between two local cricket teams. This film deserves to be celebrated more.

Brinda

Cast: Trisha Krishnan, Indrajith Sukumaran, Ravindra Vijay

Director: Surya Manoj Vangala

Streaming on: Sony LIV

This underrated Telugu crime thriller series which is streaming on Sony LIV, marked the OTT debut of popular actress Trisha Krishnan. The Surya Manoj Vangala directorial revolves around a police sub inspector named Brinda, who begins investigating a serial murder case, which eventually gets entangled with her personal life. Trisha played Brinda in the series, which features Indrajith Sukumaran, Ravindra Vijay, Jayaprakash, Anand Sami, Aamani, and others in key roles.

J Baby

Cast: Urvashi, Attakathi Dinesh, Lollu Sabha Maaran

Director: Suresh Mari

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Urvashi teamed up with Attakathi Dinesh and Lollu Sabha Maaran for this Tamil drama film, directed by Suresh Mari. The senior actress played the titular character J Baby, which revolves around the journey of two estranged brothers, named Maaran and Dinesh, who are on a mission to find their missing mother, and bring her back home. J Baby is indeed an underrated gem.

Chutney Sambar

Cast: Yogi Babu, Vani Bhojan, Chandran

Director: Radha Mohan

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

The comedy drama series which is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is helmed by popular filmmaker Radha Mohan. Chutney Sambar, which features Yogi Babu, Vani Bhojan, and Chandran in the lead roles, impressed the critics and cinephiles with its light-hearted narrative, humour, and emotions. This web series indeed deserves more audiences.

Ambajipeta Marriage Band

Cast: Suhas, Sharanya Pradeep, Nithin Prasanna, Jagadish Prathap Bhandari

Director: Dushyanth Katikaneni

Streaming on: Aha

This rural social drama film, which stars Suhas and Sharanya Pradeep, is one of the best yet most underrated Telugu films of the year. Ambajipeta Marriage Band around twins Mallikarjuna aka Malli and Padmavati aka Padma, and deals with the complex subjects of inter-caste relationships and societal judgements. This Dushyanth Katikaneni directorial is not to be missed.

Gaami

Cast: Viswak Sen, Mohammad Samad, Abhinaya

Director: Vidyadhar Kagita

Streaming on: Zee5

This epic adventure film directed by Vidyadhar Kagita and stars Vishwak Sen in the lead role, has not received the love it deserves, despite emerging as a sleeper hit. Gaami depicts the story of Shankar, a reclusive man who ventures into uncharted territory to find a cure for a rare human condition.