Best Telugu Thriller Movies

65 films · 31 with 3+ critic reviews

Tautly plotted cat-and-mouse cinema. Malayalam and Tamil filmmakers have made this the most consistently well-reviewed popular genre in the country.

The best Telugu thriller movies, ranked by aggregated critic score.

01KuberaaTelugu · 2025“Kuberaa falls short of being a gamechanger. But it is a brave film from a director who…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.5

8 criticsRecommended02Lucky BaskharTelugu · 2024“This relationship drama woven around a financial scam is Atluri's best work till date and…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.5

6 criticsRecommended03DrushyamTelugu · 2014“An unconventional film, this film is refreshing as it is not formulaic. Above all, it is…” — IndiaGlitz

6.5

4 criticsRecommended04TemperTelugu · 2015“In the end, Temper comes across as a film which was meant for NTR to reinvent himself,…” — Hemanth Kumar

6.3

6 criticsMixed05DasaraTelugu · 2023“Srikanth Odela knows his world inside and out, but having chosen a love triangle, he…” — Mukesh Manjunath

6.2

9 criticsMixed06Pushpa: The RiseTelugu · 2021“Pushpa - The Rise is riveting in some segments and bland in others. Allu Arjun shoulders…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.1

10 criticsMixed07Pushpa 2 - The RuleTelugu · 2024“But why do we discuss isolated sequences and performances rather than the narrative as a…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.0

9 criticsMixed08ThandelTelugu · 2025“At times, Thandel nearly derails, but the love story steers it back on course. Yet,…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.0

7 criticsMixed09HIT: The Third CaseTelugu · 2025“While HIT 3 attempts to deliver a grand, theatrical action spectacle, it is not entirely…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.9

12 criticsMixed10VirupakshaTelugu · 2023“Virupaksha has plenty going for it and is among the well made supernatural thrillers in…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.9

5 criticsMixed11Cheekati RajyamTelugu · 2015“... isn't really exceptional, going by Kamal Haasan's oeuvre, but makes for an engaging…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.8

12 criticsMixed12Saripodhaa SanivaaramTelugu · 2024“Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is what we get when fine writing infuses life into an old vigilante…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.7

9 criticsMixed13Maa Inti BangaramTelugu · 2026“This time around, they have something more action-packed, with help from Raj Nidimoru,…” — Neeshita Nyayapati

5.7

5 criticsMixed14Miss. Shetty Mr. PolishettyTelugu · 2023“Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty has its fun moments but offers nothing more. The sheer…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.6

5 criticsMixed15Daaku MaharaajTelugu · 2025“Despite these merits the film falls short, owing to its lack of conviction in the…” — Srivathsan Nadadhur

5.5

7 criticsMixed16Rao BahadurTelugu · 2026“The carefully constructed drama gives way to a series of delightful twists that are both…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.3

6 criticsMixed17MayookhaTelugu · 2026“A decent crime thriller with a gripping second half. Watchable for suspense lovers.” — TeluguOne

5.3

4 criticsMixed18KingdomTelugu · 2025“Will Gowtam Tinnanuri find a way to match the tenderness of emotions we have come to…” — Neeshita Nyayapati

5.1

8 criticsMixed19CustodyTelugu · 2023“Venkat Prabhu gets to that conflict point much later in the story when one least expects…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.1

7 criticsMixed20DacoitTelugu · 2026“Dacoit's biggest flaw is how relentlessly generic its storytelling feels. Overall, Dacoit…” — Rishabh Suri

5.1

4 criticsMixed21Bhagavanth KesariTelugu · 2023“Despite having some issues, Bhagavanth Kesari works pretty well on both fronts to a large…” — Ram Venkat Srikar

5.0

7 criticsMixed22AgadhaTelugu · 2026“The impressive craft in Agadha is undeniable, but does that make it a genuinely…” — Srivathsan Nadadhur

4.9

17 criticsMixed23418Telugu · 2026“418 tries to give a new spin to a horror tale within the conventional boundaries of the…” — Srivathsan Nadadhur

4.9

9 criticsMixed24EagleTelugu · 2024“A fun second half rescues this Ravi Teja film from crashing completely, though the first…” — Ram Srikar

4.8

7 criticsMixed25Mahendragiri VarahiTelugu · 2026“Mahendragiri Varahi feels stale for the same reason [of playing catch-up with trends].…” — Srivathsan Nadadhur

4.7

10 criticsMixed26#CultTelugu · 2026“#Cult is not short on ambition, but it could have been a lot more with better writing and…” — Srivathsan Nadadhur

4.7

6 criticsMixed27RavanasuraTelugu · 2023“Ravanasura had a lot of scope for story development. The half-baked story comes with poor…” — Sakshi Post

4.5

4 criticsMixed28Secret SoldierTelugu · 2026“Director Akki Viswanadha Reddy's debut film definitely looks interesting on paper, but…” — Suresh Kavirayani

4.5

4 criticsMixed29Odela 2Telugu · 2025“Unlike Odela Railway Station, which stuck confidently to its crime thriller roots, Odela…” — Srivathsan Nadadhur

4.4

6 criticsUnfavorable30Double iSmartTelugu · 2024“Puri Jagannadh tries (quite lazily) to convince you Double iSmart is the former. But over…” — Neeshita Nyayapati

4.2

4 criticsUnfavorable31The ParadiseTelugu · 2026“What the film lacks, though, is the emotional heft to translate its ambitious ideas into…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

3.9

12 criticsUnfavorable

See all 65 Telugu thriller films →

Recent Telugu Thriller releases

4.7

#Cult

6 critics

4.9

418

9 critics

5.3

Mayookha

4 critics

3.9

The Paradise

12 critics

4.5

Secret Soldier

4 critics

4.7

Mahendragiri Varahi

10 critics

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