Romantic movies undoubtedly make one wish for and crave connection. Whether you’re single, dating, or married, a little romance can truly lift your spirits, even when you’re at your wits’ end.
If you’re confused about what to explore, here’s a list of underrated South Indian romantic films that everyone should watch at least once on OTT.
1. Salt N’ Pepper (2011)
- Cast: Lal, Asif Ali, Shwetha Menon, Mythili, Baburaj, Vijayaraghavan, Ahmed Sidhique, Kelu Mooppan, Kalpana, Ambika Mohan
- Director: Aashiq Abu
- Language: Malayalam
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Runtime: 2 hours and 12 minutes
- Where to watch: SunNXT/ManoramaMAX
Salt N’ Pepper is an adorable romantic film that was the talk of the town when it was released in 2011. However, its significance has become underrated over the years, especially outside Kerala.
The story follows Kalidasan, an archaeologist and food lover who lives with his cook Babu. His nephew Manu Raghav soon decides to stay with him. Kalidasan leads a life without romantic interest, but everything changes when Maya, a dubbing artist, mistakenly calls him while trying to reach a restaurant.
What follows is a rich and heartfelt tale of how this middle-aged man and woman connect over phone calls, slowly falling in love through their shared passion, especially for food.
2. Kadhal Mannan (1998)
- Cast: Ajith Kumar, Maanu, MS Viswanathan, Vivek, Nithya, Karan, Girish Karnad, Dhaarini, Ramesh Khanna, Rathan Mouli, Dhamu
- Director: Saran
- Language: Tamil
- Genre: Romantic Drama
- Runtime: 2 hours and 16 minutes
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
If you think Ajith Kumar is only known for action entertainers, you couldn’t be more mistaken. Long before he became “AK,” he was Kaadhal Mannan, the king of romance.
Kadhal Mannan follows Shiva, a mechanic who travels to Delhi on a dare to deliver a letter to Thilothama. After meeting her, Shiva and Thilothama fall in love, but their romance faces severe opposition from her authoritarian father, Rudran, who despises love after his elder daughter eloped.
The film showcases the couple’s struggle against Rudran’s rigid beliefs and a pre-arranged marriage he has planned for her.
3. Andala Rakshasi (2012)
- Cast: Rahul Ravindran, Lavanya Tripathi, Naveen Chandra, Pragathi, CVL Narasimha Rao, Micky Makhija
- Director: Hanu Raghavapudi
- Language: Telugu
- Genre: Romance Drama
- Runtime: 2 hours and 19 minutes
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Before Sita Ramam, director Hanu Raghavapudi debuted with a similarly tragic romantic drama, Andala Rakshasi.
The movie follows Gautham, a wealthy man who falls in love with Mithuna at first sight. When he learns she is seriously injured in an accident, he pays her medical expenses. After recovering, Mithuna reveals she is in love with Surya, an artist presumed dead.
While Gautham tries to win her heart, both eventually fall in love, only for Gautham to discover that Surya is alive but has lost his sanity after believing Mithuna had died. The film explores who among the three chooses sacrifice for the greater good.
4. Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014)
- Cast: Nazriya Nazim Fahadh, Nivin Pauly, Vineeth Srinivasan, Aju Varghese, Renji Panicker, Anju Kurian, Akshaya Premnath, Manju Satheesh, Vinaya Prasad, Sharaf U Dheen, Nikki Galrani (cameo)
- Director: Jude Anthany Joseph
- Language: Malayalam
- Genre: Coming-of-Age Romantic Comedy
- Runtime: 2 hours and 16 minutes
- Where to watch: JioHotstar
If you found Nivin Pauly charming in Premam, you definitely need to watch Thattathin Marayathu and Ohm Shanthi Oshaana.
The flick explores the life of Pooja, a complete 90s girl who develops a crush at age 15 on Giri, a man a little older than her. A natural rebel, Pooja decides she will choose the man she loves rather than settle for an arranged marriage. While initially drawn to her popular classmate Yardley, everything changes when she encounters Giri.
What follows is her transition from teenage infatuation to a love that withstands time. The film was among the early ventures that ushered in a new era of contemporary Malayalam cinema.
5. Enakku 20 Unakku 18 / Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu (2003)
- Cast: Tarun, Trisha Krishnan, Shriya Saran, Vivek (Tamil), Sunil (Telugu), Manivannan (Tamil), Tanikella Bharani (Telugu), Riyaz Khan, Archana Puran Singh, Devadarshini
- Director: AM Jyothi Krishnan
- Language(s): Tamil-Telugu
- Genre: Musical Romantic Comedy
- Runtime: 1 hour and 59 minutes
- Where to watch: SunNXT
Enakku 20 Unakku 18 (or Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu in Telugu) is a musical romantic comedy led by Tarun and Trisha Krishnan.
The movie follows Sridhar and Preethi, who meet in Mumbai but fail to confess their feelings to each other in time. Knowing only that the other lives in Chennai, both set out separately to find one another in the vast city, hoping fate will reunite them.
While the narrative is simple, the film stands out for its beautiful soundtrack composed by A.R. Rahman, a must-listen album.
6. Anand (2004)
- Cast: Raja, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Anuj Gurwara, Anish Kuruvilla, Satya Krishnan, Bakhitha Francis, Chandana Chakrabarti, Gopichand Lagadapati
- Director: Sekhar Kammula
- Language: Telugu
- Genre: Romantic Drama
- Runtime: 3 hours
- Where to watch: JioHotstar
Anand follows Roopa, an independent woman trying to move forward after losing her family in a car accident. She slowly falls for Anand, a businessman who moves in as her neighbor and tries to win her over, only to later discover that his father caused the accident that killed her family.
The story explores their developing relationship amid the challenges of Roopa’s pride, his father’s guilt, and a previous failed romance.
7. Ennum Eppozhum (2015)
- Cast: Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Innocent, Lena, Reenu Mathews, Jacob Gregory, Minon John, Renji Panicker, Kalpana
- Director: Sathyan Anthikad
- Language: Malayalam
- Genre: Romantic Comedy Drama
- Runtime: 2 hours and 27 minutes
- Where to watch: JioHotstar
Before Hridayapoorvam released in 2025, veterans Mohanlal and Sathyan Anthikad collaborated for the romantic comedy drama Ennum Eppozhum. Though the film received mixed opinions, its mature and heartfelt storytelling makes it a warm and comforting watch.
The flick narrates the tale of Vineeth N. Pillai, an irresponsible senior reporter on the verge of losing his job. To redeem himself, he is assigned to interview advocate Deepa, a single mother.
What begins as a simple assignment turns into a series of humorous attempts to secure the interview, leading him into chaos. As he learns more about Deepa’s personal life, their dynamic evolves into a gentle romance that may or may not blossom.
These are just some of the underrated romantic South Indian films you can watch on OTT.
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