Eight most popular Indian movies of 2022

2022 wasn’t the best year for Hindi cinema but for Indian cinema, this was certainly a year to remember. With Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films making waves across the country, 2022 proved to be a big year for pan-Indian films. IMDb has released a list of Top 10 most popular Indian films of the year. Only one Hindi film has made it to the list with Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films finding space on the top film listing. As per IMDb, the films on the list received more than 200 million monthly views on their website.

RRR

SS Rajamouli’s RRR, which recently grabbed two nominations at the Golden Globes, was on the top of the list. The film did phenomenal business at the box office upon its release but made international waves after it released on a digital platform. Starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR in lead roles, RRR was one of the most satisfying theatrical experiences for the viewers this year as Rajamouli presented a spectacle that the audience had missed since before the pandemic.

The Kashmir Files

The controversial Vivek Agnihotri film was recently in the news after IFFI jury chief Nadav Lapid called it a “propaganda” film at the closing ceremony of the festival. The film, which released earlier this year, was based on the 1990s exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir. Starring Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar among others, the film stirred up a debate upon its release.

 KGF: Chapter 2

One of the most awaited films of the year, KGF Chapter 2 took the story of Rocky ahead. Mounted on a massive scale, KGF Chapter 2 was the biggest box office hit of the year in India and proved that the audience was ready to spend big money at the theatres if they were getting the content that was worth their money. Starring Yash in the lead role, and directed by Prashanth Neel, the film was said to be an ode the Hindi cinema of the 1970s.

Vikram

Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram was the film that brought Kamal Haasan back to the cinemas after 2018’s Vishwaroopam 2. Also starring Malayalam star Fahadh Faasil and Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi, the film kicked off a universe that will have sequels and spin-offs, as suggested by the director in a recent roundtable interview.

Kantara

The surprise Kannada hit of the year, Rishab Shetty’s Kantara was made on a modest budget but turned out to be a pan-Indian hit. Rishab, who also starred in the lead role in the film, received a lot of praise from moviegoers and critics as they saw it as a film that was rooted in its culture. Kantara wasn’t released nationwide in a pan-Indian fashion but the glorious response in the domestic Kannada market allowed the film to have a pan-Indian release that proved to be in its favour.

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

Starring R Madhavan in the lead role, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, was the biopic of scientist Nambi Narayanan. Marking Madhavan’s directorial debut, the film was released across many languages but it was first premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Major

Starring Adivi Sesh in the lead role, Major had him playing Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who martyred his life during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. The film followed his journey from his childhood to the time when he chose the path of sacrifice to save the lives of many others stuck inside the Taj hotel during the crisis.

Sita Ramam

Sita Ramam, a love story starring Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur, was a surprise Telugu hit and it was after the success of the film in the Telugu states that the producers released the dubbed versions all over the country. While the love story genre isn’t as popular as it once used to be, Sita Ramam proved that the audience was ready to embrace the genre once again.