Culture & Living
6 must-watch Anushka Shetty movies in Telugu and Tamil
The actor, who is active in both Telugu and Tamil film industries, chooses her projects with care, spaces her films out and stays off social media, so there’s always a curiosity to see her on screen
Mention Anushka Shetty’s name, and the first, and possibly lasting, image of hers, is that of a dignified queen. This has been helped in no small measure by the films where she’s played historical and mythological characters—Arundhati, Rudramadevi and the Baahubali franchise, or even her cameo in Om Namo Venkatesaya, where she played devotee Andal. And so, while the actor has had her share of what could be called regular commercial cinema in the form of Super, Vikramarkudu, Mirchi and the Singam franchise, she’s better known for being part of projects that take time to be made and where the writing celebrates the performer in her. Her next release is the multilingual Nishabdham, co-starring Madhavan.
Ahead, we list out 6 movies starring Anushka Shetty that all fans need to watch
Arundhati (2009)
It is believed that Shyam Prasad Reddy, Arundhati’s producer, is the person responsible for showing us what a queen she can be. And how beautifully a young Anushka proved her worth in a film that fused the dark arts and royalty admirably well. She plays Jejamma, the brave matriarch who gives up her life in the most painful way possible, so that the demonic Pasupathi can be vanquished and people can live without fear. Her martial arts movements were all grace, a throwback to her years as a yoga instructor. Anushka is all maternal as she feeds the child of a working mother, she’s the administrator as she works with a group to figure ways to develop her place, and she’s a judge when she brokers a deal between two warring parties. Her final confrontation with Pasupathi in the abandoned palace is one for the ages, the kind that can give you goosebumps even if you’ve seen the movie.
Streaming on Youtube
Vedam (2010)
As Saroja, the lively sex worker who has a change of heart after seeing violence and death up close, Anushka won the audience’s hearts and quite a few awards. The film was made in Tamil as Vaanam, and was a departure from the kind of work Anushka had done till then.
Streaming on MX Player
Size Zero (2010)
The Telugu-Tamil bilingual had a wafer-thin storyline that spoke about a lot of issues. There was body shaming, rackets in weight loss clinics, the need to be fit and how the world can come together for a cause. All this, plus a love story that started off as cute before getting pedestrian. But, what sold the film was Shetty as Soundarya alias Sweetie. Playing a girl who is constantly ridiculed at home and outside, and who draws upon her inner reserve of positivity to smile through life, Shetty was spot-on.
Streaming on Zee 5
Thaandavam (2012)
As ophthalmologist Meenakshi, who gets married against her wishes and gradually falls in love, Anushka was lovely in this film, where she starred with Vikram. Though their story begins in a thoroughly non-plausible way, the actors sell us the characters and endear them to us. This film is also proof that it's not the duration of a role, but its impact that matters. Meenakshi’s life and later death are the reason why the film moves forward. This film also had one of those rare mature love stories in commercial cinema, the kind where love seeps in slowly, unobtrusively. And you bought it, because of the actors.
Streaming on Netflix
The Baahubali franchise (2015 and 2017)
If the first part of the franchise introduced us to an imprisoned Devasena, the second told us exactly why Devasena had the dignity she has. She’s a fierce royal who falls in love, but won’t think twice before using her love’s shoulders as a bridge to get into the ship taking her to her marital home. Her confident smile and Prabhas’ shy one perfectly complemented each other. She’s an ace archer and the scene where Prabhas teaches her to shoot using both hands is proof of how hard Anushka trained for the film. Look out for the scene where she chops off the fingers of an important man who tries to misbehave with women or the one where she is shorn of all adornments, but glows from within, with people’s love. Could anyone else have portrayed Devasena? Possibly not.
Streaming on Netflix
Rudhramadevi (2015)
Anushka’s performance in this was arguably better than even Baahubali. It’s not easy to play a woman dressed in a man’s clothing, and one who accepts to go by the name of Rudhradev, for the sake of her nation. Anushka makes a late entry in this film too, well after 20 minutes, but it’s an effective one. She takes on a deeper voice to sound like a man, and fights like a warrior. The duality of her role: a prince for the outside world, and a princess who has just discovered her real gender and who is too stunned to react provided perfect fodder for Anushka. It is to Anushka’s credit as a performer and her standing in the industry (she’s known to be fiercely loyal and non-controversial) that film stars such as Allu Arjun and Rana Daggubati, agreed to come on board, knowing the film was about Rudhramadevi.
Streaming on Zee 5
Also read:
9 movies that track Nayanthara’s rise in the Tamil film industry
6 Samantha Akkineni movies that prove that she is a powerhouse performer
