South Indian cinema has lined up several interesting releases in theaters this week. As Pongal and Sankranti celebrations heat up, let’s take a look at some of the top films to watch on the big screen.

8 South Films to Watch in Theaters This Week

1. Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu

• Cast: Chiranjeevi, Nayanthara, Catherine Tresa, Zarina Wahab, Harsha Vardhan, Abhinav Gomatam, Sachin Khedekar, Sharat Saxena, Sudev Nair, Venkatesh Daggubati (cameo)
• Director: Anil Ravipudi
• Genre: Action Comedy
• Language: Telugu
• Runtime: 2 hours and 36 minutes
• Release Date: January 12, 2026

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu explores the story of Shankara Varaprasad, a national security officer with the NIA. He is married to Sasirekha, the daughter of a wealthy man, who marries Shankara despite her father’s disapproval of his middle-class background.

Due to his disapproval, Sasirekha’s father becomes an obstacle in the couple’s relationship. Following a series of misunderstandings, Shankara and Sasirekha separate, even though they still have feelings for each other.

As Shankara is assigned a new mission, he must also navigate his fractured relationship and attempt to mend it, exploring whether he manages to reunite with his wife.

2. Kanimangalam Kovilakam

• Cast: Ajmal Khan AA, Abbhi Krish, Muhamad Rafi, Sarath Sabha, Kottayam Ramesh, Sminu Sijo
• Director: Raajesh Mohan
• Genre: Horror Comedy
• Language: Malayalam
• Runtime: TBA
• Release Date: January 16, 2026

Kanimangalam Kovilakam revolves around a few characters who reside near a hostel adjacent to a cemetery. The old cemetery between the hostel and the college is feared by everyone, with hostel residents even running past it.

However, their lives are about to change when they realise that it is not the cemetery that is haunted, but the hostel itself. The film explores how this revelation affects the characters and their attempt to survive.

3. Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil

• Cast: Jiiva, Prathana Nathan, Thambi Ramaiah, Anuraj, Ilavarasu, Jenson Dhivakar, Sarjin Kumar, Jaiwanth
• Director: Nithish Sahadev
• Genre: Comedy Political Drama
• Language: Tamil
• Runtime: 2 hours and 35 minutes
• Release Date: January 15, 2026

Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil is an upcoming political comedy drama starring Jiiva and directed by Falimy fame Nithish Sahadev. The film focuses on deep-rooted family tensions during a community festival, forcing the protagonist to navigate feuds and protect his family.

The film explores whether the protagonist successfully overcomes these challenges.

4. Anaganaga Oka Raju

• Cast: Naveen Polishetty, Meenakshi Chaudhary
• Director: Maari
• Genre: Romantic Comedy
• Language: Telugu
• Runtime: 2 hours and 20 minutes
• Release Date: January 14, 2026

Anaganaga Oka Raju is an upcoming Telugu-language romantic comedy starring Naveen Polishetty and Meenakshi Chaudhary in the lead roles. Directed by Maari, the film features the Chhichhore actor in a quirky and fun-loving avatar.

More details about the film are yet to be officially announced by the makers.

5. Mango Pachcha

• Cast: Sanchith Sanjeev, Kaajal Kunder, Mayur Patel, Hamsa Prathap, Jai Gopinath
• Director: Viveka Prakash
• Genre: Crime Action Drama
• Language: Kannada
• Runtime: TBA
• Release Date: January 15, 2026

Mango Pachcha is a crime action drama set in early 2000s Mysuru. The film follows the story of a young DVD store owner’s rise through the underworld. The movie explores themes of power and ambition as he becomes entangled in a secret empire.

6. Nari Nari Naduma Murari

• Cast: Sharwanand, Samyuktha, Sakshi Vaidya, Sree Vishnu
• Director: Ram Abbaraju
• Genre: Comedy Drama
• Language: Telugu
• Runtime: 2 hours and 35 minutes
• Release Date: January 14, 2026

Nari Nari Naduma Murari is a comedy drama that narrates the life of a young man planning to marry his love and colleague. However, things take a wild turn when his ex-girlfriend returns to his life as his boss.

Caught between his former and current lovers, he experiences several moments filled with comical misunderstandings and chaos.

7. Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi

• Cast: Ravi Teja, Ashika Ranganath, Dimple Hayathi, Sunil, Vennela Kishore, Sathya
• Director: Kishore Tirumala
• Genre: Family Romantic Comedy
• Language: Telugu
• Runtime: 2 hours and 22 minutes
• Release Date: January 13, 2026

Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi is based on the story of Ram Sathyanarayana, a husband navigating love, marriage, and responsibility as he finds himself caught between two women.

As he becomes more involved with both, Ram faces several comical yet challenging situations, attempting to balance modern dating advice with societal expectations.

8. Vaa Vaathiyaar

• Cast: Karthi, Krithi Shetty, Sathyaraj, Rajkiran, Nizhalgal Ravi, Anandaraj, Shilpa Manjunath, Karunakaran
• Director: Nalan Kumarasamy
• Genre: Action Comedy
• Language: Tamil
• Runtime: 2 hours and 10 minutes
• Release Date: January 14, 2026

Vaa Vaathiyaar follows the story of DSP Rameshwaran, a corrupt police officer who lives a life contrary to his grandfather’s wish for him to embody the late MGR’s integrity and values.

As a gripping crime unfolds around him, Rameshwaran’s journey takes an unexpected turn when he adopts an alter ego inspired by MGR to fight corruption and injustice. The film explores what happens when he battles crime using this unconventional identity.

These are some of the films releasing in theaters this week. Meanwhile, movies such as The Raja Saab, Parasakthi, Pennu Case, and several other South Indian films continue to run in theaters.

ALSO READ: Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Twitter Review: 9 tweets to read before watching Chiranjeevi’s film