Science-fiction thriller as a genre has mostly proved to be a safe bet for filmmakers and worked well with the masses, be it Tollywood or any other language film industry. Be it Allu Sirish’s ‘Okka Kshanam’, megastar Rajinikanth’s ‘Robot’ or Vijay Devarakonda’s ‘Taxiwaala’, these Telugu sci-fi films have not only scored brilliantly by receiving rave reviews for stupendous performances and special effects but also considered as one of the most popular sci-fi Telugu films of all time. Here’s a look:
Rajinikanth's Robot (2010)
The film carries forward the man-machine war through interesting twists and turns and creates a lively love triangle between scientist Rajnikanth, medical student, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and robot Rajnikanth. Robot is the perfect getaway film, which gives us a high with its heady over-the-top Indian flavour.
Allu Sirish's Okka Kshanam (2017)
A sci-fi thriller based on parallel life concept, Okka Kshanam, stars the suave and supremely talented Allu Sirish and Surbhi. Screened in 4 different languages, the film went on to garner rave reviews by Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam audiences, truly a Pan-India film. The Telugu version was dubbed into Hindi as ‘Shoorveer 2’ and became a big hit on television & YouTube. In the last lockdown, the film got dubbed into Tamil as ‘Andha Oru Nimidam and repeated its success on OTT too. Finally, it got dubbed into Malayalam to repeat & was well received by the audience and critics. The movie was screened in 4 Indian languages and was successful in all of them. Truly a pan Indian film.
Vijay Devarakonda's Taxiwaala (2018)
A happy-go-lucky graduate moves to the city in search of a job. When nothing seems to work out for him, he decides to become a taxi driver to make a living. On his hunt for a car, he stumbles upon a vintage car. He gives it a makeover and the car turns his luck around. However, his joy is short-lived as he soon finds out that the car is possessed. The movie works in parts, largely thanks to a wonderful performance from Vijay Deverakonda.
Rajinikanth-Akshay Kumar's 2.0 (2018)
An ornithologist (Akshay Kumar) who commits suicide returns as fifth force to wreak vengeance on mankind for harming birds with mobile phone radiation. The only thing that is standing in his way is 2.0, the upgraded version of Chitti, the robot (Rajinikanth).
Suriya's 24 (2016)
Directed by Vikram Kumar, the movie with a unique story of time machine features superstar Suriya in triple roles along with Samantha and Nithya Menen. Suriya himself produced the film under his home banner of 2D Entertainment. After showcasing his versatility with films such as ‘Ghajini’, ‘Brothers’, ‘7th Sense’, etc., Suriya mesmerized the audience with his high energy performance in the movie.