There is nothing like putting your feet up and watching something fun and feel-good on your TV. It is what weekends should be made of. Feel good movies are not just about happy endings; it is in the way a movie is filmed, the liberal sprinkling of humour in the narrative, the youthfulness of the story and, in general, a spirit of hope and optimism that should pervade in the scheme of things.
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Here we have curated ten feel-good films that are streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The languages we have limited ourselves to are Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Also, for the sake of limiting our choices, we have confined ourselves to the movies that were released within the last five years.
8 Feel Good movies on Amazon Prime
Anni Manchi Sakunamule
Year: 2023 | Language: Telugu
Let’s get this straight; it was while watching this movie that the idea for this list came to our mind. This cute, feel-good movie intelligently subverts the ‘revenge’ plot and ‘baby mix-up error at the hospital’ of a typical Telugu potboiler.
Directed by B V Nandini Reddy, Anni Manchi Sakunamule’s other big plus is how the woman characters have been written. They are not treated as cinematic cliches. To add, the songs are a big plus, and the camerawork is cool and nice. The film is by no stretch of the imagination perfect, but it confirms that young writers and directors can come up with an enjoyable mainstream fare that does not ask you to leave your intelligence in the cloakroom if they put their mind to it.
Tumhari Sulu
Year: 2017 | Language: Hindi
This is the oldest film on this list. But we wanted this one because we are big fans of Vidya Balan, who has the knack and skill of any movie, even if it is dreary, and feels good with her mere presence. Tumhari Sulu rides on her charm and spirit just as the role of the radio jockey she undertakes in the film does. There is a meta-reading there somewhere. This cute little film reinforces our faith in goodness and is suffused with hope. The characters, like in most good films, are real and relatable. How good Vidya Balan was can be gauged by the fact that the faithful Tamil remake starring Jyothika was insufferable.
Kadaikutty Singam
Year: 2018 | Language: Tamil
This is a typical director Pandiaraj film filled with rural ethos and big family sentiments. The storyline is convoluted, and the equations within are messy. But a large Indian family with a caboodle of relations can be a joy. The names and the relationships in Kadaikutty Singam are complex and old-school, and it can make you curious. Even while discussing family values, the film also makes a strong case for the importance of farming. Karthi, as the hero, is tailor-made for such roles. It is a walk in the park for him. After watching the film, you will want to contact your relatives.
Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya
Year: 2019 | Language: Telugu
Mixing spoof and suspense is not an easy thing. It is a cocktail that can go wrong spectacularly. But with Agent Sai Srinivasa Atherya, the comic part and the thriller element mixed properly, and we got the most enjoyable and spirited fare. The stand-up comic Naveen Polishetty as the titular bumbling sleuth is a hoot. Director Swaroop R S J knew how to make sardonic elements work without being silly or nonsensical. It is a tightrope walk, but he pulled it off with some style.
Jaati Ratnalu
Year: 2021 | Language: Telugu
Jaati Ratnalu is, in a sense, a companion piece to Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya in that this is also headlined by the talented fun-meister Naveen Polishetty. This is also an all-out comedic caper, but its flavour is different. The plot is about three good-for-nothing friends looking to get rich in the city. But the story is just a pretext to land the jokes. It is a lark of a film with various Telugu dialects at play. Absurd comedy, when it works, is usually crackling. This one, directed by Anudeep K V, is full of energy right through.
Dharala Prabhu
Year: 2020 | Language: Tamil
This Tamil remake of the Hindi hit Vicky Donor could have been wrong. Tamil cinema has never had a culture of treating such borderline risque subjects with agreeable decency. The humour in such themes is mined for gross, double-entendre jokes. But the director Krishna Marimuthu comes up with a refreshing enjoyable treatment in Dharala Prabhu. If the hero Harish Kalyan is restrained, (late) comedian Vivekh, known to slip in vulgar lines, was even more fun, respectfully. Even the changes from the Hindi original worked well, making it an even better product in some way. The songs were also fun and peppy, reflecting the film’s spirit.
Brochevaruevarura
Year: 2019 | Language: Telugu
Brochevaruevarura is a crime comedy — yes, it’s a genre — is among the cult hits in Telugu in recent times. It is the bumbling story of three useless duds in school. They stage a kidnap drama to help a classmate girl, and it all goes horribly wrong. Woven into this story is the track of a struggling filmmaker and an up-and-coming actress. It is a coming-of-age drama filled with huge scoops of comedy. The actors Sree Vishnu, Nivetha Thomas, Priyadarshi and Rahul Ramakrishna are in great form as buddies. Situational comedies don’t come better than this one directed by Vivek Athreya.
Sharmaji Namkeen
Year: 2022 | Language: Hindi
This slice-of-life story is a beauty, not the least, for the sentimental reason of it being the swansong of veteran Rishi Kapoor. He passed away while the film was being shot, and Paresh Rawal completed some of his portions without any jerk or unevenness. Sharmaji Namkeen was the right tribute to the jovial person that Rishi Kapoor came across as. Directed by Hitesh Bhatia, Sharmaji Namkeen has no over-the-top moments or lessons in morality. It’s a sweet and innocent everyday tale told in a simple manner. You will laugh and also be a little teary-eyed. Go for it!
