South Indian movies are once again hitting the theaters with new releases, making it to the must-watch list of the audience. If you’re still wondering what to watch this week, here are the details you need to check out.
8 South movies to watch in theaters this week
1. Sixth Pacha: The Ring of Rowdies
- Mould: Roshan Mathew, Arjun Ashokan, Visakh Nair, Ishaan Shaukat, Siddique, Lakshmi Menon, Rafi, Carmen S Mathew, D’artagnan Sabu, Mammootty (cameo)
- Director: Advaith Nair
- Style: action comedy drama
- Language: Malayalam
- Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes
- Release date: 22 January 2026
Chhatha Pacha is an upcoming action comedy drama, which is considered to be the first WWE-inspired wrestling film in Malayalam cinema. The film tells the story of a group of misfits who form a wrestling group in Fort Kochi, fulfilling a dream initially dreamed up by their mentor, Walter.
Over the years, Walter’s disciples band together and set out on an adventure, deciding to create a new form of wrestling within their community. As the team comes together, relationships and camaraderie undergo turbulent changes, making the wrestling ring the place for great challenges.
2. Mankatha (Re-release)
- Mould: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Raai Lakshmi, Anjali, Andrea Jeremiah, Vaibhav, Ashwin Kakumanu, Premji Amaren
- Director: Venkat Prabhu
- Style: action thriller
- Language: tamil
- Runtime: 2 hours 29 minutes
- Re-release date: 23 January 2026
Mankatha is the story of Vinayak Mahadevan, a cunning and suspended Mumbai police officer, who joins a gang that plans to steal Rs 500 crore through illegal means. However, his real agenda is to deceive everyone and grab the money for himself.
As Vinayak betrays and manipulates his plan, his plan begins to spiral out of control, leading to a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with relentless police officers and local goons. The film unfolds with several twists and turns, revealing that no one is as they seem, with Vinayak eventually declaring himself the “kingmaker”.
3. Landlord
- Mould: Duniya Vijay, Rachita Ram, Raj B Shetty, Rakesh Adiga, Rithanya Vijay, Shishir Baikadi, Achyut Kumar, Umashree
- Director: Hampi of Jadesh
- Style: action drama
- Language: Kannada
- Runtime: tba
- Release date: 23 January 2026
Landlord is a 1980s Kannada language film set in a rural village. The land is under the tyrannical rule of a powerful landlord, and many people in the community suffer under his control.
As a rural conflict erupts between a common man and a landlord, the villagers must unite for justice and survival with the help of a newly appointed police constable.
4. Magic Mushrooms
- Mould: Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Akshay, Abin Bino, Meenakshi Dinesh, Pooja Mohanraj, Siddharth Bharatan, Jaffer Idukki, Harishree Ashokan, Althaf Saleem
- Director: nadirshah
- Style: comedy drama
- Language: Malayalam
- Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Release date: 23 January 2026
Magic Mushrooms is set in a village called Kanjikuzhi, where mysterious mushrooms begin to appear. These mushrooms create chaos among the villagers, and take the story on a bizarre adventure.
Amidst the confusion, a group of youths decide to investigate the origins of the mushrooms, blurring the lines between folklore and scientific logic.
5. Draupti 2
- Mould: Richard Rishi, Rakshana, Natty Nataraj, Chirag Jani, Dinesh Lamba, Bharani
- Director: Mohan ji
- Style: historical action drama
- Language: tamil
- Runtime: 2 hours 39 minutes
- Release date: 23 January 2026
The story of Draupathi 2 is set in 14th century Tamil Nadu, when South India was divided between the brutality of the Madurai Sultanate and the power of Sultan Tughlaq of Delhi. Amidst this conflict, the Hoysala emperor Vallalar III protects his people through diplomacy and alliances with other kings.
The plot involves rebellion, power struggles and the sacrifices made by women during this turbulent era. The film is the sequel to Draupati, which was heavily criticized for its regressive storyline.
6. Creed
- Mould: Zaid Khan, Rachita Ram, Malaika Vasupal, Rangayan Raghu, Achyut Kumar, Kishan Bilagali, All OK
- Director: Anil Kumar TM
- Style: romantic drama
- Language: Kannada
- Runtime: tba
- Release date: 23 January 2026
Cult follows the lives of Madhav and Geeta, who fall in love during their school days in their village. Over the years, they moved to different cities for higher education, leading Geeta to move on from Madhava.
Saddened, Madhav later meets Ithi, who brings new hope in his life. The film explores whether he can forget Geeta and make a fresh start.
7. Mayabimbam
- Mould: Akash Nagarajan, Janaki Srinivasan, S. Hari Krishna, Rajesh Bala, M. Arun Kumar
- Director: KJ Surendran
- Style: romantic drama
- Language: tamil
- Runtime: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Release date: 23 January 2026
Mayabimbam explores the story of a man blinded by the illusion of love, which takes a tragic turn. The story chronicles his struggle to survive when misplaced desires and misunderstandings lead him into consequences he never imagined.
8. girl
- Mould: Nivin Pauly, Abhimanyu Thilakan, Lijomol Jose, Sangeeth Prathap
- Director: Arun Verma
- Style: drama thriller
- Language: Malayalam
- Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
- Release date: 23 January 2026
Baby Girl tells the story of Sanal Mathew, a medical attendant who comes under suspicion after a child goes missing from the hospital where he works. As the seemingly innocent man faces increasing pressure, he appears to take the police investigation in unexpected directions, creating an atmosphere of mystery around him.
The film focuses on whether Sanal is telling the truth, whether he is actually innocent, and if not, what he did to the child.
The above movies are among the latest releases of South Indian cinema this week. Many other movies like Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimayil, Va Vaathiyar, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Nari Nari Naduma Murari, Anaganaga Oka Raju and many more are currently running in theatres.
Also read: Parasakthi director Sudha Kongara on Jan Nayakan: “Censor stops you, this should not happen with any film”
