Pictured: Qala and The Elephant Whisperers
Netflix ended 2022 with a bang, adding more than forty Indian movies to the streaming catalog in the month of December. While many of the additions are older Telugu films — including some former Amazon Prime exclusives! — the new batch of titles includes several recent Hindi theatrical releases and some compelling Netflix Original content, notably the gorgeous period film Qala, the lauded documentary The Elephant Whisperers, and the thrilling Punjabi crime series CAT. Here are all of the new Indian movies and series added to Netflix in December 2022.
N = Netflix Original
New Indian Movies on Netflix: December 2022
Chhota Bheem movies (2021-2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 62 Minutes
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: December 1
A quartet of movies starring the kid superhero Chhota Bheem was just added to Netflix. Bheem and his buddies protect Raunak City in Chhota Bheem aur Mahavinashini ka Vinaash (2022), face off against a goblin in Chhota Bheem aur Malongh ka Raaz (2021), save the world from the villain Kaalicharan in Chhota Bheem ki Citi Pitti Gul (2021), and rescue a magician’s stolen cloak in Veer Bahadur Bheem (2022).
Goodbye (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 141 Minutes
Director: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Rashmika Mandanna, Neena Gupta
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 1
Four far-flung siblings return home to mourn their mother’s death and comfort their cantankerous father. Goodbye is South Indian star Rashmika Mandanna’s first Hindi film.
Nitham Oru Vaanam (2022)
Language: Tamil & Telugu
Runtime: 145 Minutes
Director: Ra. Karthik
Cast: Ashok Selvan, Ritu Varma, Sshivada
Genre: Drama | Added to Netflix: December 1
Ashok Selvan plays three roles in this film about a man with OCD who recovers from a broken engagement by imagining himself as the protagonist of different stories. The Telugu version of Nitham Oru Vaanam is listed in the Netflix catalog as Aakasam.
Qala (2022) N
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 119 Minutes
Director: Anvitaa Dutt
Cast: Triptii Dimri, Swastika Mukherjee, Babil Khan
Genre: Drama, Musical, Period Piece | Added to Netflix: December 1
Even after reaching the heights of musical success in Calcutta’s burgeoning film industry in the 1940s, singer Qala still is unable to earn the only thing she’s ever wanted: her mother’s love. Qala is filmmaker Anvitaa Dutt’s second Netflix Original film after 2020’s excellent gothic horror flick Bulbbul. Dutt’s mastery of mood, lighting, and aesthetics is unparalleled.
Love Today (2022)
Language: Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, & Telugu
Runtime: 154 Minutes
Director: Pradeep Ranganathan
Cast: Pradeep Ranganathan, Ivana, Yogi Babu
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance | Added to Netflix: December 2
Second-time director Pradeep Ranganathan makes his first appearance in front of the camera in the romance Love Today. A suspicious father puts his daughter’s relationship to the test by making the couple swap phones with one another for the day. Love Today is available in its original Tamil and dubbed versions in Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu, each with its own separate Netflix catalog entry.
Nazar Andaaz (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Director: Vikrant Deshmukh
Cast: Kumud Mishra, Divya Dutta, Abhishek Banerjee
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 3
A thief and a caretaker compete for a blind man’s wealth in Nazar Andaaz (“Turn a Blind Eye“).
The Elephant Whisperers (2022) N
Languages: Tamil, English, & more
Runtime: 41 Minutes
Director: Kartiki Gonsalves
Genre: Nature Documentary | Added to Netflix: December 8
The Elephant Whisperers — which has been shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars in the category of Best Documentary Short Film — follows an indigenous couple in South India as they raise an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu. Besides the original Tamil version, 16 additional language options can be chosen from the film’s audio menu, including English.
Kantara (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 148 Minutes
Director: Rishab Shetty
Cast: Rishab Shetty, Kishore Kumar G., Achyuth Kumar
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 8
The Hindi-dubbed version of the hit Kannada film Kantara is available on Netflix. A forest officer’s attempt to relocate a village is met with resistance from the current residents and the deity that protects them.
Urvasivo Rakshasivo (2022)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 141 Minutes
Director: Rakesh Sashi
Cast: Anu Emmanuel, Vennela Kishore, Allu Sirish
Genre: Drama, Romance | Added to Netflix: December 8
A marriage-minded IT employee from a conservative family pursues a romance with a beautiful co-worker, but she’s not ready to settle down.
Doctor G (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 121 Minutes
Director: Anubhuti Kashyap
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Rakul Preet Singh, Shefali Shah
Genre: Comedy, Social Issue Drama | Added to Netflix: December 10
A medical student who doesn’t have the grades to pursue post-graduate work in orthopedics grudgingly pursues a career in gynecology instead. But being the only male student in a class full of women comes with surprising challenges.
Ariyippu (2022)
Language: Malayalam
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Director: Mahesh Narayanan
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Divyaprabha, Danish Husain
Genre: Drama | Added to Netflix: December 15
A married couple who work at the same factory find their lives turned upside down when a racy doctored video featuring the wife is passed around. Ariyippu is alternatively listed in the Netflix catalog under the English title Declaration.
Code Name: Tiranga (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 134 Minutes
Director: Ribhu Dasgupta
Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Harrdy Sandhu, Sharad Kelkar
Genre: Spy Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 15
Fearsome special ops agent Durga (Parineeti Chopra) is on the trail of India’s most wanted terrorist, but an unexpected romance complicates her mission.
Dohchay (2015)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 136 Minutes
Director: Sudheer Varma
Cast: Naga Chaitanya Akkineni, Kriti Sanon, Krishna Murali Posani
Genre: Action | Added to Netflix: December 15
A conman who steals to pay for his sister’s medical school expenses gets into trouble when he nabs money from a dangerous drug dealer. Dohchay is one of Hindi-film star Kriti Sanon’s early forays in Telugu-language cinema.
Eega (2012)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 143 Minutes
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Cast: Sudeep, Nani, Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 15
If you’ve caught RRR fever, you’ll want to check out the film that first got director S.S. Rajamouli noticed internationally. In the reincarnation drama Eega, a murdered man reborn as a housefly takes revenge on his killer.
Gaali Sampath (2021)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 118 Minutes
Directors: S. Krishna & Anil Ravipudi
Cast: Rajendra Prasad, Sri Vishnu, Lovely Singh
Genre: Drama | Added to Netflix: December 15
A young man’s complicated relationship with his father gets trickier when Dad falls into a well.
Guvva Gorinka (2020)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 117 Minutes
Director: Mohan Babu Bammidi
Cast: Satyadev Kancharana, Priyaa Lal, Priyadarshi Pulikonda
Genre: Romance | Added to Netflix: December 15
Two students in Hyderabad — one a violinist and another who hates loud noises — fall in love while conversing through their shared apartment wall.
Konda Polam (2021)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 142 Minutes
Director: Krish
Cast: Panja Vaisshnav Tej, Rakul Preet Singh, Mahesh Achanta
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 15
After failing to land a job in the city, an educated man finds his calling as a shepherd.
O Pitta Katha (2020)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 126 Minutes
Director: Chandu Muddu
Cast: Viswant, Nitya Shetty, Brahmaji, Sanjay Rao
Genre: Drama, Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 15
When Venky is kidnapped, the two men who are in love with her must team up to rescue her.
Atithi Devo Bhava (2022)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 126 Minutes
Director: Polimera Nageshwar
Cast: Aadi Saikumar, Nuveksha, Rohini
Genre: Drama, Romance | Added to Netflix: December 16
A young man’s budding romance is complicated by his fear of being alone.
Kalaga Thalaivan (2022)
Language: Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, & Telugu
Runtime: 139 Minutes
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Nidhhi Agerwal, Kalaiyarasan
Genre: Action, Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 16
When a whistleblower exposes an automaker’s environmental crimes, the chairman of the company’s board hires an assassin to kill him. In addition to the original Tamil, dubbed versions of Kalaga Thalaivan are available in Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu in the movie’s audio menu.
Honeymoon (2022)
Language: Punjabi
Runtime: 131 Minutes
Director: Amarpreet G S Chhabra
Cast: Gippy Grewal, Jasmin Bhasin, Nirmal Rishi
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 19
How exciting to see a new Punjabi film join the Netflix catalog! When a newlywed couple come into a large amount of money, the bride suggests a romantic honeymoon in London — but a miscommunication winds up with the pair vacationing with their whole extended family instead.
Anukokunda Oka Roju (2005)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 149 Minutes
Director: Chandrashekar Yeleti
Cast: Charmy Kaur, Jagapathi Babu, Shashank
Genre: Mystery | Added to Netflix: December 22
An aspiring singer wakes up with no memory of the previous day or the killers on her trail.
Dikkulu Choodaku Ramayya (2014)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 143 Minutes
Director: Trikoti
Cast: Ajay, Naga Shourya, Sana Makbul
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 22
A father and son fall in love with the same aerobics instructor. Tale as old as time.
Dongala Muta (2011)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 89 Minutes
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Cast: Ravi Teja, Charmy Kaur, Prakash Raj
Genre: Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 22
Edgy director Ram Gopal Varma shot Dongala Muta in just five days, using only seven crew members. Ravi Teja and Charmy Kaur play a couple whose car breaks down, stranding them at a sketchy motel where they are taken hostage.
Tara VS. Bilal (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 126 Minutes
Director: Samar Iqbal
Cast: Harshvardhan Rane, Sonia Rathee, Mona Ambegaonkar
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: December 22
Jilted bride Tara (Sonia Rathee) and London hotel owner Bilal (Harshvardhan Rane) are total opposites, but their sham marriage helps them find common ground.
The Teacher (2022)
Languages: Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, & Telugu
Runtime: 113 Minutes
Director: Vivek
Cast: Amala Paul, Hakkim Shah, Chemban Vinod Jose
Genre: Drama | Added to Netflix: December 22
In the aftermath of a sexual assault, a teacher endures attacks on her reputation and relationships while finding a way to get her revenge.
Vir Das: Landing (2022) N
Language: English
Runtime: 66 Minutes
Cast: Vir Das
Genre: Stand-up Comedy | Added to Netflix: December 26
Netflix’s favorite Indian comic is back with his fifth stand-up special for the streamer. In Landing, Das addresses his various controversies and the way American comedians overreact to outrage.
Fidaa (2017)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 142 Minutes
Director: Sekhar Kammula
Cast: Varun Tej, Sai Pallavi, Sharanya Pradeep
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: December 27
A medical student on vacation in India falls in loves with the girl of his dreams, but a misunderstanding derails the couple’s romance. Maybe a road trip across America will give him the chance to win her back.
Gatham (2020)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 101 Minutes
Director: Kiran Kondamadugula
Cast: Bhargava Poludasu, Rakesh Galebhe, Poojitha Kuraparthi
Genre: Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 27
Gatham was filmed over the course of one month in Lake Tahoe. Freshly roused from a coma, Rishi and his girlfriend hit the road to visit family. When their car breaks down, a stranger offers them shelter — but the stranger is motivated by something other than hospitality.
Parugu (2008)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 165 Minutes
Director: Bhaskar
Cast: Allu Arjun, Sheela Kaur, Prakash Raj
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: December 27
An enraged father tracks down the people who helped his eldest daughter elope, only for one of those helpers to fall in love with Dad’s younger daughter.
Pressure Cooker (2020)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 123 Minutes
Director: Sujoi & Sushil
Cast: Sai Ronak, Preethi Asrani, Rahul Ramakrishna
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: December 27
All Kishore’s father ever wanted is for his son to make it big in America, but a visa rejection forces Kishore to pursue success in India. Just as things start to come together for Kishore, his visa comes through. Will he follow his father’s dreams or chart his own path to happiness?
Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 158 Minutes
Director: Srikanth Addala
Cast: Venkatesh Daggubati, Mahesh Babu, Anjali
Genre: Family Drama | Added to Netflix: December 27
Two brothers — one an extrovert, one an introvert — must overcome their differences in order to make sure they and their sister can all marry the partners they want.
Sri Rama Rajyam (2011)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 171 Minutes
Director: Bapu
Cast: Akkineni Nageshwara Rao, Balakrishna, Nayanthara
Genre: Drama, Mythological | Added to Netflix: December 27
Sri Rama Rajyam is based on the Sanskrit epic Ramayana and is a reboot of the 1963 blockbuster Lava Kusa. It is also director Bapu’s final film.
Yevadu (2014)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 165 Minutes
Director: Vamsi Paidipally
Cast: Ram Charan, Shruti Haasan, Amy Jackson
Genre: Action, Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 27
RRR‘s Ram Charan stars in this movie inspired by John Woo’s Face/Off as a man who survives a horrific attack, receives a face transplant, and avenges his girlfriend’s murder.
Double XL (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 125 Minutes
Director: Satram Ramani
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Huma Qureshi, Zaheer Iqbal
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: December 28
Saira (Sonakshi Sinha) wants to start her own fashion line, and Rajshri (Monica, O My Darling‘s Huma Qureshi) wants to be a sports reporter. When prejudiced attitudes about weight keep them from attaining their goals in India, they head to London to make their dreams come true.
Pattathu Arasan (2022)
Language: Tamil
Runtime: 135 Minutes
Director: A. Sarkunam
Cast: Atharvaa, Rajkiran, Ashika Ranganath
Genre: Sports, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 28
Grandfather and grandson set aside their differences to avenge their family through the sport of kabaddi.
DSP (2022)
Language: Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, & Telugu
Runtime: 143 Minutes
Director: Ponram
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Anukreethy Vas, Prabhakar
Genre: Action Comedy | Added to Netflix: December 29
To get revenge on a gangster, a young man becomes DSP — Deputy Superintendent of Police. DSP is 2018 Femina Miss India pageant winner Anukreethy Vas’s first film. In addition to the original Tamil version, Hindi-, Kannada-, Malayalam-, and Telugu-dubbed versions of DSP are also available, each with their own separate Netflix catalog entry.
Mili (2022)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 126 Minutes
Director: Mathukutty Xavier
Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Sunny Kaushal, Manoj Pahwa
Genre: Survival Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 29
Mathukutty Xavier directs Mili — the official Hindi remake of his 2019 Malayalam film Helen. When Mili goes missing, her doting father and loving boyfriend clash with one another in a frantic search to find her. All the while, she’s trapped in a restaurant’s walk-in freezer, fighting to survive long enough for someone to rescue her.
Prarvarakyudu (2009)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 153 Minutes
Director: Madan
Cast: Jagapathi Babu, Priyamani, Ali
Genre: Romance | Added to Netflix: December 29
Realizing he let his ideal partner get away due to a graduate-school dust-up, a marriage-minded professor takes a job at a college run by his former flame.
Shirdi Sai (2012)
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 141 Minutes
Director: K. Raghavendra Rao
Cast: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Srihari, Sai Kumar
Genre: Biographical, Musical | Added to Netflix: December 29
Nagarjuna Akkineni plays the spiritual guru Sai Baba of Shirdi in this biographical drama.
Gatta Kusthi (2022)
Language: Tamil
Runtime: 143 Minutes
Director: Chella Ayyavu
Cast: Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vishnu Vishal, Karunas
Genre: Sports, Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: December 31
Champion wrestler Keerthi winds up in an arranged marriage with male chauvinist Veera. How long will Keerthi be able to pretend to be the perfect traditional wife before her new husband learns about her athletic past? The Telugu version of Gatta Kusthi is available under the title Matti Kusthi.
New Indian Series on Netflix: December 2022
CAT (2022) N
Language: Punjabi
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 8
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Suvinder Vicky, Hasleen Kaur
Genre: Crime, Thriller | Added to Netflix: December 9
CAT is star Randeep Hooda’s first web series. Hooda plays a former police informant who’s pressed back into service in exchange for leniency after his brother is caught dealing drugs. This is Netflix’s first Punjabi-language Original series, with Hindi and English dialogue options available in the audio menu.
Beast of Bangalore: Indian Predator (2022) N
Language: Hindi
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 3
Genre: Crime, Docuseries | Added to Netflix: December 16
In the fourth installment of the Indian Predator docuseries, police in late-90’s Bangalore hunt for a vicious killer who outwits them at every turn, sending a wave of fear throughout the city.
Chhota Bheem (2022)
Language: Hindi
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 91
Cast: Vatsal Dubey, Julie Tejwani, Rupa Bhimani
Genre: Kids, Animation | Added to Netflix: December 29
Season 15 of the Chhota Bheem animated series is now available for streaming, with more seasons coming to Netflix in January 2023.
Which of the newly added Indian movies and series will you be watching? Let us know in the comments below!
