Where/how to find quality Telugu movies?

December 5, 2008 9:26 AM

Where can I find information on quality Telugu movies with English subtitles, and how can I buy them in the US?

My girlfriend is a speaker of Telugu, and likes movies made in that language (in particular, "classic" movies with lots of singing and dancing). I'm trying to find good movies, with subtitles so that I can enjoy them as well. "Good" in this sense is of course subjective, so reviews or descriptions would be useful. The problem with forums that I've found on the subject is that they tend to in Telugu, which poses a problem for me.

I'm looking to legally purchase DVDs in the US (or shipped to the US); I'll download via a legal services if that's how people roll these days. From experience I know that there is a wide variety of quality levels available, which is also a factor in this search.

posted by Sand to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Have you tried the library? Here's a list of 250 Telugu DVD titles held in libraries; if you see one you'd like, you can enter your zipcode to see if any libraries nearby have it in their collection. These won't likely be bootleg or grey market, so the quality should be legit. If you can find something you like nearby, your public library *should* be able to help get it for you, although some libraries are fussy about their AV collection. Good luck!
posted by ulotrichous at 10:40 AM on December 5, 2008

Have you already tried the local Indian grocer? Here in Seattle, there is a huge video store run by a family from Andhra. English being the default common language in India, I think many automatically are subtitled (my experience with this may be selective). My wife (also Telegu) has family spread around the U.S. and there is usually a grocery store specializing in south Indian goods within an hour or two, even in remote locations. Films being a necessity for recent Indian ex-pats, these stores always have a large collection of them. If you post your location, I or someone else might be able to point you in the right direction.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 1:55 PM on December 5, 2008

There are plenty of places online that sell Indian DVDs of all flavors. Two places I have ordered from are

India Weekly

and

India Plaza

(links to their Telugu selections)

As far as reviews, I can't help you right now; there were some forums I used to hang out in 5 years ago, but I can't recall them or can't find them anymore.
posted by fings at 8:14 PM on December 5, 2008

Response by poster: I have tried Indian grocery stores but not the library. The problem in each case is reviews -- no way to tell what's good without watching it.
posted by Sand at 7:29 AM on December 6, 2008

The top 2 google hits for "Telugu review"

Telugu film reviews by Jeevi
Telugu Cinema - Love , Romance and a little more..
posted by fings at 4:20 PM on December 7, 2008