India, Dec. 28 -- W ith films like Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2 crossing the Rs.1,000-crore mark in 2024, expectations from South cinema were sky-high this year. But despite big releases starring Rajinikanth, Ajith and Ram Charan, 2025 turned out to be surprisingly dull for the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada industries. While the budgets were massive, only Rishab Shetty's Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 managed to cross the Rs.500-crore mark. The other big surprise was the animated film Mahavatar Narsimha, which delivered huge returns despite a modest budget. Even Ram Charan's Game Changer - his first solo outing after the Oscar-winning RRR - failed to create impact. And Kamal Haasan's Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, reportedly grossed only about Rs.56.24 crore against a budget of around Rs.200 crore. Interestingly, apart from Kantara, the real winners this year were films made under Rs.100 crore. Here's a look:...