At the outset, we submit that the 2010-19 decade was not really great in terms of mass/masala flicks. If you take into consideration the last decade, this was quite underwhelming in comparison. For one, Megastar Chiranjeevi has done just two films, one of which is not even a contemporary flick. For another, superstars like Mahesh Babu have stopped doing a 'Pokiri', an 'Okkadu' because the directors are not magicians anymore.

In the previous decade, we had oh-so-many manufactures of goosebumps. Chiranjeevi's 'Indra' and 'Tagore' were mind-blowing. Jr NTR found his mojo with 'Aadi' and 'Simhadri'. Even 'Yama Donga' was so good. Ram Charan's second film, 'Magadheera', was a masterpiece in the mass masala genre. Ravi Teja and the likes had super-hits like 'Vikramarkudu'. If a Prabhas had a 'Chathrapati', a Balakrishna had a 'Narasimha Naidu'. This decade is no match.

As such we have restricted the list of best mass/masala movies to just six. Read away...

Baahubali-The Beginning (Release Date: 10 July 2015):

The best Rajamouli film till date (and thus his magnum opus), this war costume drama was superlative in many respects. Prabhas was outstanding, Rana was a revelation, Ramya Krishna's character was layered, Tamannaah Bhatia had a strong role, MM Keeravani's music (which we realized belatedly) was international, Senthil Kumar's cinematography was scintillating. The VFX was not perfect but it went into making the war sequences hair-raising.

Above all, the war episode was truly mesmerizing. Rajamouli showed world-class smartness by ending the film with the question, Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? The results were visible two years later.

Baahubali-The Conclusion (Release Date: 28 April 2017):

This was not as great as the first part. However, the Baahubali mania was at its peak when it released. And the Box-Office numbers were head-splitting. In unravelling the suspense regarding Baahubali's assassination, Rajamouli and writer K Vijayendra Prasad told a story filled with human emotions. Anushka's performance came to be critically acclaimed. Prabhas was so good. The film occupies the position of being the biggest hit in the history of Telugu cinema.

Gabbar Singh (Release Date: 11 May 2012):

Directed by Harish Shankar, this remake of 'Dabangg' (Hindi) had no great story. But it had a great hero making it loud and clear that, when it comes to grace and creating magic on the big screen, he is next only to Megastar Chiranjeevi. As a rowdy cop with a clear conscience, Pawan Kalyan was full of verve and life in this stupendous box-office hit. Devi Sri Prasad's tunes were reminiscent of the magic Mani Sharma created with some of his big films in the 2000s. And, yes, who can forget the popularity of the punchlines, written by the director himself?

Dookudu (Release Date: 23 September 2011):

Mahesh Babu scored a terrific hit with this memorable film that had one of the scripts of the decade. Many wrongly attribute its success to the comedy tracks involving MS Narayana and Brahmanandam. Would 'Dookudu' have become one of the biggest hits with just comedy? No. Its story had a strong emotional core, the Mahesh-Prakash Raj track hit the bull's eye, the Mahesh-Sonu Sood face-off was absolute fun, the dialogues were striking, and Thaman's OST and songs gave the mass audience a full-on treat... This film had so many fabulous qualities. This one taught aspiring writers how to write a smart script.

Legend (Release Date: 28 March 2014):

The Balakrishna-starrer had a pretty much mediocre first half. But the interval bang gave a bang for the buck. Director Boyapati Srinu unleashed a power-packed Nandamuri Nata Lion in the second half. The right dose of action, emotions, romance, family values, shouting (naturally), shouting at the top of vocal cords (why not?), and song-and-dance masthi (DSP's music clicked with the audience) made this a special film.

Race Gurram (Release Date: 11 April 2014):

Telling the story of two egotistic brothers, this was high on entertainment, banter, action and emotions. Director Surender Reddy's screenplay was at its finest since 'Kick'. Allu Arjun was creative and instantly striking, with his comic timing at its best in years. Brahmanandam brought the roof down. Prakash Raj and Shruti Haasan were quirky. Kick Sham was endearing. Thaman's music was extremely enjoyable. This was yet another worthy film that held many valuable lessons in script-writing.