The pace of life is getting faster day by day. It leaves us no room for an afternoon siesta and a family screening of films every evening on TV. Our generation is essentially deriving its pleasures from various streaming service providers’ subscriptions readily accessible on our smartphones at all hours. But our endeavors often lead us to an alley of confusion on what to watch, especially when it comes to Hindi films which continue to rule our hearts. However, they are somewhere lost in the crowd of tons of web series/shows, films, and international content. With the advent of OTT, which has revolutionized how we see movies, the streaming giant Netflix has given a resurgence to low-budget Bollywood movies, which could hardly find screens in the competitive market.
Related Read: Changes in Bollywood in 10 Years
While Netflix instilled hope in several upcoming filmmakers, by promising them an environment of unhindered storytelling, it could not escape the hostility from the Indian right wing. Today, the OTT giant has significantly expanded in the Indian markets and has emerged as a potent alternative to theatres for the people on the bottom tiers of the income hierarchy.
Below is our attempt at bringing you a bunch of the best Bollywood movies available on Netflix, which you must watch if you haven’t and which you can re-watch anytime if you already have, for they never get old.
1. Lakshya | Farhan Akhtar | 2004
Riding on the tremendous success of his landmark, coming-of-age debut ‘Dil Chahta Hai,’ Farhan Akhtar’s sophomore feature ‘Lakshya’ is subdued and understated in its narrative. It is about an indecisive & lackadaisical youngster who lacks awareness about the functioning of the world outside his campus.
Hrithik Roshan’s Karan is not an unintelligent guy but a lazy chap who got everything easily in his life. What he lacks is an aspiration (Lakshya) and the need to have one, which almost everyone struggles with. It circles back to the obligation to have an aspiration for youngsters born with a silver spoon.
Middle-class youngsters don’t have the luxury of time & need since the Indian middle class has traditionally carved the path for their children from their birth. Karan finds motivation after his self-respect is devalued by his family and his firebrand & blunt girlfriend. This event does stick out like a sore thumb for its labored writing and implausible, quick change in his character. What follows is his gradual transformation from a careless, lethargic youngster to a determined and brave soldier who, down the line, understands his family and girlfriend better.
2. Paheli | Amol Palekar | 2005
One of the least talked about Shahrukh Khan’s good films is multi-talented Amol Palekar’s whimsical folklore ‘Paheli.’ It’s an official remake of Duvidha by Mani Kaul based on the short story written by Vijayadan Detha. The film addresses an age-old concern – whether a woman tied to a man through marriage has any claim to her romantic desire, which often gets neglected in the patriarchal society.
When Rani Mukerji’s Lachchi is confronted with a conundrum to accept the love in the form of a ghost (shapeshifts to her husband Kishan, who left on business the very next morning of their marriage), she hesitantly accepts it, acting on her desire. The ghost in the film is a metaphor for a paradigmatic man. In one of the scenes, the ghost character of Shah Rukh Khan says he is love. He lives in the women’s heart. He literally does, signifying a metaphor for the woman’s heart and his eternal, real-life romantic persona.
3. Dil Chahta Hai | Farhan Akhtar | 2001
Dil Chahta Hai is a film to have gained cult status with time, but it has also found its fair share of detractors. As great as it is to some, with a strong nostalgia attached, it also does not appeal to many in this age. Nevertheless, it deserves mention for its influence on screenwriting in the Hindi film industry.
It has great elements of the ways in which love happens and how conflicts can be resolved with time. It inspired a generation by showcasing forms of romance rooted in reality and bonds of friendships people can connect with. Moreover, it showed how love and compassion are to be prioritized for the health of relationships. And its sweet, entertaining character is perhaps the merit by which Dil Chahta Hai remains a recurring name.
4. Paan Singh Tomar | Tigmanshu Dhulia | 2010
Paan Singh Tomar juxtaposes the ordered and disciplined life of a soldier-athlete with that of a rebel. In the process, it traverses the couloirs with fury as it goes on to explore the real-life events of Paan Singh Tomar. After having a celebrated career as a steeplechase athlete in the Indian army, he is forced to return to his native village to resolve a feud. He is ultimately forced into an ugly world of oppression when the system turns a blind eye to his difficulties.
Precisely directed with a rustic appeal in its cinematography, Paan Singh Tomar is a rare biographical film that doesn’t sensationalize history. It remains rooted in purely artistic intent. An honest and courageous approach to filmmaking garnished with an exemplary act by Irrfan Khan makes Paan Singh Tomar a must-watch.
5. Soni | Ivan Ayr | 2019
After traveling across several International Film Festivals in 2018, Netflix picked Ivan Ayr’s Soni as a part of the Netflix India Program. And without a doubt, it is one of the best Netflix original Hindi movies. It’s a low-budget independent movie about violent crimes against women. Ivan Ayr doesn’t resort to sensationalism and theatrics to address the plaguing issues ranging from gender prejudice and sexual harassment to the power distribution among different strata that manipulates the law. Keeping the women police officers at the vantage point, he captures the helplessness of women in Indian society within the law and outside of it, reflecting the gender disparity and prejudices within the family of female cops.
Soni was featured in our list of The 10 Best Indian Movies of 2019
6. Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 and 2 | Anurag Kashyap | 2012
Gangs of Wasseypur is a testimony of our capability, stemming from the rich indigenous resource pool of culture and its critique that we can utilize to create timeless art. Existing right behind the line that separates pastiche from plagiarism, it honours its influences by contextualising and innovating upon them in the intricacies of the local culture. They say that a film getting made is a miracle in itself. The course that Gangs of Wasseypur took into making is a rarer miracle. But in retrospect, one realizes that the miracle was secured because the film had a golden pool of talent and diversity of voices working for it. The film contributed greatly to the Hindi film industry by facilitating the influx of many talented individuals, from actors to directors to people skilled in various technical arts pertinent to filmmaking.
Today, after having watched the film multiple times, I have come to view it rather sombrely. The film may not be trying to drive a point home but it ends up elaborating the futility of masculine performance in the social order. The actions that are essentialized for survival end up becoming a generational trait, pushing entire families into the exercise of “preserving” power, or the illusion of it, until they themselves cease to exist. But the greater point emerges when the characters of the film aren’t seen in isolation but as part of the world order. A world order that continued to grow, develop and change (for better or worse) without the ‘self-inflicted’ threat of violence. I still go back to the film every once in a while, treating both parts as one, not to marvel at the numerous merits of the film but merely to be entertained. And almost every time I watch it, I end up appreciating the same set of merits I have appreciated countless times.
7. Kaminey | Vishal Bhardwaj | 2009
A truly chaotic gangster dramedy, Kaminey is a testament to Vishal Bhardwaj’s meticulous direction that enhances an already great short story by rendering it into a film. In a hyperlinked narrative where people get entwined into a chase for money, power, and love, Kaminey becomes increasingly interesting as it progresses.
Featuring Shahid Kapoor in a dual role of distinct characters, Kaminey confirms the talent of the actor that later gets established in Haider. If you praise Shahid as an actor in general conversations, people might wonder. But you won’t be able to help yourself if you have watched him here. Kaminey should be a more frequent part of conversations around the Hindi cinema of the 21st century.
8. Barfi | Anurag Basu | 2012
Barfi is a tale of the fulfillment of love along with its unrequited portions. It celebrates love through the purity of its characters, who act selflessly for each other without diplomatic intentions. Ultimately, Barfi becomes a compassionate tale of a beautiful relationship and the extraction of maximum happiness from satisfaction.
On the technical front, Barfi is full of merits. Anurag Basu has his brand of aesthetics. His mise en scene is full of lustrous shades of colors, the costumes are glorious. The production design adds as much to the warmth one experiences as the script does.
I have my set of reservations against the film, for it treads on the thin line between inspiration and plagiarism in many sequences, stumbling to the other side. But indigenous elements compensate for all disturbances you have. It also happens to be one of those films in which Ranbir Kapoor establishes himself as a fine actor.
9. Milestone | Ivan Ayr | 2020
For many reasons, Milestone feels like a distant cousin of Zhao’s acclaimed film Nomadland. Both the films, Milestone, and Nomadland exist in a cold, harsh environment within which the ailments of the body aggravate, cuts burn more, and an individual gets stretched mercilessly between their physical needs and mental occupations. Ivan Ayr’s characters can’t afford to look solely into their current grief or imposed struggle because their body itself is an obstacle to the creation of a retrospective mood. The system forces them to detach themselves. A system so cold, apathetic and inhumane that even before the individual can attempt to overcome and embrace his grief as a part of his existence, he is driven to first secure the requisites of his survival.
In a capitalist world driven by agents procuring their self-interest, one becomes numb to neglect. People become replaceable instruments, dignity is carefully measured subconsciously to navigate the behaviour towards others, the routine gets prioritised to abilities, and death becomes a journal entry. Ivan Ayrs Milestone is a timeless masterpiece that has only become stronger and better in memory.
10. Dev.D | Anurag Kashyap | 2009
The most interesting aspect of Dev.D has to be its origin and its consequences. Because Anurag Kashyap does not like the source material, he wouldn’t write the script and instead ask Motwane to write one for him. Then Anurag went on to make changes to the script written by Motwane, who would later say that his script had been butchered. Subsequently, Anurag will go on to make Dev D and catch the film industry’s attention. The film continues to be his most successful film from a commercial perspective. It is one of his films that Scorsese watched and implicitly preferred over Gangs of Wasseypur.
Related List: All Anurag Kashyap Movies Ranked, from Worst to Best
Dev D is about a man coming to terms with his toxicity and escaping complete self-destruction through redemptive behavior. Dev is a high-voltage version of everything wrong with masculinity and its socially approved tenets. In his being, he represents all of us in parts or whole; therefore, he acts as a warning. Adorned with an evergreen soundtrack, Dev D has only grown in relevance as a film.
11. Kapoor & Sons | Shakun Batra | 2016
Shakun Batra’s ‘Kapoor & Sons’ provides a much-needed antithesis to neat, convenient, and epic family dramas that Sooraj Barjatya and Yash Raj churned out. Though it’s a different topic of conversation about how good or bad the films were, the operatic melodrama of affluent families in crisis was no less than a fantasy.
Dharma Productions’s Kapoor & Sons was a pleasant divergence from their traditional & conservative character writing. The film’s strength lies in its relatable characters having tangible familial problems that we could relate to. It takes a generic plot to have a microscopic look at the foible of individuals and interpersonal issues with a dash of intrinsic humor.
12. Haider | Vishal Bharadwaj | 2014
Haider is the final part of Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean trilogy, consisting of Maqbool (Based on Macbeth and with Mumbai underworld as its backdrop) and Omkara (based on Othello in the backdrop of UP politics). Vishal Bharadwaj has very wisely chosen the treacherous Kashmir of 1995. He doesn’t use it as a mere beautiful backdrop but makes it a character in itself. He picks up issues of the daily life of Kashmiris to give dimensions to Prince Hamlet, Gertrude, and Claudius.
Haider unfolds at a leisurely pace, but it is so powerfully character driven that every small character matters, including Salman and Salman, who are die-hard fans of Salman Khan, providing comical relief to this dark saga of revenge. Here there’s more actual politics about Kashmir, intricately woven with human drama, while Omkara and Maqbool emphasize only on personal politics.
13. Three of Us | Avinash Arun | 2022
Three of Us is not a nostalgia device. It looks back at a past being diminished by the future. And it is a feat because it does so without invoking fear. The narrative doesn’t create any urgency to gather artificial empathy. It is restrained. There is a lurking sadness in the screenplay, for it doesn’t portray an act of preserving memories but the act of experiencing them, lest it be the last time. Three of Us not only explores the effort of mimicking a past before the mind abandons it, but it also illustrates the attributes of the relationship between people, places, and their interplay in memories. It looks at the present in the aftermath of random occurrences that shaped it. It amplifies the feeling for us to realise and acknowledge that while our existence in the present is caused, alienating ourselves from the present is retroactive aggression.
Avinash Arun has crafted one of the most potent films on memories and the effect of time. This film will go down as one of the greatest but under-recognised Hindi films ever made.
14. Dil Dhadakne Do | Zoya Akhtar | 2015
Dil Dhadakne Do is Zoya Akhtar’s self reflexive best. It feels mostly honest because she taps into a world of caste-class privileges and reveals their broken selves within the system the elite have built for themselves and nurtured. The rich aspire for peace while trapped in prisons of their design.
If not for a terribly hurried climax, Dil Dhadakne Do would have been a near masterpiece of Hindi cinema. While the industry elite can show some self-awareness and be self-critical, what it always fails to get is the perspective of a class they don’t belong to. Compassion prevents them from inadvertently punching down, but no portrayal escapes stereotyping. Barring a few hiccups in character and plot development, Dil Dhadakne Do is truly a wonderful tale of familial dysfunctionality and money’s role in exacerbating the same.
15. Eeb Allay Ooo! | Prateek Vats | 2019
Prateek Vats’ sharply written social-critique drama about a young migrant from Bihar looking for a work opportunity in the capital of India works as both: a scathing commentary on the wide class divide reflecting in toxic power dynamics and a personal struggle of an individual trying to fit in the social mold.
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Prateek Vats’s experience as a documentary filmmaker shows in his unflustered narrative & choice of framing that helps realize the internal turmoil of Anjani as well as his incessant struggle to conform. The sound design and direction of the photography of the film are exceptionally good. Nevertheless, what stands out is Shardul Bhardwaj’s uninitiated but powerful performance as a young man reluctant to give up a head full of dreams. Eeb Aallay Ooo! is an underrated gem of Indian cinema from the last decade and one of the best Bollywood movies of 2019, streaming on Netflix.
16. Merry Christmas | Sriram Raghavan | 2024
Raghavan is his usual self in the second half of the film but the real surprise lay in the first half when he crafted a beautifully unusual romance that is so self-sustaining that one forgets or tends to not care about the undisclosed intentions/circumstances of the protagonists. The tension accrued in the beginning dissipates as Vijay and Katrina play their little “before sunrise” and returns forcefully as if it never actually left, establishing that this night will be much longer than anticipated. Merry Christmas gave me a theatrical experience to remember, one that I hadn’t had in a long time.
Related List: All Sriram Raghavan Movies Ranked
17. Main Hoon Na | Farah Khan | 2004
I am not someone to die on Shahrukh Khan or to view his cinema from the first decade of the 21st century in a definitive way. Largely because his films under Dharma and YRF, regardless of their popularity, have been terrible barring Veer Zaara. I do not mean to use terrible as a hollow adjective. I see these films as terrible for the ideas they propagate and concretize against our sociopolitical reality and the utter lack of merit that is sold in the garb of grandiose. But there are pleasant exceptions, especially when the gaze is completely different.
Farah Khan made a couple of films namely Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om where she built into her narratives the awareness around Shahrukh Khan’s stardom. In Main Hoon Na, Shahrukh Khan’s character is muted on purpose, keeping its audience on the edge of exhilaration as they wait for that moment or sequence when Shahrukh Khan will appear in the full glory of his character to save the day. The result is an entertainer that is also courageous enough to propagate harmony above hate.
Main Hoon Na also comes from more tolerant times when narrative choices were not under the threat of weaponised nationalism. Today, it stands as a film that hasn’t lost its relevance solely because the reality has deteriorated.
18. Udaan | Vikramaditya Motwane | 2010
Vikramaditya Motwane penned what could possibly depict the angst more precisely than any other film could have. ‘Udaan’ is a remarkable feat in what one could achieve with a highly personal approach with respect to the milieu surrounding the subject.
Rajat Barmecha portrays all the required nuances of a young poet breaking out of his own cage in this coming-of-age drama. And along with the soulful tracks, the film presents a realistic portrayal of what it is to survive with a paternal force without the required warmth.
19. Life in a Metro | Anurag Basu | 2007
Amidst all the outlandish musical dramas which were often distant from reality, Anurag Basu presented this collection of stories that intersect one another in the crowded streets of Mumbai. The romantic narratives were rooted in reality while presenting the characters trying to make it work in the middle of all the taboos or social prejudices.
The film was backed by an original soundtrack of Pritam, whose band pops in between the intersections. The film’s approach was welcomed within the industry, creating an impact on similar future projects.
20. Badhaai Do | Harshavardhan Kulkarni | 2022
There are multiple reasons that merit Badhaai Do’s inclusion in this list. The last thing I would have expected from Badhaai Do is sensitivity, a major missing from commercial cinema forever. For a film that claims to be about social issues, Badhaai Do explores a number of them and the different facets of each, both communal and individualistic. It consciously ventures into social isolation that a person might feel in an acute identity crisis. In the garb of humour, it critiques the familial obsession with natalism.
There was a sense of fear that it might end up pitching lavender marriages as an escape route, but while the inception of the events looks smooth, the screenplay of the film argues against lavender marriages and essentially proves that they cannot work. In the end, it only becomes a compulsion against the violent legal apparatus for queer people.
Another very refreshing aspect of this film is to witness a very popular Bollywood trope performed with queer people. The songs (Hum They Seedhe Saade and Dil Atak Gaya Hai) are soft to the senses with words that express the excitement of falling in love but with a conscious elimination of heteronormativity.
21. Rang De Basanti | Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | 2006
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s artistically ferocious call against the establishment, which parallelly retold the story of legendary Indian rebels who died for the cause of our freedom, not only redefined how Indian cinema approached patriotism but also went on to become one of the most culturally influential Indian films of all time.
In a “Jésus de Montréalesque” narrative where our protagonists start to mirror the lives of five revolutionary freedom fighters as they act in a documentary film on them, they champion a better version of themselves and reflect what the youth of India aspires its country to be. Rang De Basanti is not driven by star power, nor do done-to-death plot devices mire it. It is a refreshing piece of cinema with profound philosophical indulgence that has the spark to ignite a fire in the coldest of hearts.
22. Yuva | Mani Ratnam | 2004
Mani Ratnam’s coming-of-age political drama sees three youngsters from different strata crossing each other’s path in this hyper-linked narrative. It bombed at the box office upon its release, and the audiences were so frustrated with the narrative structure that they found it confusing and tasteless. However, since then, it has gained a cult status among millennials for its gritty and sharp portrayal of youngsters. Though the politics in the film hardly goes beyond what meets the eye, it does manage to reinvigorate the political discussion among youngsters more seriously.
Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, and Vivek Oberoi all put their best foot forward. Esha Deol and Kareena Kapoor are sidelined, unfortunately, but Rani Mukherji plays a memorable part. Despite the close to 3-hour running time, at no point was I bored or unengaged. Both Mani Ratnam’s direction and writing shine.
23. Swades | Ashutosh Gowariker | 2004
Arguably one of the finest films to come out of the Hindi film industry in the 21st century. It also consists of Shah Rukh Khan’s one of the most powerful performances of his career. Swades is a film capable of invoking the sense of national duty without adapting to a propagandist approach. It respects its culture without the crutches of ethnocentric sentiments and braves to dissolve the shackles of ignorance.
What makes Swades an important piece of cinema is its aspiration to instill a scientific temperament in everyone. It feels more relevant in today’s time when people are increasingly bargaining a rational and scientific temperament for a political and religious one. Swades is essentially loaded with all emotions. It has a brilliant soundtrack. And it has elements that take us to the depths of our reality. The film enjoys a healthy cult following among the many Bollywood Movies streaming on Netflix.
24. Dil Se.. | Mani Ratnam | 1998
The Mani Ratnam – A. R. Rahman duo is a match made in heaven. Dil Se.. is the epitome of their skills. And it was rightfully rewarded at the Berlin International Film Festival from that year. The melodrama was handled with utmost grace and sincerity with a topic that is relevant even now.
The musical numbers still feel fresh so do the performances. And the cherry on the cake is the excellent performances by the leads, especially Manisha Koirala, whose mere presence evokes all the emotions needed to convey. This SRK starrer isn’t considered a classic for no reason.
25. Jodhaa Akbar | Ashutosh Gowarikar | 2008
Jodhaa Akbar is an under-discussed film, perhaps because when it came out, it offered nothing new to its audience. The tale of an unlikely romance and a beautiful couple at the center of it was nothing exclusive to the Hindi film industry, except for its historical setting. But it also came at a more tolerant time when people didn’t rally against anything interreligious relationships, even if they held the same Islamophobic tendencies. But in today’s time, militant sentiments are on the rise, and the very existence of a Muslim is threatened by the majority as well as those in power.
We live in a time when the state has sanctioned cultural erasure, which is also reflected in the will of the power from their apathetic stance. Therefore, Jodha Akbar lives to tell the tale of love, even if heavily fictionalized. It features a prominent Muslim protagonist who isn’t detached from his identity and the film champions benevolence. Except for the really bad editing, Jodha Akbar is also a technically sound film with a soulful soundtrack from AR Rahman.
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