Top 30 Indian Movies (for foreigners)
Some foreigners think that Indian movies are all about singing and dancing around trees, love-love-love or family dramas, which is not true. Unfortunately, many commercially successful movies have one or more of the above and many good movies don't do great on box office to reach international audience. So, below is the list of critically acclaimed Indian movies- mostly from last two decades- that you should watch.
(Preference is given to uniqueness of the story line and entertainment value in the ranking.)
(Preference is given to uniqueness of the story line and entertainment value in the ranking.)
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- 30 titles
- DirectorUmesh Vinayak KulkarniStarsNana PatekarDilip PrabhawalkarJyoti SubhashKeshya, a simple villager believes that god has arrived in his village but everyone disbelieves him. Later when the politics plays its part things take a drastic change.
- DirectorFarhan AkhtarStarsAamir KhanSaif Ali KhanAkshaye KhannaThree inseparable childhood friends are just out of college. Nothing comes between them - until they each fall in love, and their wildly different approaches to relationships creates tension.
- DirectorMadhur BhandarkarStarsKunal KemmuNitu ChandraUpendra LimayeTraffic Signal is a Madhur Bhandarkar movie that reveals the truth behind the multimillion dollar begging Industry in India.
- DirectorAamir KhanStarsDarsheel SafaryAamir KhanTisca ChopraA young boy is thought to be nothing but a lazy troublemaker until the new art teacher has the patience and compassion to discover the real problem behind his struggles in school.
- DirectorRam Gopal VarmaStarsAjay DevgnMohanlalManisha KoiralaA small-time gangster named Chandu teams up with Malik, a low-level enforcer for a criminal syndicate. Together they eliminate all their enemies, becoming the most feared gangsters in Mumbai.
- DirectorFarhan AkhtarStarsHrithik RoshanPreity G ZintaAmitabh BachchanAn aimless, jobless, irresponsible grown man joins the army and matures into a battlefield hero.
- DirectorRajkumar SantoshiStarsAamir KhanSalman KhanRaveena TandonTwo slackers competing for the affections of an heiress inadvertently become her protectors from an evil criminal.
- DirectorHrishikesh MukherjeeStarsRajesh KhannaAmitabh BachchanSumita SanyalThe story of a terminally ill man who wishes to live life to the fullest before the inevitable occurs, as told by his best friend.
- DirectorMadhur BhandarkarStarsPriyanka Chopra JonasKangana RanautMugdha GodseA small-town girl finally realizes her dream of becoming a famous supermodel but soon finds out that her glamorous new life has a price.
- DirectorSandeep SawantStarsArun NalawadeAshwin ChitaleSandeep KulkarniThis story is about how an old man tried to show his grandson the preciousness and beauty of life in a no win situation such as cancer. It is about keeping a positive attitude towards life.
- DirectorsDibakar BanerjeePravin E. BirjeStarsAnupam KherBoman IraniParvin DabasA Delhi-based retired middle-class man tries half-heartedly to get his land back from a swindling property dealer with the help of his sons and their friends.
- DirectorRam Gopal VarmaStarsAmitabh BachchanAbhishek BachchanKay Kay MenonSubhash Nagre runs a parallel government in the city where he has a cult following. When his enemies plot to murder him, his son takes charge and stands up against them.
- DirectorRajkumar HiraniStarsSanjay DuttArshad WarsiGracy SinghA gangster sets out to fulfill his father's dream of becoming a doctor.
- DirectorMansoor KhanStarsAamir KhanAyesha JhulkaDeepak TijoriA rich brat and a poor chap try to woo a girl, with their rivalry culminating in the most prestigious college event - the marathon cycle race.
- DirectorAnurag KashyapStarsAbhay DeolMahie GillKalki KoechlinAfter breaking up with his childhood sweetheart, a young man finds solace in drugs. Meanwhile, a teenage girl is caught in the world of prostitution. Will they be destroyed, or will they find redemption?
- DirectorMadhur BhandarkarStarsBipasha BasuKay Kay MenonRaj BabbarTwo corporate giants compete in order to recklessly maximize their respective profits.
- DirectorAshutosh GowarikerStarsAamir KhanRaghubir YadavGracy SinghThe people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers.
- DirectorSujay DahakeStarsAnshuman JoshiKetaki MategaonkarDilip PrabhawalkarSet in the 70's in rural India, four 9th grade kids were writing their destiny. Joshi (14) is madly in love with Shirodkar (14) a beautiful Indian looking girl. Both study in the same class. The age old question "What is love anyway?"
- DirectorMahesh ManjrekarStarsSanjay DuttNamrata ShirodkarSanjay NarvekarConsequences force an innocent man to get involved in crime after making an error.
- DirectorRam Gopal VarmaStarsRevathiRohini HattangadiOm PuriWhen the Sharmas move into their new house in the city, they start experiencing strange incidents. The family seeks the help of a priest when their daughter, Mini, gets possessed.
- DirectorRakeysh Omprakash MehraStarsAamir KhanSoha Ali KhanSiddharthThe story of six young Indians who assist an English woman to film a documentary on the freedom fighters from their past, and the events that lead them to relive the long-forgotten saga of freedom.
- DirectorGauri ShindeStarsSrideviAdil HussainMehdi NebbouA quiet, sweet tempered housewife endures small slights from her well-educated husband and daughter every day because of her inability to speak and understand English.
- DirectorsAbbas Alibhai BurmawallaMastan Alibhai BurmawallaStarsShah Rukh KhanTwinkle KhannaAmrish PuriA small time detective is mistaken as a CBI agent and gets embroiled in a deadly mission to save the Chief Minister from an assassination attempt.
- DirectorJohn Mathew MatthanStarsAamir KhanNaseeruddin ShahSonali BendreAfter his brother is killed and father severely injured by terrorists, a young med student quits his studies to join the Indian Police Service to wipe out the terrorists.
- DirectorMehboob KhanStarsNargisSunil DuttRajendra Kumar TuliIn this melodrama, a poverty-stricken woman raises her sons through many trials and tribulations. But no matter the struggles, she always sticks to her own moral code.
