We often hear people saying that quality cinema in India is dead. But we beg to differ! Although the majority of Hindi films released every year are typical masala movies we have been watching since ages, every now and then, comes along a movie that restores our faith in Bollywood. However, these films are commonly overlooked for other mainstream movies due to various reasons like lack of marketing budget, limited star power, etc. Let us give these underrated Bollywood movies the attention they deserve.
Underrated Bollywood Movies you Must Watch
Filmistaan
Widely praised at film festivals across the world, Filmistan is the story of an affable movie buff and wannabe actor, who is kidnapped and taken to Pakistan. The movie bagged the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Hindi.
- Year of release: 2014
- Cast: Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq, Kumud Mishra, Gopal Dutt
- IMDb rating: 7.3
Shahid
This is a biographical film based on the life of criminal lawyer, Shahid Azmi, who fights to attain justice for people wrongly convicted of terrorism. With Rajkumar Rao in the titular role, the film sees the actor delivering one of the best performances of his career.
- Year of release: 2013
- Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kay Kay Menon, Prabhleen Sandhu, Prabal Panjabi
- IMDb rating: 8.2
Chittagong
Starring Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role, Chittagong is a historical war drama that chronicles the uprising against the British in the Chittagong city. This movie won Bedabrata Pain a National Award for the Best Debut Film of a Director.
- Year of release: 2021
- Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajkumar Rao, Vega Tamotia, Sauraseni Maitra, Jaideep Ahlawat, Alexx ONell
- IMDb rating: 7.3
Titli
The film follows Titli, the youngest member of a car-jacking gang in Delhi, who attempts to escape the violent family business. His wife, Neelu, who wishes to leave Titli for her lover, Prince, becomes an ally in his attempt to leave his family.
- Year of release: 2015
- Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Shashank Arora, Lalit Behl, Shivani Raghuvanshi
- IMDb rating: 7.6
Margarita with a Straw
Kalki Koechlin plays Laila, a bi-sexual woman suffering from cerebral palsy in this underrated Bollywood movie. It is a coming-of-age story that follows Laila as she discovers herself through the challenges in her life. It won National Film Award – Special Jury Award,
- Year of release (India): 2015
- Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Revathi, Sayani Gupta
- IMDb rating: 7.2
Antardwand
Co-written, produced and directed by Sushil Rajpal, Antardwand is based on groom kidnapping in Bihar. This underrated Bollywood movie not only won the National Award for Best Film on Social Issues, but also garnered praise from acclaimed filmmakers like Imtiaz Ali and Rajkumar Hirani.
- Year of release: 2010
- Cast: Raj Singh Chaudhary, Swati Sen, Vinay Pathak, Akhilendra Mishra
- IMDb rating: 7.3
Ugly
There was a time when Anurag Kashyap gave back-to-back masterpieces and Ugly is one such movie by the director. Although the movie failed to create any magic at the Box Office, it remains one of the best movies by Aurag Kashyap.
- Year of release: 2014
- Cast: Rahul Bhat, Ronit Roy, Girish Kulkarni, Siddhanth Kapoor, Surveen Chawla
- IMDb rating: 8
I Am Kalam
This movie is about a boy named Chotu who hails from a poor family and works at a roadside dhaba. Inspired by the late former President of India, he is determined to become someone like Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Harsh Mayar, who played the role of Chotu, won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist 2011 for the movie.
- Year of release: 2011
- Cast: Harsh Mayar, Gulshan Grover, Dharmveer Jakhar
- IMDb rating: 8
Raincoat
Raincoat is one of the few names on this list of underrated Bollywood movies that feature Bollywood heavyweights. Ajay Devgn plays Manoj who desperately needs money for his sister’s wedding. His desperation leads him to his ex-lover, Neerja, played by Aishwarya Rai, who left him to marry a wealthy businessman.
- Year of release: 2004
- Cast: Ajay Devgn, Aishwarya Rai, Annu Kapoor
- IMDb rating: 7.7
Dasvidaniya
Dasvidaniya, a spin of the Russian phrase – do svidaniya – meaning ‘bye’ – is the story of Amar Kaul (Vinay Pathak), a single, 37-year old accountant, who is diagnosed with stomach cancer and has only three months to live. He creates a list of ten things he wants to do before he dies and sets out on a journey. The underrated film was loved by critics and audiences alike.
- Year of release: 2008
- Cast: Vinay Pathak, Sarita Joshi, Neha Dhupia, Rajat Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey, Brijendra Kala
- IMDb rating: 7.8
Manorama Six Feet Under
Manorama Six Feet Under is a testament to the acting prowess of Abhay Deol. His character is hired as a detective by the irrigation minister’s wife to find evidence of infidelity by her husband. What unfolds is a series of lies and hidden truths that keep audience at the edge of their seats.
- Year of release: 2007
- Cast: Abhay Deol, Raima Sen, Gul Panag
- IMDb rating: 7.6
Sankat City
IMDb rating fails to do justice to this remarkable black comedy. Kay Kay Menon and Dilip Prabhavalkar play two small-time thieves who end up in hot waters after stealing a Mercedes with Rs. 1 crore cash belonging to a gangster.
- Year of release: 2009
- Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Anupam Kher, Rimi Sen, Chunky Pandey, Dilip Prabhavalkar
- IMDb rating: 6.2
Monsoon Wedding
Monsoon Wedding is the second Indian film to win the Golden Lion at the coveted Venice Film Festival after Satyajit Ray’s Aparajito bagged it in 1957. The film is about a father trying to marry off his daughter, who is now having second thoughts. Monsoon Wedding also got a Golden Globe Awards nomination.
- Year of release: 2001
- Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shah, Vasundhara Das, Vijay Raaz, Tillotama Shome, Randeep Hooda, Rajat Kapoor, Jas Arora
- IMDb rating: 7.2
My Brother… Nikhil
Nikhil’s (Sanjay Suri) life goes into turmoil after he is diagnosed with HIV. A state swimming champion, he is taken off the team, thrown out of the house by his parents, and forced into isolation by the authorities. His only support is his sister (Jihu Chawla),
- Year of release: 2005
- Cast: Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla, Victor Banerjee, Purab Kohli
- IMDb rating: 7.2
Mirch
Mirch is an amalgamation of four short stories on the issues of women emancipation. These are based on stories from Panchtantra. It features numerous acclaimed Bollywood actors like Konkana Sen Sharma, Shreyas Talpade, Boman Irani and Tisca Chopra.
- Year of release: 2010
- Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Shahana Goswami, Ila Arun, Shreyas Talpade, Arunoday Singh, Boman Irani, Prem Chopra, Tisca Chopra
- IMDb rating: 6.5
Ship of Theseus
Written and directed by Anand Gandhi, Ship of Theseus is an Indian philosophical drama film that explores the ideas of identity, beauty, justice, death and meaning through the journeys of an experimental photographer, a monk and a stockbroker. It won Best Feature Film at the 61st National Film Awards.
- Year of release: 2013
- Cast: Aida El-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi, Sohum Shah
- IMDb rating: 8.1
Read more: Highest Rated Movies on IMDb
Miss Lovely
Miss Lovely follows Duggal brothers who are engaged in producing C-grade sex-horror films in the 1980s. Their life takes an unexpected turn with the younger sibling, Sonu Duggal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), is attracted to a mysterious woman named Pinky (Niharika Singh). This draw eventually leads to the downfall of the character. This underrated Bollywood film received the Best Production Design and National Film Award – Special Jury Award (Feature film) at the 61st National Film Awards.
- Year of release: 2012
- Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Niharika Singh, Menaka Lalwani, Anil George, Zeena Bhatia
- IMDb rating: 8
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
If you are picking one movie to watch from this list of underrated Bollywood movies, then Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is worth considering. It won several national and international awards, including Golden Maile award at the Hawaii International Film Festival as well as a National Award – Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
- Year of release: 2002
- Cast: Rahul Bose, Konkona Sen Sharma
- IMDb rating: 7.9
Aligarh
Directed by Hansal Mehta, Aligarh is a biographical drama movie based on the life of Ramchandra Siras, a professor of Marathi literature at Aligarh Muslim University and head of the Department of Modern Indian Languages. A sting operation is carried out to determine his sexual orientation, which spirals his life out of control.
- Year of release: 2015
- Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Ashish Vidyarthi
- IMDb rating: 7.8
Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid
The second movie by Nila Madhab Panda after I am Kalam to feature on this list of underrated Bollywood movies, Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid centres around the issue of female foeticide. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the MIP Junior Kids Jury Award.
- Year of release: 2012
- Cast: Lehar Khan, Parvin Dabas, Harsh Mayar, Kaustubh Tripathi, Rahul Singh, Krishang Trivedi
- IMDb rating: 7.1
Mithya
A struggling actor, who happens to look like a don, gets caught up in the underworld when an opposing gang plans to kill the don and replace him with the actor. The movie released in 2008 to positive reviews from the critics.
- Year of release: 2008
- Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay Pathak
- IMDb rating: 7
Hulla
Hulla is simple and yet so fascinating. It follows Raj, a stockbroker, whose moving into a new house turns into a nightmare due to the watchman’s whistle. Its interesting and relatable plot, and great acting lands it on our list of underrated Bollywood movies.
- Year of release: 2008
- Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Sushant Singh, Kartika Rane, Vrajesh Hirjee
- IMDb rating: 6.4
Liar’s Dice
Liar’s Dice is the story of a young mother, going in search of her missing husband, goes missing herself. The film draws attention to the exploitation of migrant workers and the human cost of migration to cities. Liar’s Dice was released at various film festivals and garnered acclaim everywhere. It also won two National Awards for the Best Actress and Cinematography.
- Year of release: 2013
- Cast: Geetanjali Thapa, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manya Gupta, Vikram Bhagra, Murari Kumar
- IMDb rating: 6.8
Sulemani Keeda
Sulemani Keeda is a comedy involving two struggling writers trying to sell their mediocre movie script – Sulemani Keeda. This tale of lies and deceit will tickle your funny bones. The film received positive reviews from many critics and filmmakers.
- Year of release: 2014
- Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev, Karan Mirchandani
- IMDb rating: 7.1
Read more: Highest Grossing Bollywood Movies of all Time
Omerta
Directed by the acclaimed Hansal Mehta, Omerta is a biographical crime drama film starring Rajkumar Rao who plays Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, British terrorist of Pakistani descent. It revolves around the 1994 kidnappings of foreign nationals in India – a crime for which Omar was arrested and served time in prison.
- Year of release: 2017
- Cast: Rajkummar Rao
- IMDb rating: 7.2
Read more: 10 Highest Grossing Movies of All Time