Highlights
Do you know everything about Bollywood films? Are you one of those who watch “First Day, First Show” every Friday with a new release? Do you think you know everything about Bollywood? What if I say you’re wrong? Have you watched every movie or are these just the movies that are always hyped up but end up flopping? Many Bollywood films offer a kind of entertainment that big-hyped films fail to offer. Many Bollywood movies fail to make headlines due to a lack of marketing strategies, but don’t worry we have you covered. We are here with some of the best-Underrated Bollywood films that everyone should watch.
Discovering the Magic of Underrated Bollywood Films
From hidden gems to cinematic masterpieces, explore the best-kept secrets of Indian cinema with our handpicked selection of Underrated Bollywood Films.
1)Nil Battey Sannata(2016)
Nil Battey Sannata is one of the most underrated bollywood hindi films of the year 2016. This movie highlights the beautiful bond between a single mother, Chanda, and her daughter who does multiple jobs to look after her daughter, Apeksha. But Apekha lacks motivation and lacks in her academics and dreams to work as a government servant just like her mother. This movie highlights issues related to education and self-determination.
Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Ratna Pathak Shah,Swara Bhaskar
Rating: 8.2/10
Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Watch the movie on Amazon Prime
2)Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017)
Qarib Qarib Singlle’s film revolves around the life of two individuals Jaya, a widowed woman in her 30s, and on the advice of her friend, she decides to use a dating app from where she meets Yogi who is just opposite from her personality. They go on a journey to explore Yogi’s past relationships and during this journey, they find more about each other. This underrated bollywood movie highlights the concepts of love, companionship, humor, and romance.
Cast: Parvathy Thiruvothu, Irrfan Khan
Rating: 7.1/10
Director: Tanuja Chandra
Watch the movie on Netflix
3)Udaan (2010)
The storyline of Udaan movie revolves around the life of a boarding school boy named Rohan who is being sent back to his home to his aggressive and dominant father who wants Rohan to work in his factory. Rohan wants to follow his passion and wants to become a writer. The story highlights how Rohan with the help of his brother at the end became successful in following his passion. This movie highlights themes of family pressure and passion. It is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Manjot Singh
Rating: 8.1/10
Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
Watch the movie on Netflix
4)Do Dooni Chaar (2010)
Do Dooni Chaar movie is a comedy-drama that revolves around the life of a Duggal family who dreams of living a better life. Santosh Duggal wanted to buy a car to improve their status and luckily they got a chance to win a car from here their adventurous journey began where they learned many things about life. This film highlights the importance of family relationships, this is one of the underrated bollywood movies..
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor
Rating: 7.5/10
Director: Habib Faisal
Watch the movie on Netflix
5)Ankhon Dekhi (2013)
Ankhon Dekhi movie is a contemplative drama in which the story is of a middle-aged man named Bauji who lives in Delhi. Bauji comes to a realization and says that he will only believe in those things that he will see by himself through his own eyes because of this many changes come to his life and relationships. His new thinking gives a challenge to norms and beliefs. The film explores the concepts of truth, perception, and meaning of life. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Namita Das, Sanjay Mishra, Rajat Kapoor
Rating: 7.9 /10
Director: Rajat Kapoor
Watch the movie on Amazon Prime
6)Game Over (2019)
Game Over is a psychological thriller movie that revolves around the life of Swapna who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. She is a skilled game designer and lives alone with her housemaid. The twist comes when Swapana finds herself trapped in some situation where her life is at stake. The movie focuses on themes including stress, trauma, and survival. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Sanchana Natrajan,Soori
Rating: 6.9 /10
Director: Ashwin Saravanan
Watch the movie on Netflix
7)Stanley Ka Dabba (2011)
Stanley Ka Dabba is about a school-going boy Stanley who is academically an outstanding student but is mocked by his classmates and teachers for not bringing his lunchbox to school. The reason for him not bringing a lunchbox was due to poverty at his home. But the brighter side of the movie highlights acts of kindness from his friends and Hindi teacher. Stanley deals with the situations bravely and confidently with his storytelling skills. The film beautifully portrays concepts of the importance of empathy and kindness. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Partho Gupte, Amole Gupte, Divya Dutta
Rating: 7.8/10
Director: Amole Gupte
Watch the movie on Youtube
8)The Lunchbox (2013)
The Lunchbox is a delightful romantic drama that revolves around the delivery of the lunchbox to the wrong address which leads to an unexpected friendship between a middle-aged widower named Saajan and a young housewife Ila. Ila wants to impress her husband by sending him delicious meals in the lunchbox but every time the lunchbox gets delivered to Saajan unknowingly they both start to converse via exchanging handwritten notes expressing their thoughts. The film highlights human interactions and, the sweetness of connections. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Nimrat Kaur, Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Rating: 7.8 /10
Director: Ritesh Batra
Watch the movie on PrimeVideo
9)Runway 34 (2022)
Runway 34 is the story of captain Vikrant Khanna, an outstanding pilot who was blindfolded landed the flight impressively which led him to be the hero but things go the other way when an investigation led by Narayan Vedant unveils some things that reveal the other side of the story. This movie is based on true events which unfold the information related to Captain Vikrant Khanna. This movie is one of the best movies as it is very captivating delving into gripping suspense. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Rakulpreet Singh
Rating: 7 /10
Director: Ajay Devgn
Watch the movie on Amazon Prime
10)Ramprasad ki Tehrvi (2019)
Ramprasad ki Tehrvi is an Indian family drama movie that highlights the emotional dynamics and relationships in the middle-class family after the death of the head of the family Ramprasad. As the whole family gathers for the 13th mourning day (Tehrvi) many secrets unfold, and conflicts take place leading to tensions among the family members. This movie entertainingly highlights familial bonds and the generation gap. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Vikrant Messy, Sarika Singh, Supriya Pathak, Pushpa Joshi
Rating: 7.5 /10
Director: Seema Pahwa
Watch the movie on Netflix
11)Masaan (2015)
Masaan movie is set in the city of Varanasi. This movie explores two parallel stories. One follows the story of a woman named Devi who faces social problems due to personal tragedy whereas the second story highlights the love between a low-caste boy named Deepak and an upper-caste girl named Shaalu. This movie highlights the themes of caste discrimination, loss, and love. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Richa Chadha, Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi
Rating: 8.1/10
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Watch the movie on Disney+Hotstar
12)Margarita, with a Straw (2015)
Margarita, with a Straw movie, revolves around the life of a young girl named Laila with cerebral palsy as she explores her identity and sexuality. Laila explores her desires and relationship including a romantic connection with visually impaired activist Khanum. This movie highlights the themes of disability, connection, love, and self-discovery. this is one of the underrated bollywood movies.
Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Sayani Gupta
Rating:7.2/10
Director: Shonali Bose
Watch the movie on Netflix
13)Ugly (2014)
Ugly is an Indian psychological thriller film. The story highlights the kidnapping of a young girl named Kali which leads to a series of dark events happening around her parents. The film focuses on themes including corruption and degradation of society.
Cast: Anurag Kashyap, Ronit Roy, Alia Bhatt
Rating:7.9/10
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Watch the movie on Disney+Hotstar
14) I am Kalam (2010)
I Am Kalam is a movie related to a Rajasthani boy named Chhotu who wants to be educated and overcome his poverty. Chhotu is inspired by former Indian President A.P.J Abdul Kalam and named himself Kalam. Chhotu also shares a special bond with a rich boy named Ranvijay. Through this friendship, Chhotu learns many things including the power of dreams, education, and perseverance.
Cast: Harsh Mayar, Hussan Saad
Rating: 7.9/10
Director:Nila Madhab Panda
Watch the movie on Amazon Prime
15) Rockford (1999)
Rockford’s movie revolves around a boarding school boy named Rajesh Naidu. In boarding school, Rajesh encounters problems related to identity, peer dynamics, and academic pressure. But gradually Rajesh makes friends and overcomes the problems of adolescence.
This film beautifully portrays adolescent life problems and highlights themes including loyalty and friendship.
Cast: Nagesh Kukunoor, Rohan Dey
Rating: 7.4/10
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor
Watch the movie on Youtube
16)Shahid (2013)
Shahid movie is a biographical drama that portrays the real-life events of a lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi. The film follows the life journey of Shahid from being poor to being educated and later on being in jail for false charges and later highlights his career as a lawyer and fighting for justice. This movie explores themes of discrimination and activism.
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
Rating: 8.2/10
Director: Hansal Mehta
Watch the movie on Amazon Prime Video
17)Chittagong (2012)
Chittagong movie is set in the backdrop of Chittagong 1930’s uprising. The movie revolves around the story of teenage revolutionaries led by their teacher Surya Sen. Inspired by the national movement the teenage revolutionaries attacked British forces in Chittagong now in Bangladesh. The film highlights their struggles, oppression, and their sacrifices during their battles against Colonial rule.
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajkummar Rao
Rating: 7.3/10
Director: Bedabrata Pain
Watch the movie on Youtube
18)15 Park Avenue (2005)
15 Park Avenue is a story of a girl named Meethi who suffers from schizophrenia and her sister Anjali who looks after her. Meethi always thinks of a place and assumes she and her family are happily living there but the reality is far more different because of her problem which challenges relationships in the family. This movie highlights concepts of family dynamics and mental illness.
Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Shabana Azmi
Rating: 7.1/10
Director: Aparna Sen
Watch the movie on Youtube
19)Sankat City (2009)
Sankat City is a dark comedy movie that revolves around the life of a Guru who finds himself stuck in chaotic situations after he steals a vintage car from a wealthy goon named Faujdar. As Guru tries his best to save himself from the troubles that he has led, the story unfolds into many dark twists and turns. The movie is full of unpredictable climaxes.
Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Anupam Kher
Rating: 6.2/10
Director: Pankaj Advani
Watch the movie on Zee5
20)Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Monsoon Wedding is a romantic drama, set in the backdrop of Delhi, the movie follows the chaotic preparation for an arranged marriage between Aditi from a rich Indian family, and Hemant, an Indian-American engineer. The film highlights the intersecting lives of family members and guests as they encounter secrets, love, and cultural expectations. This movie highlights the themes of modernity and tradition.
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Shefali Shah
Rating: 7.3/10
Director: Mira Nair
Watch the movie on Amazon
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