Top 30 Indian Movies (for foreigners)
by kothawade-amol | created - 13 Oct 2013 | updated - 04 Nov 2013 | PublicSome 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.)
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1. Deool (2011)
Not Rated | 135 min | Drama
Keshya, 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.
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni | Stars: Nana Patekar, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Jyoti Subhash, Usha Nadkarni
Votes: 1,733
2. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Not Rated | 183 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Three 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.
Director: Farhan Akhtar | Stars: Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity G Zinta
Votes: 75,763 | Gross: $0.30M
3. Traffic Signal (2007)
130 min | Drama
Traffic Signal is a Madhur Bhandarkar movie that reveals the truth behind the multimillion dollar begging Industry in India.
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar | Stars: Kunal Kemmu, Nitu Chandra, Upendra Limaye, Ranvir Shorey
Votes: 1,763
4. Like Stars on Earth (2007)
PG | 162 min | Drama, Family
An eight-year-old boy is thought to be a lazy trouble-maker, until the new art teacher has the patience and compassion to discover the real problem behind his struggles in school.
Directors: Aamir Khan, Amole Gupte | Stars: Darsheel Safary, Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma
Votes: 206,637 | Gross: $1.22M
5. Company (2002)
Not Rated | 142 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: Ajay Devgn, Mohanlal, Manisha Koirala, Seema Biswas
Votes: 16,152
6. Lakshya (2004)
Not Rated | 186 min | Action, Drama, Romance
An aimless, jobless, irresponsible grown man joins the army and matures into a battlefield hero.
Director: Farhan Akhtar | Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Preity G Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri
Votes: 25,540 | Gross: $0.75M
7. Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
Not Rated | 160 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
Two slackers competing for the affections of an heiress inadvertently become her protectors from an evil criminal.
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi | Stars: Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor
Votes: 55,262
8. Anand (1971)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama, Musical
The story of a terminally ill man who wishes to live life to the fullest before the inevitable occurs, as told by his best friend.
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Stars: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo
Votes: 35,306
9. Fashion (2008)
Not Rated | 167 min | Drama, Romance
A small-town girl finally realizes her dream of becoming a famous supermodel but soon finds out that her glamorous new life has a price.
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar | Stars: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Kangana Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan
Votes: 13,113 | Gross: $0.19M
10. A Breath (2004)
107 min | Drama
This 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.
Director: Sandeep Sawant | Stars: Arun Nalawade, Ashwin Chitale, Sandeep Kulkarni, Amruta Subhash
Votes: 1,627 | Gross: $0.00M
11. Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006)
Not Rated | 135 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Directors: Dibakar Banerjee, Pravin E. Birje | Stars: Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Parvin Dabas, Tara Sharma
Votes: 25,006 | Gross: $0.03M
12. Sarkar (2005)
Not Rated | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Subhash 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.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Kay Kay Menon, Supriya Pathak
Votes: 17,435
13. Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Not Rated | 156 min | Comedy, Drama
A gangster sets out to fulfill his father's dream of becoming a doctor.
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Gracy Singh, Boman Irani
Votes: 88,302
14. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992)
Not Rated | 174 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 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.
Director: Mansoor Khan | Stars: Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka, Deepak Tijori, Pooja Bedi
Votes: 24,272
15. Dev.D (2009)
Not Rated | 144 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After 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?
Director: Anurag Kashyap | Stars: Abhay Deol, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin, Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Votes: 32,239 | Gross: $0.01M
16. Corporate (2006)
142 min | Drama
Two corporate giants compete in order to recklessly maximize their respective profits.
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar | Stars: Bipasha Basu, Kay Kay Menon, Raj Babbar, Rajat Kapoor
Votes: 2,147
17. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
PG | 224 min | Drama, Musical, Sport
The people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker | Stars: Aamir Khan, Raghubir Yadav, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley
Votes: 120,664 | Gross: $0.91M
18. Shala (2011)
108 min | Romance
Set 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?"
Director: Sujay Dahake | Stars: Anshuman Joshi, Ketaki Mategaonkar, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Nandu Madhav
Votes: 1,996
19. Vaastav: The Reality (1999)
Not Rated | 145 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Consequences force an innocent man to get involved in crime after making an error.
Director: Mahesh Manjrekar | Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Namrata Shirodkar, Reema Lagoo, Shivaji Satam
Votes: 14,759
20. Raat (1992)
127 min | Horror
Mini shifts to her new house along with her parents Mr. and Mrs. Shrma, as well as, nephew Bunty. Bunty finds a cat in the backyard of the house and gets attracted to it but the cat soon ... See full summary »
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: Revathi, Rohini Hattangadi, Om Puri, Akash Khurana
Votes: 1,304
21. Rang De Basanti (2006)
Not Rated | 167 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The 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.
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Stars: Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi
Votes: 122,348 | Gross: $2.20M
22. English Vinglish (2012)
Not Rated | 134 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A 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.
Director: Gauri Shinde | Stars: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand
Votes: 39,592 | Gross: $1.67M
23. Baadshah (1999)
175 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A 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.
Directors: Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla, Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Twinkle Khanna, Amrish Puri, Johny Lever
Votes: 20,159
24. Sarfarosh (1999)
Not Rated | 174 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After 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.
Director: John Mathew Matthan | Stars: Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Sonali Bendre, Mukesh Rishi
Votes: 26,896
25. Mother India (1957)
Not Rated | 172 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
In 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.
Director: Mehboob Khan | Stars: Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar Tuli, Raaj Kumar
Votes: 9,854
26. Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Not Rated | 113 min | Crime, Drama
Young Krishna struggles to survive among the drug dealers, pimps, and prostitutes in the back alleys and gutters of India.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Shafiq Syed, Anjaan, Amrit Patel, Murari Sharma
Votes: 10,090 | Gross: $2.08M
27. Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)
Not Rated | 144 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Munna Bhai embarks on a journey with Mahatma Gandhi in order to fight against a corrupt property dealer.
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Boman Irani
Votes: 49,968 | Gross: $2.22M
28. 3 Idiots (2009)
PG-13 | 170 min | Comedy, Drama
Two friends are searching for their long lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently, even as the rest of the world called them "idiots".
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Stars: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Mona Singh, Sharman Joshi
Votes: 434,320 | Gross: $6.53M
29. Black Friday (2004)
Not Rated | 143 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A film about the investigations following the 1993 serial Bombay bomb blasts, told through the different stories of the people involved --police, conspirators, victims, middlemen.
Director: Anurag Kashyap | Stars: Kay Kay Menon, Pawan Malhotra, Aditya Srivastav, Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Votes: 21,993 | Gross: $0.03M
30. Kaun? (1999)
90 min | Mystery, Thriller
While alone in the house, a woman hears news of serial killer on the loose. And then a stranger rings the doorbell...
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee, Sushant Singh
Votes: 5,051
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