Most Interesting Biopic of an Indian
by Dibyayan_Chakravorty | created - 04 Nov 2014 | updated - 10 Jul 2018 | PublicWhich of these biography genre films rated at least 7/10 stars on IMDb based on the story of an Indian is your favorite? If you haven't seen any then which one would you most like to discover?
After voting, you may discuss the poll here.
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1. Dangal (2016)
Not Rated | 161 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and his two wrestler daughters struggle towards glory at the Commonwealth Games in the face of societal oppression.
Director: Nitesh Tiwari | Stars: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra
Votes: 210,596 | Gross: $12.39M
Biopic of former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat who trained his young daughters Geeta and Babita to follow in his footsteps and became world-class grapplers.
2. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
Not Rated | 186 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The truth behind the ascension of Milkha Singh, who was scarred by of the India-Pakistan partition.
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Stars: Farhan Akhtar, Kousi Orfahli, Deepak Singh Rawat, Japtej Singh
Votes: 72,287 | Gross: $1.63M
Biopic of Milkha Singh, also known as The Flying Sikh, is a former Indian track and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army.
3. Paan Singh Tomar (2012)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of Paan Singh Tomar, an Indian athlete and seven-time national steeplechase champion who becomes one of the most feared dacoits in Chambal Valley after his retirement.
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia | Stars: Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill, Rajesh Abhay, Hemendra Dandotiya
Votes: 37,859 | Gross: $0.04M
Biopic of Paan Singh Tomar who was an Indian soldier, athlete, and baghee (rebel).
4. Guru (2007)
Not Rated | 166 min | Drama
A villager, Gurukant Desai, arrives in Bombay 1958, and rises from its streets to become the GURU, the biggest tycoon in Indian history.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Mithun Chakraborty, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhavan
Votes: 24,983 | Gross: $2.09M
Biopic of Dhirubhai Ambani who was an Indian business tycoon and founded Reliance Industries in Bombay with his cousin.
5. Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Not Rated | 213 min | Action, Drama, History
A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodha.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker | Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Poonam Sinha
Votes: 34,583 | Gross: $3.44M
Biopic of Akbar who was the third Mughal Emperor from 1556 to 1605.
6. The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
Not Rated | 155 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The story of a young revolutionary who raised an armed resistance against the British rule in India.
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi | Stars: Ajay Devgn, Sushant Singh, D. Santosh, Akhilendra Mishra
Votes: 17,287
Biopic of Bhagat Singh who was an Indian socialist considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement.
7. Shahid (2012)
Not Rated | 129 min | Biography, Drama
The account of Human Rights lawyer Shahid Azmi, an ordinary citizen with an extraordinary commitment to justice.
Director: Hansal Mehta | Stars: Rajkummar Rao, Prabhleen Sandhu, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Baljinder Kaur
Votes: 17,744
Biopic of Shahid Azmi who was a noted Indian lawyer and human rights activist.
8. Bandit Queen (1994)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of the bandit queen Phoolan Devi who was sent to prison in 1983 and got free in 1994.
Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Seema Biswas, Nirmal Pandey, Rajesh Vivek, Raghubir Yadav
Votes: 5,314 | Gross: $0.40M
Biopic of Phoolan Devi who was an Indian bandit and later a politician.
9. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005)
208 min | Biography, Drama, History
The film, which is about the last five years of the Indian leader Subhas Chandra's life, also includes his life's story in flashback sequences.
Director: Shyam Benegal | Stars: Vinay Anand, Ila Arun, Pankaj Berry, Nicolas Chagrin
Votes: 1,363
Biopic of Subhas Chandra Bose who was an Indian nationalist.
10. Moner Manush (2010)
150 min | Biography
The movie is about a poet and singer Lalon Fakir who belongs to a mystic music cult called Baul and who believes and inculcates that the value of a human being is above the narrow belief of religions.
Director: Goutam Ghose | Stars: Prasenjit Chatterjee, Shahed Ali, Raisul Islam Asad, Champa
Votes: 1,461
Biopic of Lalon Fakir who was a Bengali Baul saint, mystic, songwriter, social reformer and thinker.
11. Sardar (1993)
175 min | Biography, Drama, History
An account of Vallbhbhai Patel's political life while India was taking first steps as an independent country.
Director: Ketan Mehta | Stars: Paresh Rawal, Tom Alter, Deepika Amin, Riju Bajaj
Votes: 847
Biopic of Vallabhbhai Patel who was an Indian barrister and statesman, one of the leaders of the Indian National Congress and one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India.
12. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000)
197 min | Biography, History
Biopic of B. R. Ambedkar, known mainly for his contributions in the emancipation of the downtrodden and oppressed classes in India and shaping the Constitution of India.
Director: Jabbar Patel | Stars: Mammootty, Sonali Kulkarni, Mohan Gokhale, Mrinal Kulkarni
Votes: 2,739
Biopic of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb who was an Indian jurist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Modern Buddhist Movement and campaigned against social discrimination in India, striving for equal social rights for Dalits, women and labour.
13. Gandhi (1982)
PG | 191 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life of the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of nonviolent protest.
Director: Richard Attenborough | Stars: Ben Kingsley, John Gielgud, Rohini Hattangadi, Roshan Seth
Votes: 240,165 | Gross: $52.77M
Biopic of Mohandas K. Gandhi who was the preeminent leader of Indian independence movement in British-ruled India.
14. Rang Rasiya (2008)
Not Rated | 132 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A look into the life of 19th century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma.
Director: Ketan Mehta | Stars: Randeep Hooda, Nandana Sen, Paresh Rawal, Ashish Vidyarthi
Votes: 2,028
Biopic of Raja Ravi Varma who was an Indian painter and artist from the princely state of Kilimanoor (presently in Kerala).
15. Neerja (2016)
Not Rated | 122 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
The story of courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986 when it was hijacked by a terrorist organization.
Director: Ram Madhvani | Stars: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Yogendra Tikku, Abrar Zahoor
Votes: 23,755 | Gross: $1.54M
Biopic of Neerja Bhanot who was a purser for the airline Pan American World Airways, based in Mumbai, India. She was shot and killed while saving hundreds of passengers on board Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by terrorists on 5 September 1986. Posthumously, she became the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra Award.
16. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
Not Rated | 184 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The untold story of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's journey from ticket collector to trophy collector - the world-cup-winning captain of the Indian Cricket Team.
Directors: Mathur Goswami, Neeraj Pandey | Stars: Sushant Singh Rajput, Kiara Advani, Disha Patani, Anupam Kher
Votes: 68,086 | Gross: $1.78M
Biopic of the most successful captain of the Indian Cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
17. Sarbjit (2016)
Not Rated | 131 min | Biography, Drama
Biopic of Sarabjit Singh, a farmer residing at Bhikiwind, Punjab, near the Indo-Pak border, crossed the border after having a couple of drinks. However, he was mistaken to be an Indian spy and was sentenced with capital punishment.
Director: Omung Kumar | Stars: Randeep Hooda, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Richa Chadha, Darshan Kumaar
Votes: 5,494
Biopic of Sarabjit Singh who was a farmer residing at Bhikiwind, Punjab, near the Indo-Pak border, crossed the border after having a couple of drinks. However, he was mistaken to be an Indian spy and was sentenced with capital punishment.
18. Aligarh (2015)
Not Rated | 114 min | Biography, Drama
A gay, linguistic professor living in a small orthodox city must deal with the aftermath of a sting operation that puts his sexual orientation in front of the entire nation.
Director: Hansal Mehta | Stars: Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Ashish Vidyarthi, Balaji Gauri
Votes: 7,769
A true story of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was suspended from his job because of his sexual orientation.
19. Manjhi: The Mountain Man (2015)
TV-14 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
Using only a hammer and a chisel, a man spends twenty-two years carving a road through a treacherous mountain.
Director: Ketan Mehta | Stars: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Ashutosh Acharya, Shahzad Ahmed
Votes: 19,993
A true story of Dashrath Manjhi, widely known as the "Mountain Man", was a poor labourer in Gehlaur village, near Gaya in Bihar, India, who carved a path 9.1 metres (30 ft) wide and 110 metres (360 ft) long through a hill 7.6 metres (25 ft) using only a hammer and chisel.
20. Budhia Singh: Born to Run (2016)
Not Rated | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A biopic about Budhia Singh, the world's youngest marathon runner whose story garnered controversy and inspiration around the world.
Director: Soumendra Padhi | Stars: Manoj Bajpayee, Mayur Mahendra Patole, Gajraj Rao, Tillotama Shome
Votes: 1,610
Biopic of Budhia Singh, the world's youngest marathon runner whose story garnered controversy and inspiration around the world.
21. The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama
The story of the life and academic career of the pioneer Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his friendship with his mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy.
Director: Matt Brown | Stars: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Malcolm Sinclair, Raghuvir Joshi
Votes: 62,095 | Gross: $3.87M
Biopic of pioneer Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and his friendship with his mentor, Professor G.H. Hardy.
22. Sachin - A Billion Dreams (2017)
138 min | Documentary, Sport
A tale of a small boy with dreams and his journey to becoming the God of Cricket and the most celebrated sportsperson in his country.
Director: James Erskine | Stars: Sachin Tendulkar, Mikail Gandhi, Anjali Tendulkar, Mayur More
Votes: 8,356
Biopic of the greatest Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
23. Sanju (2018)
TV-MA | 155 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Biopic of the controversial life of actor Sanjay Dutt: his film career, jail sentence, and personal life.
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Vicky Kaushal
Votes: 61,220 | Gross: $7.91M
Biopic of the controversial Indian film actor Sanjay Dutt.
[Added on July 10, 2018]
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