Best Indian films
by amit_imt2002 | created - 17 Oct 2014 | updated - 14 Jun 2018 | PublicIndian top films from my blog mostlycinema.com!
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1. Mukhamukham (1984)
107 min | Drama
The film starts in the early 1950s showing Sridharan, the protagonist, as a very popular communist leader and trade union activist. He is forced to go underground after his name was ... See full summary »
Director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Stars: Alummoodan, Ashokan, Azeez, P. Ganga
Votes: 51
2. Pather Panchali (1955)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama
Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Banerjee, Chunibala Devi
Votes: 38,575 | Gross: $0.54M
3. Mane (1989)
137 min | Drama, Mystery
Director: Girish Kasaravalli | Stars: B.S. Achar, Mico Chandru, Rohini Hattangadi, Manjulamma
Votes: 31
4. Rat-Trap (1982)
121 min | Drama
The protagonist is trapped within himself and is unable to comprehend the changes taking place around him.
Director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan | Stars: Jalaja, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Rajam K. Nair, Mavelikara Ramachandran
Votes: 567
5. The Case Is Closed (1982)
95 min | Drama
The servant boy, a minor, engaged in a middle class family dies mysteriously locked in a kitchen.
Director: Mrinal Sen | Stars: Anjan Dutt, Mamata Shankar, Sreela Majumdar, Indranil Moitra
Votes: 233
6. Esthappan (1980)
94 min | Drama
In a seashore village, Esthappan's miraculous figure unfolds through the contradictory narrations of people.
Director: Govindan Aravindan | Stars: Rajan Kakkanadan, Catherine, Francis David, Gemini Ganesan
Votes: 121
7. Garm Hava (1974)
146 min | Drama
In post-partition India, a Muslim businessman and his family struggle for their rights in a country which was once their own.
Director: M.S. Sathyu | Stars: Balraj Sahni, A.K. Hangal, Geeta Kak, Jamal Hashmi
Votes: 829
8. In Search of Famine (1981)
115 min | Drama
A film crew comes to a village to make a film about a famine, which killed five million Bengalees in 1943.
Director: Mrinal Sen | Stars: Satya Banerjee, Radhamohan Bhattacharya, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Reba Roy Chowdhury
Votes: 362
9. Jalsaghar (1958)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Music
Depicts the end days of a decadent zamindar (landlord) in Bengal, and his efforts to uphold his family prestige even when faced with economic adversity.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Chhabi Biswas, Gangapada Basu, Padmadevi, Kali Sarkar
Votes: 6,769 | Gross: $0.09M
10. Ankur: The Seedling (1974)
131 min | Drama
Belonging to a lower caste, Lakshmi and her deaf-mute husband Kishtayya serve the landlord's son, Surya. When Surya's young wife finds out about his affair with Lakshmi, they all find themselves at crossroads.
Director: Shyam Benegal | Stars: Shabana Azmi, Sadhu Meher, Anant Nag, Priya Tendulkar
Votes: 1,668
11. Dweepa (2002)
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama
Nagi is the pillar of her small family that includes her husband and her rigid father-in-law. Faced with the possibility of losing her home due to the construction of a dam, Nagi proves her strength.
Director: Girish Kasaravalli | Stars: Soundarya, Avinash, M.V. Vasudeva Rao, Harish Raj
Votes: 283
12. And Quiet Rolls the Dawn (1979)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama
The daughter of an economically middle-class family fails to return home one night.
Director: Mrinal Sen | Stars: Satya Bannerjee, Gita Sen, Mamata Shankar, Sreela Majumdar
Votes: 242
13. Red Door (1997)
95 min | Drama, Mystery
Dr. Nabin Datta is a prominent dentist in Calcutta, 47, disengaged, with little affect, and fearful that his hands and feet are turning to metal. His wife leaves him to live alone. His son,... See full summary »
Director: Buddhadev Dasgupta | Stars: Champa, Raisul Islam Asad, Sunetra Banerjee, Haradhan Bannerjee
Votes: 76
14. Neem Annapurna (1980)
95 min | Drama
Director: Buddhadev Dasgupta | Stars: Anil Chatterjee, Bhaswati Dasgupta, Sunil Mukherjee, Monidipa Roy
Votes: 22
15. The Stranger (1991)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama
A well-off family is paid an unexpected, and rather unwanted, visit by a man claiming to be the woman's long-lost uncle. The initial suspicion with which they greet the man slowly dissolves as he regales them with stories of his travels.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Utpal Dutt, Dipankar Dey, Mamata Shankar, Bikram Bhattacharya
Votes: 4,389
16. 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: 10,098 | Gross: $2.08M
17. 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: 5,318 | Gross: $0.40M
18. Alms for a Blind Horse (2011)
Unrated | 112 min | Drama
A day in the life of a family in a village in Punjab as they deal with social and labor trials and inequities, leading to a night of a lunar eclipse.
Director: Gurvinder Singh | Stars: Samuel John, Mal Singh, Serbjeet Kaur, Dharminder Kaur Maan
Votes: 319
19. Samskara (1970)
113 min | Drama
Naranappa, a man born in the community of Madhwa (a community of Brahmins from Karnataka) is dead in the Agrahara of the village Durvasapura. As per the Madhwa customs, the last rites of ... See full summary »
Director: Pattabhi Rama Reddy | Stars: Girish Karnad, Snehalata Reddy, P. Lankesh, B.R. Jayaram
Votes: 138
20. English, August (1994)
118 min | Drama, Comedy
Agastya Sen (Rahul Bose), nicknamed "English, August", speaks and thinks in English. A lover of poetry, he listens to Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, rock, and jazz, and reads Marcus Aurelius. He ... See full summary »
Director: Dev Benegal | Stars: Tanvi Azmi, Rahul Bose, Rupen Bose, Shivaji Satam
Votes: 157
21. 27 Down (1974)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama
Sanjay is on a pilgrimage journey to Varanasi and remembers his life in flashbacks.
Director: Awtar Krishna Kaul | Stars: Sudhir Dalvi, Rakhee Gulzar, Madhavi Manjula, Sadhu Meher
Votes: 242
22. Chomana Dudi (1975)
141 min | Drama
Choma is an untouchable bonded laborer in a village who is working along with his family for a landlord, as he belongs to a backward class.[2] Due to his social status, he is not allowed to till his own land, something that he desires.
Director: B.V. Karanth | Stars: M.V. Vasudeva Rao, Padma Kumta, Jayarajan, Sunder Rajan
Votes: 76
23. The Big City (1963)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
Life at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Anil Chatterjee, Madhavi Mukherjee, Jaya Bachchan, Haren Chatterjee
Votes: 4,968
24. Ardh Satya (1983)
130 min | Crime, Drama
A newly appointed police rookie deals with corruption, romance, and brutality.
Director: Govind Nihalani | Stars: Om Puri, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Shafi Inamdar
Votes: 2,045
25. Piravi (1989)
110 min | Drama
Raghu, the only son of Raghava Chakyar was born late for him. So he poured his entire love and affection on him. Raghu, studying in an engineering college in a far away city has to arrive ... See full summary »
Director: Shaji N. Karun | Stars: Premji, Archana, Lakshmi Krishnamurthy, V.K. Sriraman
Votes: 294
26. Thai Saheba (1997)
117 min | Drama
Director: Girish Kasaravalli | Stars: Jayamala, Suresh Heblikar
Votes: 44
27. Uski Roti (1970)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A woman waits for her truck driver husband, everyday, with his daily bread. Her concern for their dying relationship and her sister grows fast as she starts to doubt his loyalty.
Director: Mani Kaul | Stars: Gurdeep Singh, Garima, Savita Bajaj, Lakhanpal
Votes: 571
28. Maya Darpan (1972)
107 min | Drama
Taran, the daughter of a wealthy landlord, finds herself on the horns of a dilemma when she has to choose between being with her lover and protecting her father's public image.
Director: Kumar Shahani | Stars: Aditi, Iqbalnath Kaul, Anil Pandya, Kanta Vyas
Votes: 98
29. Water (I) (2005)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama
Set in colonial India against Gandhi's rise to power, it's the story of 8-year-old Chuyia, who is widowed and sent to a home to live in penitence; once there, Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other residents.
Director: Deepa Mehta | Stars: Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Sarala Kariyawasam
Votes: 15,360 | Gross: $3.22M
30. Monsoon Wedding (2001)
R | 114 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around the world create much ado about the preparations for an arranged marriage in India.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shah, Vijay Raaz
Votes: 26,691 | Gross: $13.88M
31. Well Done Abba! (2009)
144 min | Comedy
A mild mannered chauffeur finds that the government in his parched village is giving loans to dig one's own well. After fudged photographs and bribes, he has no loan amount left to build his well. Aggrieved, he protests by abjuring water.
Director: Shyam Benegal | Stars: Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Sammir Dattani, Ila Arun
Votes: 1,995
32. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)
Not Rated | 132 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two photographers, who are employed by a magazine editor to expose the scandalous activities of the rich, come across corruption by a builder and accidentally photograph a murder.
Director: Kundan Shah | Stars: Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Bhakti Barve, Satish Shah
Votes: 14,733
33. Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003)
120 min | Drama
Set in the backdrop of Indian Emergency 1975, the story revolves around 3 friends whose lives changes drastically after the turn of events.
Director: Sudhir Mishra | Stars: Kay Kay Menon, Shiney Ahuja, Chitrangda Singh, Ram Kapoor
Votes: 5,301
34. Sanabi (1994)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama
Sakhi is a divorced woman who is a dancer at the State Dance Academy. One day, a thief falls in love with her after seeing her performance and in order to gain her attention he steals her horse.
Director: Aribam Syam Sharma | Stars: Devan, Dhiren, Kiranmala, J. Sushila
Votes: 17
35. 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: 120,720 | Gross: $0.91M
36. Maqbool (2003)
Not Rated | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The intrigue of the Shakespearean tragedy 'Macbeth' is transposed to the Mumbai underworld.
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj | Stars: Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah
Votes: 12,024
37. Harishchandrachi Factory (2009)
Not Rated | 96 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 1913 India's cinema industry is born from Dadasaheb Phalke's efforts to make Raja Harishchandra (1913), India's first feature-length B&W silent film.
Director: Paresh Mokashi | Stars: Nandu Madhav, Vibhawari Deshpande, Atharva Karve, Mohit Gokhale
Votes: 2,699
38. Nagarik (1977)
127 min | Drama
Ramu,eldest son a family of migrants to Calcutta,is a fresh graduate searching for a job like many others in post-Partition Calcutta.
Director: Ritwik Ghatak | Stars: Ajit Banerjee, Kali Bannerjee, Gangapada Basu, Satindra Bhattacharya
Votes: 237
39. The Making of the Mahatma (1996)
144 min | Biography, Drama, History
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was invited to South Africa in 1893 to settle a case for a wealthy Indian settled there. He expected to return in a few months but instead got involved in the freedom movement and eventually stayed for 21 years.
Director: Shyam Benegal | Stars: Rajit Kapoor, Pallavi Joshi, Keith Stevenson, Paul Slabolepszy
Votes: 215
40. 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: 240,245 | Gross: $52.77M
41. Bhavni Bhavai (1981)
135 min | Comedy, Drama
The atrocities on lower caste people displayed using folklore and ancient kingdom story. The digging of a step well in drought prone area and the exploitation of its lower caste people by the kingdom in a satirical manner.
Director: Ketan Mehta | Stars: Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Mohan Gokhale, Om Puri
Votes: 150
42. Interview (1971)
101 min | Drama
Ranjit cannot get a middle-class job just because he cannot get hold of a suit.
Director: Mrinal Sen | Stars: Karuna Bannerjee, Shekhar Chatterjee, Ranjit Mallick
Votes: 326
43. Calcutta 71 (1972)
132 min | Drama
An angry young man on trial in 1971,a rainstorm in a slum in 1933,a lower-middle-class family during the 1943 famine,teenage smugglers in 1953 and a middle-class group in a posh hotel in 1971.
Director: Mrinal Sen | Stars: Madhavi Mukherjee, Gita Sen, Binota Roy, Ranjit Mallick
Votes: 296
44. LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (2010)
Not Rated | 155 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A video camcorder, a store security camera, and concealed cameras candidly expose lives in three loosely-linked tales.
Director: Dibakar Banerjee | Stars: Nushrratt Bharuccha, Anshuman Jha, Neha Chauhan, Rajkummar Rao
Votes: 6,121
45. The Fourth Direction (2015)
115 min | Drama, History
Fear and paranoia pervade life in rural Punjab of the '80s, before and after Operation Blue Star, as separatists clash with security forces.
Director: Gurvinder Singh | Stars: Suvinder Vicky, Gurpreet Bhangu, Rajbir Kaur, Kanwaljeet Singh
Votes: 282
46. Chronicles of Hari (2016)
120 min | Drama
A Yakshagana actor who mainly does female roles is faced with his own sexuality and societies outlook.
Director: Ananya Kasarvalli | Stars: Shrunga B.V., Krishnamurthy, Prathima Naik, Anusha B Shenoy
Votes: 25
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