In Bollywood, there have been multiple instances when many good movies don’t get attention. This can be due to the lack of marketing resources like commercial advertisements. This results in good films getting buried beneath the piles of multiple releases in the Hindi cinema industry every year. Many a time, some movies fail to get the necessary acclaim because they were too ahead of their time and couldn’t reach the right audience which is the reason for re-releases sometimes. Here we bring you some of the most underrated Bollywood movies which are worth watching.
Which movies are called “underrated”?
When a film with strong potential fails to become a box office success in spite of having quality content, it is known as an underrated movie. This can happen due to several reasons starting from poor marketing of the film or simply imparting a message that is quiet ahead of time. Although they have solid content, these films fail to fetch the acclaim they deserve.
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Significance of lesser-known movies
- Artistic: Many movies that did not make it big at the box office may be artistically different from commercial movies in terms of narratives, cinematography, and other unconventional portrayal of thoughts.
- New talents: Several budding artists start their careers with directors who are invested in making an impact on society through films and this serves as a medium for emerging artists to come to the limelight.
- Thought-provoking: Commercial Bollywood movies rarely address any social cause or related issues affecting the country providing you with little to no thought-provoking ideas.
Let’s give these movies some attention and bring them back into your life. These underrated films give you a good quality taste of cinema that represents reality without too much drama.
Scroll down to check out the list of underrated Hindi movies that are a must watch:
1. Sangharsh
Sangrash being a partial remake of The Silence of the Lambs movie, is a psychological horror action movie in which a police officer asks help from a prisoner to punish a serial child killer and bring justice which no other cops can. Although Ashutosh Rana won the Filmfare Award for Best Villain and the Zee Cinema Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role, the movie is yet to be watched by many.
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- Release Year: 1999
- Director: Tanuja Chandra
- Genre: Psychological Horror, Action
- IMDb: 6.7
- Notable Performances: Ashutosh Rana, Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta
2. Tamanna
Based on a true story, Tamanna focuses on the societal stigmas faced by a eunuch (role played by Paresh Rawal) and an abandoned girl (played by Pooja Bhatt). It covers the topic of the deep-rooted prejudice and hate abjected upon eunuchs for being different in the face of society. The movie is a roller-coaster of emotions and was ahead of its time.
- Release Year: 1998
- Director: Mahesh Bhatt
- Genre: Drama
- IMDb: 7.1
- Notable Performances: Paresh Rawal, Manoj Bajpayee
3. Filhaal
The movie Filhaal is based on the concept of surrogacy and the complexities surrounding it. The news of the inability to bear a child makes Rewa slip into depression but her best friend Sia steps up to be her surrogate. The ups and downs in friendship are beautifully portrayed. This movie has won many awards like the Zee Cinema Award for the Best-Supporting Actress by Sushmita Sen.
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- Release Year: 2002
- Director: Meghna Gulzar
- Genre: Drama
- Notable Performances: Sushmita Sen
4. Raincoat
Bleakly based on the short story of The Gift of the Maggi by O Henry, Raincoat depicts two lovers (played by Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai) who are separated by destiny but meet again one day. An unforgettable romance that can be seen between the leads and how they realize the truth of each other’s lives.
The movie won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and Aishwarya Rai won the Zee Cine Award for Critic’s Choice Best Actress.
- Release Year: 2004
- Director: Rituparno Ghosh
- Genre: Romance, Drama
- IMDb: 7.7
- Notable Performances: Aishwarya Rai
5. 99
99 is a crime comedy film revolving around money extortion by a gangster team from people you have escaped. The lead role was played by Kunal Khemu, and the movie also features Cyrus Broacha, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Boman Irani.
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A highly entertaining interesting movie depicts the story of a gangster and his two companions and how they end up in many adventurous situations. This movie definitely needs recognition.
- Release Year: 2009
- Director: Krishna D.K and Raj Nidimoru
- Genre: Crime, Comedy
- IMDb: 7.3
- Notable Performances: Kunal Khemu, Boman Irani
6. Mithya
The story is based on the Mumbai underworld wherein a struggling actor gets caught in the game of cat and mouse due to the uncanny facial resemblance with a criminal. Starring Ranvir Shorey, Naseeruddin Shah, and Vinay Pathak in pivotal roles. the storyline has both funny and thrilling twists.
- Release Year: 2008
- Director: Rajat Kapoor
- Genre: Comedy, Thriller
- IMDb: 7
- Notable Performances: Naseeruddin Shah
7. Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota
The movie is based on a flight hijacking scenario wherein a group of people who were traveling to the US and due to ill-fate get stuck and experience some horrific action on the board. his fateful flight has interesting characters to see – a student going to study and a woman on the other hand meeting her husband after marriage.
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- Release Year: 2006
- Director: Naseeruddin Shah
- Genre: Drama
- IMDb: 6.4
- Notable Performances: Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma
8. Khakee
Khakee has great dialogue along with good music and a flawless screenplay. Released in 2004, this movie is about escorting a terrorist by cops but due to some officers, it becomes a big challenge. Starring – Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Tusshar Kapoor.
Khakee completely matches people’s tastes but is yet to be seen by many people.
- Release Year: 2004
- Director: Rajkumar Santoshi
- Genre: Action, Thriller
- IMDb: 7.4
- Notable Performances: Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan
You can watch the movie here:
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9. Fiza
Fiza is a crime thriller movie in which a strong relationship can be seen between brother and sister and how they are dealing with their lives due to the attack on their city. The performance of Hrithik Roshan, Jaya Bachchan, and Karishma Kapoor in pivotal roles is stunning. Fiza is based on riots and is a must-deserved watch.
- Release Year: 2000
- Director: Khalid Mohamed
- Genre: Romance, Thriller
- IMDb: 6
- Notable Performances: Hrithik Roshan
10. Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II
Waisa Bhi Hota Hai is a comic thriller about a copywriter who ends up in a gang war. The movie has some solid performances by Prashant Narayanan and Arshad Warsi. This movie failed to find equal footing alongside the high-budget commercial films and got lost between multiple Bollywood releases.
- Release Year: 2003
- Director: Shashanka Ghosh
- Genre: Comedy, Thriller
- IMDb: 7.4
- Notable Performances: Arshad Warsi
11. Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Ranbir Kapoor played a solid role in this movie and this made a huge impact on the public. Released in 2009, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year defines how to overcome battles of work by maintaining balance. Being a good movie, this film never got much popularity.
- Release Year: 2009
- Director: Shimit Amin
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- IMDb: 7.8
- Notable Performances: Ranbir Kapoor
You can watch the movie trailer here:
12. Shor in the City
Shor in the City is a crime thriller as well as a comedy-drama based on the life of five people, the movie shows the problems and difficulties of life in Mumbai city. Actors include Sendhil Ramamurthy, Tusshar Kapoor, Nikhil Dwivedi, and Preeti Desai. The film earned stark appreciation from reviewers and critics, who found it brutally original and struck directly at the heart.
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This movie is a good combination of luck, hope, and karma, a heartwarming message by the characters. The movie gained a lot of appreciation from reviewers but it was hardly accepted by the audience.
- Release Year: 2010
- Director: Krishna DK
- Genre: Crime, Drama
- IMDb: 7.2
- Notable Performances: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Radhika Apte
13. Margarita with a Straw
The movie is based on a teenage girl suffering from cerebral palsy and her relationship status. Margarita with a Straw stars Kalki Koechlin and Sayani Gupta in the main roles. The film won the National Film Award- Special Jury Award, Stardust Award for Filmmaker of the Year, and Screen Award for Best Actress. This movie is an inspiration and shows how to cope with life and live happily.
- Release Year: 2014
- Director: Shonali Bose
- Genre: Romance, Drama
- IMDb: 7.2
- Notable Performances: Kalki Koechlin, Sayani Gupta
14. The Blue Umbrella
Starring Pankaj Kapoor and Shweta Sharma in lead roles, The Blue Umbrella is a movie based on Ruskin Bond’s novel. It is a story of a young girl when one day she founds a unique blue-colored umbrella that belongs to Japanese tourists who are visiting the village. But later she faces a lot of trouble from villagers due to the umbrella.
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It is a lovely short film that brings back sweet and charming childhood memories and won The National Film Award for Best Children’s Film in the year 2007.
- Release Year: 2005
- Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
- Genre: Family Drama
- IMDb: 7.3
- Notable Performances: Pankaj Kapoor, Shweta Sharma
15. The Tashkent Files
The Tashkent Files is about the mysterious death of the former Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri. The film turned out to be a hit at the box office and earned a lot just after several days after its release. The movie stars Naseerudin Shah, Pankaj Tripathi, Mandira Bedi, Mithun Chakraborty, and many others.
This film was being accused of being politically motivated in terms of the 2019 elections and due to this, it suffered in the starting days at the box office. The film continued screening in theatres for at least a hundred days. It is one of the best underrated Bollywood movies.
- Release Year: 2019
- Director: Vivek Agnihotri
- Genre: Thriller, Mystery
- IMDb: 8.1
- Notable Performances: Pankaj Tripathi, Mithun Chakraborty
16. Shahid
The biographical movie is based on the life of a lawyer and human rights. Released in 2012, Shahid won the National Film Award for Best Actor by Rajkummar Rao and Best Director by Hansal Mehta at the 61st National Film Awards ceremony.
- Release Year: 2012
- Director: Hansal Mehta
- Genre: Thriller, Drama
- IMDb: 8.2
- Notable Performances: Rajkummar Rao
You can watch the movie trailer here:
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17. Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer is based on two lead characters who meet on a fateful bus journey during communal riots in the country. The film stars Konkona Sen and Rahul Bose. This movie won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration in India.
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- Release Year: 2002
- Director: Aparna Sen
- Genre: Romance, Drama
- IMDb: 7.9
- Notable Performances: Konkona Sen, Rahul Bose
18. Firaaq
This political thriller movie is based on the lives of many individuals who were victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots and how they were deeply affected. Firaaq is based on thousands of true stories. The movie is the directional debut of Nandita Das. The movie won two National Film Awards and international awards too.
- Release Year: 2009
- Director: Nandita Das
- Genre: Thriller, Drama
- IMDb: 7.9
- Notable Performances: Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval
19. Liar’s Dice
Liar’s Dice deals with the issue of the human cost of migration to cities and the misuse of migrant workers. The movie stars Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles. The movie won the National Film Award for Best Actress by Geetanjali Thapa and the National Film Award for Best Cinematography by Rajeev Ravi.
- Release Year: 2013
- Director: Geetu Mohandas
- Genre: Adventure, Drama
- IMDb: 6.7
- Notable Performances: Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin SiddiquiÂ
20. The Lunchbox
This romantic movie is based on an unlikely event of exchanging the lunch box by mistake and later an unusual friendship develops between the two of them. Though the movie was successful at the box office, it was rejected as an Indian entry for the Oscars. Starring Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur, The Lunchbox is a heartwarming movie that follows an exchange of messages between two individuals through letters only. It is one of the most underrated Hindi movies ever made.
- Release Year: 2013
- Director: Ritesh Batra
- Genre: Romance
- IMDb: 7.8
- Notable Performances: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur
You can watch the movie trailer here:
21. Ship of Theseus
This movie explores the questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning, and death. The movie title refers to Theseus’ paradox, whether an object has been restored by replacing all components and remains the same old object. Starring Aida Al-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi, and Sohum Shah played the lead role. The movie won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film of the year.
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- Release Year: 2013
- Director: Anand Gandhi
- Genre: Drama
- IMDb: 8
- Notable Performances: Aida Al-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi,Sohum Shah
Factors that make a Bollywood movie underrated
- Severe competition from blockbusters: Major film releases with prominent actors often overshadow the potential of lesser-known movies though they are more significant.
- Low budget: People already assume that a film on a low budget can never provide satisfactory results and tend to get avoided which casts them into the shadows.
- Limited release: If a film has a limited theatrical release it fails to reach a bigger audience as a result fails to make it big in the box office.
- Poor marketing: Improper marketing and promotional techniques can be a hindrance as they fail to address the greater audience.
How do you come across more underrated Bollywood films?
- Online forums: Various online forums like Reddit, Quora, etc. are great sources for coming across recommendations relating to movies that are striking yet failed to make an impact at the box office.
- Film Festivals: Film festivals are the best way to across a variety of ranges of films from various genres for inclusivity of films based on different aspects.
- OTT platforms: Online streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, etc. can be a great source to catch up on all the movies that you have missed out on.
- Word of mouth: When it comes to finding underrated Bollywood movies, word of mouth can do more wonders than you know.
- Nominations and acclaims: We can always look up nominations for film festivals or other such events and award-winning films to see what we have missed out on.
Thus, many lesser-known Bollywood movies may have failed to shine due to prevailing circumstances at that moment but they are more than worth a watch. This list of underrated Bollywood movies has been categorized on the basis of awards won and the social message imparted in the films. Let us know in the comments if you have watched any of the movies listed above.
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