Lesser known Gems from India: Movies
by alibaba_film_khazana | created - 30 May 2021 | updated - 17 Apr 2023 | PublicAn attempt to keep in memory the films that I believe, deserve a lot more attention than they get.
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1. The Touch (1980)
145 min | Drama, Romance
Anirudh Parmar is blind, but he does not let this impairment bind him down. He runs a school for the blind as a Principal. He meets with social worker, Kavita. Kavita is attracted to him, ... See full summary »
Director: Sai Paranjpye | Stars: Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Sudha Chopra, Mohan Gokhale
Votes: 951
2. 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: 2,046
3. Masoom (1983)
Not Rated | 165 min | Drama, Family
A happy family goes through turbulent times because of a big mistake by one of the family members.
Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Jugal Hansraj, Urmila Matondkar
Votes: 4,404
4. Khamosh (1986)
101 min | Mystery, Thriller
When a starlet is murdered on a film location, a detective arrives to investigate the cast and crew.
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Stars: Shabana Azmi, Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Soni Razdan
Votes: 1,155
5. Pushpaka Vimana (1987)
125 min | Comedy, Drama
An unemployed graduate who coincidentally encounters a rich unconscious man, and takes over his lifestyle by keeping him a prisoner. However, he is in for a twist as a contract killer is after him, assuming him to be the affluent man.
Director: Singeetam Srinivasa Rao | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Amala Akkineni, Tinnu Anand, Narayana P.L.
Votes: 3,815
6. In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989 TV Movie)
112 min | Comedy
Annie struggles to to clear his bachelor's degree with one final hurdle-The Thesis. It's his final attempt to clear it. Can he?
Director: Pradip Krishen | Stars: Roshan Seth, Arjun Raina, Arundhati Roy, Rituraj
Votes: 1,387
7. Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1990)
Not Rated | 122 min | Biography, Drama
After years of painstaking research at the cost of his domestic pleasure, Dr. Dipankar Roy discovers a vaccine for leprosy. The news is flashed over television and overnight, an ... See full summary »
Director: Tapan Sinha | Stars: Shabana Azmi, Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan, Deepa Sahi
Votes: 1,542
8. Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994)
158 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A dreamer falls for a girl who is in love with someone else and tries to create a rift between her and the man she loves.
Director: Kundan Shah | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Deepak Tijori, Rita Bhaduri
Votes: 19,461
9. 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: 5,072
10. Maachis (1996)
Not Rated | 160 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A realistic, hard-hitting portrayal of terrorism and youth in the Punjab after the 1984 riots.
Director: Gulzar | Stars: Om Puri, Tabu, Chandrachur Singh, Kanwaljeet Singh
Votes: 2,440
11. Shool (1999)
138 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A tale of an honest cop set against the backdrop of the brutal, lawless system prevailing in the Indian state of Bihar, and the endless suffering he tolerates before all hell breaks loose.
Director: Eeshwar Nivas | Stars: Manoj Bajpayee, Raveena Tandon, Sayaji Shinde, Yashpal Sharma
Votes: 3,883
12. Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002)
120 min | Drama
During a bus journey, a devout Hindu Brahmin woman protects a Muslim man when communal rioting breaks out.
Director: Aparna Sen | Stars: Rahul Bose, Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhisham Sahni, Surekha Sikri
Votes: 4,941
13. 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
14. Paanch (2003)
Not Rated | 130 min | Crime, Thriller
Kidnapping plot gone wrong when four friends plans to kidnap their own friend who accidentally got killed.
Director: Anurag Kashyap | Stars: Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastav, Joy Fernandes, Vijay Maurya
Votes: 2,476
15. It Happens That Way Too: Part II (2003)
137 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Revolves around a hapless copywriter torn between his crazy police officer fiancee and his new best friend, a hit man who inadvertently involves him underworld.
Director: Shashanka Ghosh | Stars: Arshad Warsi, Prashant Narayanan, Sandhya Mridul, Pratima Kazmi
Votes: 803
16. The Blue Umbrella (2005)
90 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
In a small village when a little girl's prescious umbrella is stolen, things goes wrong for a greedy tea seller who was very much interested in buying that umbrella from her.
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj | Stars: Pankaj Kapur, Shreya Sharma, Deepak Dobriyal, Rahul Kumar
Votes: 2,199
17. Main, Meri Patni... Aur Woh! (2005)
129 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A short, nondescript man, Mithilesh Shukla marries a tall and beautiful woman. Now jealousy and Mithilesh's own insecurities threaten to wreck his happy home.
Director: Chandan Arora | Stars: Rajpal Naurang Yadav, Rituparna Sengupta, Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon
Votes: 2,577
18. Dor (2006)
147 min | Drama
Two woman --different backgrounds, miles apart, and strangers to each other-- are linked by tragedy. Their new-found friendship is tested as one holds the fate of the other's husband in her hands.
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor | Stars: Ayesha Takia, Shreyas Talpade, Gul Panag, Girish Karnad
Votes: 6,270
19. No Smoking (2007)
Not Rated | 128 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A heavily addicted smoker is unprepared for the true price he must pay when he asks a guru's help to kick the habit.
Director: Anurag Kashyap | Stars: John Abraham, Ayesha Takia, Paresh Rawal, Ranvir Shorey
Votes: 8,872
20. 1971 (2007)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Drama, War
Based on true facts, the film revolves around 6 brave soldiers who escape from the clutches of the Pakistan Army and risk death with honour and courage with sacrifice towards their journey home.
Director: Amrit Sagar | Stars: Manoj Bajpayee, Ravi Kishan, Deepak Dobriyal, Kumud Mishra
Votes: 2,725
21. Mithya (2008)
110 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
A two-bit actor faces challenges after he is asked by Police to impersonate a look-alike gangster.
Director: Rajat Kapoor | Stars: Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah, Saurabh Shukla
Votes: 2,163
22. Shaurya (2008)
Not Rated | 149 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Maj. Siddhant Chaudhary, an Indian Army lawyer, attempts to defend Capt. Javed Khan who is accused of killing a decorated officer. The problem is that Khan does not wish to be defended and freely admits to his crime.
Director: Samar Khan | Stars: Rahul Bose, Jaaved Jaaferi, Minissha Lamba, Seema Biswas
Votes: 5,178
23. Dasvidaniya (2008)
113 min | Comedy, Drama
A man who loves to make "to-do lists" makes one last bucket list when he realizes he is about to die.
Director: Shashant Shah | Stars: Vinay Pathak, Sarita Joshi, Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Votes: 6,551
24. Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008)
Not Rated | 134 min | Drama
A moving portrayal of the 2006 train bombings in Mumbai, this Indian drama follows the interconnected stories of several strangers.
Director: Nishikant Kamat | Stars: Paresh Rawal, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan, Madhavan
Votes: 6,601 | Gross: $0.01M
25. Road to Sangam (2009)
135 min | Drama, Thriller
Amidst bomb explosions, fake arrests, police brutality, and protests, a determined mechanic attempts to repair an antique truck to transport the last remains of Mahatma Gandhi in modern-day India.
Director: Amit Rai | Stars: Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Pawan Malhotra, Jawed Sheikh
Votes: 908
26. Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (2009)
Not Rated | 150 min | Comedy, Drama
A story of a fresh graduate trying to find a balance between the maddening demands of the 'professional' way, and the way of his heart.
Director: Shimit Amin | Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Mukesh S. Bhatt, D. Santosh
Votes: 22,003
27. Phas Gaye Re Obama (2010)
Not Rated | 108 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Om Shastri, a recession victim comes to India to sell his ancestors property to clear is debt. On reaching he comes to know that selling the property will make his family homeless in India. Later he is kidnapped by goons thinking a rich NRI.
Director: Subhash Kapoor | Stars: Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Sanjay Mishra, Manu Rishi Chadha
Votes: 5,873
28. I Am Kalam (2010)
Not Rated | 88 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
An impoverished boy forms an unlikely and unstable friendship with the lonely son of a nobleman.
Director: Nila Madhab Panda | Stars: Gulshan Grover, Harsh Mayar, Pitobash, Hussan Saad
Votes: 4,878
29. Filmistaan (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Comedy
In Mumbai, affable Bollywood buff and wanna-be-actor Sunny, who works as an assistant director, fantasizes on becoming a heart-throb star. However, at every audition he is summarily thrown ... See full summary »
Director: Nitin Kakkar | Stars: Sharib Hashmi, Inaamulhaq, Kumud Mishra, Gopal Datt
Votes: 3,660
30. Kya Dilli Kya Lahore (2014)
98 min | Drama, History, War
In 1948, a cross-fire erupts at an isolated stretch of Indo-Pak border, leaving only two soldiers alive. One is an Indian soldier of Pakistani origin while the other happens to be a ... See full summary »
Directors: Vijay Raaz, Karan Arora | Stars: Vijay Raaz, Manu Rishi Chadha, Raj Zutshi, Vishwajeet Pradhan
Votes: 1,928
31. Meeruthiya Gangsters (2015)
129 min | Comedy, Crime
Unemployed college students becomes Gangsters to fulfil their financial needs and events followed by their decision to be Gangster in the the backdrop of Meerut City of India.
Director: Zeishan Quadri | Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Aakash Dahiya, Jatin Sarna, Shadab Kamal
Votes: 709
32. You Are My Sunday (2016)
119 min | Comedy, Drama
When their Sunday soccer game on the beach is canceled, five friends set out to find another place to play in the noisy, crowded city of Mumbai.
Director: Milind Dhaimade | Stars: Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, Avinash Tiwary, Nakul Bhalla
Votes: 1,889
33. The Brawler (2017)
Not Rated | 154 min | Action, Drama, Sport
A boxer struggles to make his mark in the boxing world.
Director: Anurag Kashyap | Stars: Vineet Kumar Singh, Jimmy Shergill, Zoya Hussain, Ravi Kishan
Votes: 8,649 | Gross: $0.08M
34. Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018)
Not Rated | 154 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The origin story of Bhavesh Joshi, an Indian superhero, who sets out to fulfill his slain friend's wish to clean and reform the country, by training himself to fight and wearing a mask.
Director: Vikramaditya Motwane | Stars: Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli, Ashish Verma, Shreiyah Sabharwal
Votes: 10,265
35. Sonchiriya (2019)
Not Rated | 143 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Set in the Chambal valley, the film follows the story of a legion of dreaded, warring dacoits who once terrorized the Indian heartlands.
Director: Abhishek Chaubey | Stars: Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, Ashutosh Rana, Ranvir Shorey
Votes: 13,028 | Gross: $0.09M
36. Chaman Bahaar (2020)
111 min | Comedy, Drama
A small town panwalla falls for a schoolgirl who lives opposite his shop. He experiences love, jealousy and betrayal without meeting her even once.
Director: Apurva Dhar Badgaiyan | Stars: Jitendra Kumar, Ritika Badiani, Bhuvan Arora, Dherendra Kumar Tiwari
Votes: 10,959
37. Jungle Cry (2022)
117 min | Drama, Sport
Based on the inspiring true story of 12 underprivileged and orphan children from Kalinga Institute in Odisha, India 'Jungle Cry' follows their triumphant journey to the International Junior Rugby Tournament held in the UK in 2007.
Director: Sagar Ballary | Stars: Abhay Deol, Emily Shah, Steve Aldis, Rhys ap William
Votes: 5,959
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