Over the last decade, Bollywood has become more popular in the West, with Indian movies showing up in your Hind Movies recommendations and big-name actors like Priyanka Chopra becoming household names in the US. This rise in popularity has also led to an explosion of online streaming services and new social media channels. You can watch your favorite Bollywood films without leaving the comfort of your couch or phone.
One of the best ways to learn about a culture and discover new things is through movies. They’re entertaining and often have great life lessons to offer, especially when you know where to look. Here are 8 must-watch Indian movies you should download on your phone or tablet to enjoy them whenever you have some downtime.
Kabir Singh
This movie is based on the Telugu film Arjun Reddy, which features a surgeon named Kabir who is addicted to drugs and alcohol. Despite his parents’ wishes, he wants to be free and make his own decisions. He meets a woman named Tara, who agrees to marry him when she discovers his addiction but changes her mind later when she learns more about the addiction. Unable to turn to anyone else for help, he finally agrees to check into rehab so he can stop drinking for the sake of their upcoming nuptials.
Uri: The Surgical Strike
An attack by Pakistanis on an Indian Army base in 2016 resulted in the death of 19 soldiers of the Indian Army. Uri: It tells the story of Col Kapil Yadav (Kaushal), a Para (Special Forces) officer who planned and executed retaliatory surgical strikes against militant bases across the Line of Control. Aside from Kirti Kulhari and Mohit Raina, well-known actors such as Yami Gautam and Paresh Rawal also feature in the film.
Article 15
The film is named after the Indian constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. In addition to the 2014 Badaun gang rape allegations and the 2016 Una flogging case, the HD Online Movie was inspired by multiple real-life instances of caste-based discrimination. Two Dalit girls are caught in a school bus by some men in the village of Laalgaon. The office of the Additional Superintendent of Police in Laalgaon is occupied by Ayan Ranjan, an officer of the Indian Police Service who graduated from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.
Gully Boy
The 2019 Indian film Gully Boy tells the coming-of-age story of Murad Ahmed, a wannabe street rapper living in Mumbai’s Dharavi slums. Near the end of his last year of college, Murad Ahmed lives in the Dharavi slums of Mumbai. His abusive father, Aftab Shakir Ahmed, has found a new wife. However, the family isn’t happy about this second wife. Even though Murad has a long-term, clingy girlfriend and is engaged to be married to Safeena Firdausi, his curiosity and interest in rap music have continued to persist.
Badhaai Ho
‘Badhaai Ho is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film about a middle-aged couple who become pregnant, much to their sons’ disappointment. Nakul Kaushik is 26 years old and in a stable relationship with Renee, one of his colleagues. Her mother, Sangeeta, likes him and approves of their relationship. His father, Jeetender ‘Jeetu’ Kaushik, is a middle-aged man working in the Railways and his mother, Priyamvada, is a typical housewife. Jeetu’s elder brother Gullar is a high school student. Priyamvada’s grandmother Durga always fights with his mother, Priyamvada.
Andhadhun
A blind piano player (Andhadhun) unknowingly becomes involved in a murder when he finds himself in the middle of a murder. A young pianist living in Pune, Akash Saraf, fakes being blind to improve his piano skills. However, Sophie knocks him over while crossing the street. As Sophie takes care of Akash, they soon develop an intimate romance. She is impressed by Akash’s talent and gets him hired at her father’s diner.
Raazi
Raazi is a 2018 Indian film adaptation of the true story of a female Research and Analysis Wing agent in Pakistan before the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. The movie was directed by Meghna Gulzar, co-produced by Vineet Jain and Shabinaa Khan, and released by White Feather Films Pvt Ltd. It stars Alia Bhatt as Sehmat, Vicky Kaushal as Kabir Malik and Jaideep Ahlawat as Khalid Mirza.
Stree
This Hindi comedy horror film is based on the Karnataka urban legend Nale Ba. According to this version of the story, the witch appears as a beautiful woman during the day, but after taking a man’s clothes, she becomes ugly. Residents of a town named Chanderi believe in the ghost of Stree, who stalks and whisks away men during religious festivals every year, causing many disappearances.