There’s no doubt about the fact that most of the Indian movie-goers hop to the screens to either watch romance, drama or action. But a fairly sizable population also enjoys watching suspense, horror, psychological thrillers and crime thrillers. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of Bollywood movies which are able to pull of these genres. The combination of creative directors, good storylines and fantastic actors have birthed movies which have piqued audiences’ interest as well as went on to become commercial successes. On the other hand, there are quite a large number of movies, which, even though excellent in every department of film-making, were unable to rake in significant collections at the box office.
Quora users had a discussion about the best Indian psychological thrillers ever made. Although not all of them pertain to the genre as some of them are crime capers as well, the list anyhow is an interesting one. Besides usual guesses like Kahaani, Talaash and A Wednesday, Quorans also listed movies which weren’t commercial successes but were definitely deeply satisfying. For instance, Ram Gopal Varma’s Kaun starring Urmila Matondkar and Manoj Bajpayee, which opened to a mild reception at the Box Office, later gained a cult following for making the viewers sit on the edge of their seat right till its climax.
Here is a list of 7 exciting Bollywood thrillers which are a must-watch.
1. Kaun? ( 1999, IMDb Rating: 7.7)
Starring Urmila Matondkar and Manoj Bajpayee, the movie failed to ring in the cash registers but was a piece of brilliance delivered by director Ram Gopal Varma. For the entire length of the movie, one thinks that it has a supernatural element to it but wait until the end and you’re just left gawking. Any surprises that the movie was written by Anurag Kashyap?
2. Manorama Six Feet Under (2007, IMDb Rating: 7.8)
This movie starring extremely talented actors Abhay Deol, Raima Sen, Gul Panag, and Vinay Pathak, was directed by Navdeep Singh (who went on to make NH 10). Obviously, many won’t even know of the movie’s existence as it was not a commercial success, but for those who appreciate a good mysterious thriller, Manorama Six Feet Under is a must watch. The movie has 7.8 rating on IMDb.
3. Johnny Gaddar (2007, IMDb Rating: 7.9)
Released right after Manorama Six Feet Under and described as a ‘neo-noir thriller’, even this one failed to amuse the mass audiences, however, the movie is one of the most brilliant crime thrillers to come out of Bollywood. Starring Dharmendra, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vinay Pathak, Zakir Hussain and Rimi Sen, the movie has a riveting plot weaved with lies, mystery and betrayals.
The most interesting thing about the movie is the way its director, Sriram Raghavan, has paid tribute to all the movies he was inspired from.
4. Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007, IMDb Rating: 7.3)
The year 2007 seems to be a year filled with underrated thrillers, with this one adding to the list. Directed by Priyadarshan, this movie, starring Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar, Shiney Ahuja, Ameesha Patel and Paresh Rawal, is a complete entertainer. Vidya Balan’s performance in the movie was much-appreciated and the movie’s complex mystery you in as it progresses. If you haven’t seen this one, you need to drop everything right now and watch it.
5. Karthik Calling Karthik (2010, IMDb Rating: 7.0)
Farhan Akhtar had already arrived on the silver screen by 2010 and Karthik Calling Karthik was Farhan’s third movie after Rock On and Luck By Chance. This directorial debut of Vijay Lalwani did not click with the audience even though it had a gripping element of suspense weaved throughout its plot. The audiences might have rejected it but you should definitely give it a chance and you won’t regret it.
6. Kahaani (2012, IMDb Rating: 8.2)
Directed by one of the most well-known directors of the industry, Sujoy Ghosh, the movie starring Vidya Balan in the lead role impressed the audience and critics alike and made huge collections at the box office. From the plot of the movie to direction to Vidya’s acting, everything is so perfect that you just cannot hold yourself from watching this one.
7. Table No 21 (2013, IMDb Rating: 7.1)
This psychological thriller starring Paresh Rawal and Rajeev Khandelwal and directed by Aditya Datt was a moderate success and raked in profits at the box office. A large number of people did not watch it and many were even unaware of its existence, largely because it does not boast of huge stars in its cast. The movie is loosely based on and named after Article 21 of the Indian Constitution and tackles the issue of ragging in a dark, unexpected way.
(Also read: Internet shares 9 most Indian things ever and we cannot stop laughing)
This isn’t an exhaustive list. Do share your favourites in the comments sections below.
(Source: Quora)
