Geetu Mohandas has delivered yet another cinematic storm with Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups smashing box-office numbers globally. In India, the movie easily entered the ₹100-crore club on its very first day, and is rapidly approaching the ₹200-crore mark at the worldwide box office over its opening weekend. As one of the most highly anticipated, massive-scale action spectacles of the year, the film has generated significant buzz for its towering visuals and technical craft.
The film serves as a gritty gangster epic set against the fascinating historical backdrop of colonial Goa as Portuguese rule begins to crumble. The story follows Raya, portrayed with a commanding screen presence by Yash, who navigates a dangerous underworld built on opium empires, illegal trade, and warring factions. As Raya rises through bloody betrayals to seize total control, his empire faces an internal storm when his criminal ambitions clash with questions of love, redemption, and personal morality. The stellar ensemble cast features Nayanthara as Ganga, Kiara Advani as Nadia, and key performances by Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria, and Rukmini Vasanth.
If Yash’s savage, atmospheric underworld saga has sparked your interest in crime empires and left you wanting more, here are some other legendary gangster movies and gritty crime dramas to add to your watchlist.
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Nayakan follows Velu, a young boy who flees to Mumbai after his father is murdered by corrupt police. Taken in by a kind slum dweller, Velu grows up to become a benevolent godfather to the city's marginalized Tamil community. He takes the law into his own hands, dispensing justice where the system fails. However, his rise to power demands immense personal sacrifice, causing a tragic rift with his daughter. This classic crime drama explores the thin line between a criminal and a saviour.
Language: Tamil
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Directed and Produced by Ram Gopal Varma, the film follows Satya (J.D. Chakravarthy), an unemployed immigrant who arrives in Mumbai and gets falsely imprisoned. Inside, he befriends Bhiku Mhatre (Manoj Bajpayee), a charismatic underworld don. After his release, Satya joins Bhiku’s gang and quickly rises through the ranks due to his sharp, calculated tactical mind. As he plunges deeper into the brutal world of gang wars and police crackdowns, he tries to hide his criminal identity from his innocent neighbor, Vidya, whom he loves. The film plunges into a raw, tragic exploration of survival and loyalty, and has become a cult classic.
Language: Hindi
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Directed by Suresh Krissna, Baashha centers on Manickam (Rajinikanth), a humble and fiercely pacifist auto-rickshaw driver who goes to extreme lengths to avoid violence and provide for his family. However, when his siblings face grave danger from local thugs, Manickam's dark past is violently triggered. He is actually Manik Baashha, a legendary and feared underworld don from Mumbai who gave up crime after a personal tragedy. Forced out of retirement, he must use his old power to destroy his ultimate nemesis, Mark Anthony, and protect his family.
Language: Tamil
Where to watch: Jio Hotstar
Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, Company explores the gritty inner workings of the Mumbai underworld through Mallik (Ajay Devgn), a calculating crime lord, and Chandu (Vivek Oberoi), a sharp and ambitious newcomer. Chandu quickly becomes Malik's trusted right-hand man, and together they expand their criminal enterprise globally, outsmarting both rival gangs and the police. However, as power and money grow, paranoia and misunderstandings seep into their bond. A fierce turf war erupts between the two former allies, leading to an intense, bloody battle for survival and ultimate dominance.
Language: Hindi
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video and ZEE5
Directed and Produced by Anurag Kashyap, Gangs of Wasseypur is a sprawling, multigenerational crime epic centered on the fierce coal mafia of Dhanbad. The story tracks a bloody, decades-long vendetta between Shahid Khan's family and the ruthless politician-don Ramadhir Singh. Shahid's son, Sardar Khan, dedicates his life to destroying Ramadhir, a legacy of violence inherited by his own drug-addled son, Faizal Khan. The film comes with a star cast with lead actors as Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Spanning from the colonial era to the 2000s, this gritty two-part saga explores how a relentless thirst for vengeance and power consumes entire families and fuels endless bloodshed.
Language: Hindi
Where to watch: YouTube
Jigarthanda follows Karthik (Siddharth), an aspiring filmmaker who is kicked off a reality show but gets a chance to direct a feature film. To make a realistic gangster movie, he secretly travels to Madurai to research Assault Sethu (Bobby Simha), a ruthless and terrifying local don. Karthik's dangerous undercover operation goes horribly wrong when Sethu catches him spying. In a bizarre twist of fate, the filmmaker is forced to cast the ego-driven gangster as the hero of his movie, turning a gritty crime thriller into a hilarious meta-comedy.
Language: Tamil
Where to watch: Jio Hotstar
K.G.F Chapter 1 follows Rocky, played by Kannada star Yash, an ambitious orphan who rises from the slums of Mumbai to become a feared assassin, driven by a promise to make his dying mother rich. His quest for ultimate power takes him to the brutal Kolar Gold Fields, where he masquerades as a labourer to assassinate a tyrannical heir. Instead, Rocky sparks a massive slave rebellion, seizes control of the gold empire, and establishes himself as a kingpin. He must then defend his throne against ruthless global rivals and the Indian government.
Language: Kannada
Where to watch: Jio Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video
Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana centers on Hari (Rishab Shetty) and Shiva (Raj B. Shetty), two childhood friends who grow up to become the undisputed, ruthless rulers of the coastal city of Mangalore. Hari is a calm, calculating strategist, while Shiva is an unpredictable, violently feral enforcer. Together, they easily crush all rival gangs and take total control of the local underworld. However, their absolute power breeds immense arrogance. The entry of a brilliant, unyielding police officer exploits their growing psychological friction, turning the inseparable duo into bitter, deadly rivals.
Language: Kannada
Where to watch: ZEE5
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai traces the dramatic rise and fall of the Mumbai underworld through two contrasting eras. Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgn) is an honorable, Robin Hood-style smuggler who rules the city with strict ethics and commands immense public respect. Trouble begins when he takes Shoaib Khan (Emraan Hashmi), the rebellious and fiercely ambitious son of a police officer, under his wing. Shoaib lacks the Sultan's moral boundaries and craves absolute, violent power. He eventually challenges Sultan’s throne, permanently reshaping the city’s criminal landscape into a ruthless war zone.
Language: Hindi
Where to watch: Jio Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video
Produced by Dulquer Salmaan, Directed by Abhilash Joshiy, King of Kotha is set in a lawless, crime-ridden town ruled by a ruthless drug lord named Kannan. Desperate to clean up the streets, a newly transferred police officer decides to bring back Raju (Salmaan), Kotha's legendary former kingpin. Years earlier, Raju had abandoned his criminal life and left town after a devastating personal betrayal by his closest friends. Drawn back by unresolved past scores and a desire to protect his loved ones, Raju returns to wage a violent, high-stakes war to reclaim his crown.
Language: Malayalam
Where to watch: Jio Hotstar