25 Best Indian Movies of 21st Century

THR India's 25 In 25: The Best Indian Movies of the 21st Century
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THR India's 25 in 25: The Best Indian Movies of the 21st Century

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century.

BY Team THR India
'Visaranai'
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THR India's 25 in 25: A Powerful, Unsparing Procedural In 'Visaranai'

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Vetrimaaran's 'Visaranai' is a raw, unflinching procedural exposing systemic brutality and power.

BY Sruthi Ganapathy Raman
'Ulidavaru Kandante'
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THR India's 25 in 25: Why 'Ulidavaru Kandante' Was A Film of Many Firsts

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is Rakshit Shetty's 'Ulidavaru Kandante', which shook Kannada cinema as we knew it through its form and content.

BY Sruthi Ganapathy Raman
'The Great Indian Kitchen'
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'The Great Indian Kitchen' is a Revolution at the Sink

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Jeo Baby’s scathing domestic drama 'The Great Indian Kitchen' turns ordinary chores into an indictment of patriarchy itself.

BY Anushka Halve
Pa. Ranjith's 'Sarpatta Parambarai'
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THR India's 25 in 25: Punching Past Limits in 'Sarpatta Parambarai'

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. In Pa. Ranjith's 'Sarpatta Parambarai,' bloodied gloves and broken dreams turned into an anthem of defiance in Tamil cinema 

BY Gautam Sunder
An illustration for 'Maheshinte Prathikaram'
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'Maheshinte Prathikaram' and The Comedy of Revenge

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is Dileesh Pothan's 'Maheshinte Prathikaram', a Malayalam classic that found beauty in restraint and redemption through revenge.

BY Suvigya Buch +1 More
An illustration for 'Monsoon Wedding'
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'Monsoon Wedding' and The Season of Truths

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. On the list is Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding', where an on-screen celebration exposed the undercurrents of class, patriarchy, and fragile forgiveness in modern India.

BY Arshia Dhar
An illustation for 'Nagar Kirtan'
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'Nagar Kirtan' And The Madness of Love

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is 'Nagar Kirtan'; Kaushik Ganguly’s award-winning drama is a tender exploration of love and longing, undefeated by its harsh social backdrop.

BY Shilajit Mitra
'Omkara'
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'Omkara' and the Language of Treachery

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Omkara', which transforms Shakespearean jealousy into cinema’s most visceral heartbreak

BY Keerat Kohli
'Sairat'
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'Sairat' Was A Gut-Punch That No One Saw Coming

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is Nagraj Manjule’s 'Sairat', which unravelled the caste violence hiding beneath Indian romance.

BY Justin Rao
'Pariyerum Perumal'
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THR India's 25 in 25: Rage and Reflection in 'Pariyerum Perumal'

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Mari Selvaraj's debut 'Pariyerum Perumal' softens rage into reflection in this landmark work of modern Tamil cinema.

BY Prathyush Parasuraman
'Piku'
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THR India's 25 in 25: How 'Piku' Captured Both Motion and Emotion

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi’s intimate, relatable family drama 'Piku' captures the mess and humour of everyday life.

BY Anushka Halve
'Udaan'
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'Udaan' is the Scream of a Generation Yearning to Break Free

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is Vikramaditya Motwane's 'Udaan', a powerful exploration of rebellion and coming of age.

BY Justin Rao
'Luck By Chance'
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THR India's 25 in 25: How 'Luck by Chance' Became the Definitive Movie About the Movies

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Zoya Akhtar's directorial debut 'Luck By Chance' wasn’t simply ahead of its time — it was honest in a time that wasn’t ready for honesty.

BY Ananya Shankar
'Lagaan'
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THR India's 25 in 25: How 'Lagaan' Became a Match for the Ages

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Team Ashutosh Gowariker and Aamir Khan hit it out of the park with 'Lagaan', a landmark sports drama and a rallying cry for Indian cinema.

BY Suvigya Buch
'Kumbalangi Nights'
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THR India's 25 in 25: How 'Kumbalangi Nights' Found Poetry in Imperfection and Home in Chaos

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is Madhu C. Narayanan's 'Kumbalangi Nights', arguably the single most seminal Malayalam film for the way it cultivated an audience for the industry outside of Kerala.

BY Vishal Menon
'Gangs of Wasseypur'
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THR India's 25 in 25: How 'Gangs of Wasseypur' Changed Popular Entertainment in India

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is 'Gangs of Wasseypur' Part 1 and Part 2; Anurag Kashyap’s two-part coal belt saga is a feast, a sensory all-you-can-eat buffet that altered the recipe of popular entertainment in India.

BY Shilajit Mitra
'Eega'
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THR India's 25 in 25: A Tiny Giant and A Daring Vision in 'Eega'

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. S. S. Rajamouli’s daring vision in 'Eega' turned absurd fantasy into a heartfelt epic.

BY Prathyush Parasuraman
'Drishyam' 1 and 2
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THR India's 25 in 25: 'Drishyam' 1 And 2 Played Out The Ultimate Game Of Deception

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. In Jeethu Joseph's 'Drishyam' 1 and 2, an ordinary man goes to extraordinary lengths for his family, but these deceptively simple films hid twists no one saw coming.

BY Vishal Menon
'Dil Chahta Hai'
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THR India's 25 in 25: Why 'Dil Chahta Hai' Was The Birth of Coolth

The Hollywood Reporter India picks the 25 best Indian films of the 21st century. Making the list is Farhan Akhtar’s debut, 'Dil Chahta Hai,' which turned youthful honesty into India’s cinematic awakening.

BY Keerat Kohli