Best Drama Movies

2,012 films · 801 with 3+ critic reviews

The backbone of Indian cinema — family sagas, social realism and character studies. The largest and most critically decorated category on the site.

The best drama movies, ranked by aggregated critic score.

01The LunchboxHindi · 2013“Dear reader, this is a delicious, beautiful little film. Just don't watch it on an empty…” — Deepanjana Pal

8.0

21 criticsExceptional02DangalHindi · 2016“This could be Aamir's best performance till date. Yes, even better than Lagaan. A man…” — Rohit Vats

7.7

32 criticsExceptional03CourtHindi · 2015“An accomplished piece of work whose natural tone is surreal...” — Anuj Kumar

7.7

21 criticsExceptional04GravityEnglish · 2013“Filmed wondrously by Cuaron's longtime cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, with an accent…” — Rashid Irani

7.7

12 criticsExceptional05PinkHindi · 2016“Pink shows what meticulous planning can do to a film. And, of course, Amitabh Bachchan's…” — Rohit Vats

7.6

34 criticsExceptional06QueenHindi · 2014“Ultimately Queen is Kangana's triumph. I left the theater thinking about Rani and how the…” — Anupama Chopra

7.6

30 criticsExceptional07Ship of TheseusHindi · 2013“Ship Of Theseus, no doubt, an intellectual exercise, the sort festival films often…” — Sarit Ray

7.6

19 criticsExceptional08La La LandEnglish · 2016“La La Land is one of my favourites of all time. Depending on how life has treated you,…” — Rohan Naahar

7.5

13 criticsExceptional09NeerjaHindi · 2016“Such films where the filmmakers need to work in the same time and space zone are…” — Rohit Vats

7.4

51 criticsRecommended10MasaanHindi · 2015“Sanjay Mishra's grief is so palpable that it gets under your skin. Even the actors with…” — Anupama Chopra

7.4

34 criticsRecommended11Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriEnglish · 2018“This darkly comedic and moving revenge tale is a swansong to Frances McDormand's skill” — Deborah Cornelious

7.4

13 criticsRecommended12NebraskaEnglish · 2014“For a while, the deliberate pacing made me restless but then slowly, all the pieces fit…” — Anupama Chopra

7.4

11 criticsRecommended13TitliHindi · 2015“No family is quite happy in Behl's imagination. Least of all the overtly happy one - that…” — Namrata Joshi

7.3

30 criticsRecommended14LoganEnglish · 2017“Hugh Jackman's final Wolverine film changes the face of superhero movies forever. It's…” — Rohan Naahar

7.3

18 criticsRecommended15Kaaka MuttaiTamil · 2015“It is so entertaining that it's easy to forget how sad the undercurrents are. CM and PM…” — Baradwaj Rangan

7.3

18 criticsRecommended16DunkirkEnglish · 2017“Dunkirk is one of the greatest war movies ever made – it's certainly the tightest, most…” — Rashid Irani

7.3

11 criticsRecommended17PKHindi · 2014“Hirani's PK is no doubt a very important and relevant film for all of us who have…” — Sudhish Kamath

7.2

49 criticsRecommended18ShahidHindi · 2013“Shahid is an admirable project, but as a biopic, it is far short of a masterpiece.” — Sanjukta Sharma

7.2

27 criticsRecommended19Kai Po Che!Hindi · 2013“Kai Po Che! is Gujarati for "I've cut". It is used as a cry of victory in kite-flying…” — Anupama Chopra

7.2

20 criticsRecommended20The Jungle BookEnglish · 2016“The Jungle Book is no longer cute and cuddly but a tale of survival. This time, it really…” — Jyoti Sharma Bawa

7.2

28 criticsRecommended21LionEnglish · 2017“These aren't pleasant thoughts, and in that respect, Lion is not a pleasant film, however…” — Rohan Naahar

7.2

14 criticsRecommended22American HustleEnglish · 2014“...So much fun that I wonder if viewers will recognize what a staggering artistic…” — Anupama Chopra

7.2

16 criticsRecommended23Black PantherEnglish · 2018“Marvel's new film will be discussed for decades, groundbreaking in so many ways” — Rohan Naahar

7.2

11 criticsRecommended24BoyhoodEnglish · 2014“...it is truly 'a historical moment in cinema' and not just because of Linklater's…” — Soumya Srivastava

7.2

10 criticsRecommended25PikuHindi · 2015“Piku speaks its truth with simplicity and heart. It made me laugh and cry. And I can get…” — Anupama Chopra

7.1

45 criticsRecommended26AligarhHindi · 2016“The film is a unique step forward in reality cinema in that it uses actual names of…” — Namrata Joshi

7.1

38 criticsRecommended27Kapoor & SonsHindi · 2016“For the want of a better term, Kapoor & Sons is an emotional roller coaster. It's a tear…” — Rohit Vats

7.1

37 criticsRecommended28NewtonHindi · 2017“Newton is one of the finest political satires we have seen in the last couple of years.…” — Rohit Vats

7.1

23 criticsRecommended29Gully BoyHindi · 2019“Ranveer Singh leads from the front in an empathetic, feel good tale about turning your…” — Namrata Joshi

7.1

25 criticsRecommended30Article 15Hindi · 2019“A remarkable film which cuts deeper and darker into Uttar Pradesh, a State (and a state)…” — Rahul Desai

7.1

20 criticsRecommended31PapanasamTamil · 2015“'Papanasam' is a faithful, if not better remake. It's an exhilarating cocktail of family,…” — S. Shiva Kumar

7.1

19 criticsRecommended32NightcrawlerEnglish · 2014“The City of Angels is photographed with breathtaking virtuosity by Robert Elswit. A…” — Rashid Irani

7.1

12 criticsRecommended33Thor: RagnarokEnglish · 2017“Thor Ragnarok is a true rock and roll original, and the reason it exists is because…” — Raja Sen

7.1

13 criticsRecommended34The PostEnglish · 2018“These aren't necessarily the debates we're either willing or confident enough to have.…” — Rohan Naahar

7.1

10 criticsRecommended35Phantom ThreadEnglish · 2018“Daniel Day-Lewis's final film is strange and sadomasochistic, it's Freudian and bizarre.…” — Rohan Naahar

7.1

10 criticsRecommended36WhiplashEnglish · 2015“"Whiplash" is a ruggedly ruthless and an honest film that's definitely worth a watch.” — Zeenews Bureau

7.1

10 criticsRecommended37KillaMarathi · 2015“Avinash Arun's incredible debut film explores unusual themes delicately and expertly --…” — Mihir Fadnavis

7.1

10 criticsRecommended38SpotlightEnglish · 2016“Spotlight is an important film, especially at times of cynicism around the profession of…” — Sankhayan Ghosh

7.1

15 criticsRecommended39RoomEnglish · 2016“Room is a superbly made movie about the bleakness that accompanies the loss of childhood.” — Sankhayan Ghosh

7.1

11 criticsRecommended40Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)English · 2015“Birdman embraces the meta-narrative by becoming the duality it explores — the real and…” — Sudhish Kamath

7.1

8 criticsRecommended41Bāhubali: The BeginningHindi · 2015“What really makes the film work is that it is, at its heart, a fast-paced adventure,…” — Mihir Fadnavis

7.0

46 criticsRecommended42UglyHindi · 2014“Anurag is so miserly with information that at one point you like to beseech him to part…” — Anuj Kumar

7.0

30 criticsRecommended43TalvarHindi · 2015“Its intentions might be blunt but as a piece of cinema Talvar is a sharp procedural.” — Anuj Kumar

7.0

34 criticsRecommended44FilmistaanHindi · 2014“Small film with a huge heart (and unrealised potential) that deserves to be watched for…” — Sudhish Kamath

7.0

24 criticsRecommended4512 Years a SlaveEnglish · 2014“While slavery is a part of American history, the exploitation has a universal resonance.…” — Mini Anthikad Chhibber

7.0

13 criticsRecommended46The Shape of WaterEnglish · 2018“It's a film only Guillermo del Toro could've made - full of injustice, but also,…” — Rohan Naahar

7.0

11 criticsRecommended47FandryMarathi · 2013“The beauty is that debutant director Nagraj Manjule doesn't give us a shrill polemic on…” — Anupama Chopra

7.0

10 criticsRecommended48AirliftHindi · 2016“Filmmaker Raja Krishna Menon fashions a taut, engaging feature film out of an incident…” — Namrata Joshi

6.9

40 criticsRecommended49HaiderHindi · 2014“An absolutely delightful and lyrical adaptation of Hamlet that takes some liberties, for…” — Sudhish Kamath

6.9

41 criticsRecommended50Baahubali 2Hindi · 2017“Baahubali is a delight for all those who enjoy cinema as a visual medium, there is not…” — Hindustan Times

6.9

35 criticsRecommended

See all 2,012 drama films →

Recent Drama releases

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5.9

Babita Singh Reporting

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6.9

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit

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5.7

Irumudi

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6.0

Vishwanath & Sons

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