Best History Movies

95 films · 45 with 3+ critic reviews

Period epics and historical drama, a genre that draws unusually polarised critical response in India.

The best history movies, ranked by aggregated critic score.

01DunkirkEnglish · 2017“Dunkirk is one of the greatest war movies ever made – it's certainly the tightest, most…” — Rashid Irani

7.3

11 criticsRecommended02The PostEnglish · 2018“These aren't necessarily the debates we're either willing or confident enough to have.…” — Rohan Naahar

7.1

10 criticsRecommended03SpotlightEnglish · 2016“Spotlight is an important film, especially at times of cynicism around the profession of…” — Sankhayan Ghosh

7.1

15 criticsRecommended04RaaziHindi · 2018“The actors sometimes falter with their accent and dialect, but intrigue around Sehmat's…” — Rohit Vats

6.9

27 criticsRecommended05RRRTelugu · 2022“There is a story that can potentially move you, make you weep for the characters — but it…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.9

20 criticsRecommended06Superboys of MalegaonHindi · 2025“Despite an efficient ensemble of actors and honest moments of camaraderie, Reema's…” — Anuj Kumar

6.8

12 criticsRecommended07First ManEnglish · 2018“A Powerful, Masterfully Crafted Biopic That Dissects The Man On The Moon There's much to…” — Rahul Desai

6.7

10 criticsRecommended08IkkisHindi · 2026“Sriram Raghavan turns to the Battle of Basantar to honour a real-life martyr and take a…” — Anuj Kumar

6.6

11 criticsRecommended09SatlujHindi · 2026“It's just as well that the story is now being told in its intended form, which delivers a…” — Neeshita Nyayapati

6.6

9 criticsRecommended10Bajirao MastaniHindi · 2015“If you appreciate Sanjay Leela Bhansali's opulence and grandeur, this won't disappoint.…” — Sweta Kaushal

6.5

42 criticsRecommended11Bhaag Milkha BhaagHindi · 2013“For a film about sprinting and clocking shortest timings possible, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag…” — Sarit Ray

6.5

23 criticsRecommended12Bridge of SpiesEnglish · 2015“This film hits all the right notes; in the last 20 minutes, I was already thinking about…” — Udhav Naig

6.5

13 criticsRecommended13Chauthi KootPunjabi · 2015“This is a crafty move on the director's part, as it translates facts into a humane…” — Rohit Vats

6.5

7 criticsRecommended14Rang De BasantiHindi · 2006“You may, or may not be entirely convinced by Mehra's phenomenally filmed, but rather…” — Mayank Shekhar

6.5

4 criticsRecommended15SullyEnglish · 2016“The final few minutes of Sully are exhilarating. It's what the film has been surging…” — Rohan Naahar

6.4

14 criticsMixed16MantoHindi · 2018“Director Nandita Das beautifully stitches five of the famous Urdu author's short stories…” — Rahul Desai

6.3

14 criticsMixed17Darkest HourEnglish · 2018“Gary Oldman ceases to exist with his powerful performance as the former English Prime…” — Deborah Cornelious

6.2

14 criticsMixed18Zero Dark ThirtyEnglish · 2012“Zero Dark Thirty is deeply disturbing. There are scenes here that you can't watch and yet…” — Anupama Chopra

6.2

5 criticsMixed19Jai BhimTamil · 2021“Jai Bhim is perhaps one of the boldest films to come out of Tamil cinema. The politics…” — Srivatsan S

6.2

6 criticsMixed20PadmaavatHindi · 2018“Padmaavat is sparkling, extravagant, dazzling, magnificent and wonderful. It's a feast…” — Rohit Vats

6.1

26 criticsMixed21Raja ShivajiMarathi · 2026“This epic drama starring Riteish Deshmukh is more admirable than riveting.” — Rishabh Suri

6.1

12 criticsMixed22RangoonHindi · 2017“At 167 minutes, Rangoon isn't only long but painful. And this isn't the pain of love. And…” — Rohit Vats

6.0

27 criticsMixed23GoldHindi · 2018“Despite the presence of the national anthem, the tricolour, and a story based on India's…” — Namrata Joshi

5.9

20 criticsMixed24Billy Lynn's Long Halftime WalkEnglish · 2016“Even in regular old 2D, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk was one of the year's most…” — Rohan Naahar

5.9

3 criticsMixed25Manikarnika: The Queen of JhansiHindi · 2019“A flat retelling of the legend of Jhansi Ki Rani that aims at stoking nationalism but…” — Namrata Joshi

5.8

27 criticsMixed26Mission MangalHindi · 2019“It's hard to make intelligence look entertaining. But it's harder to make intelligence…” — Rahul Desai

5.8

26 criticsMixed27KancheTelugu · 2015“Kanche doesn't stand out merely by being different, but also because it's earnest.” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

5.8

13 criticsMixed28Sam BahadurHindi · 2023“Vicky Kaushal has delivered a commendable effort, but 'Sam Bahadur' falls short of being…” — Abhishek Srivastava

5.7

4 criticsMixed29Children of WarHindi · 2014“A worthy film based on fact, but lacking the zing of good fiction.” — Baradwaj Rangan

5.6

8 criticsMixed30HustlersEnglish · 2019“Towards the end a political statement is also shoved in: that the whole country is a…” — Namrata Joshi

5.6

5 criticsMixed31Sky ForceHindi · 2025“SKY FORCE is the ideal Republic Day entertainer, with action, grandeur and an emotional…” — Bollywood Hungama News Network

5.6

3 criticsMixed32Mission MajnuHindi · 2023“A generic spy thriller that overtly dramatises true events from our prickly relationship…” — Anuj Kumar

5.2

4 criticsMixed33KD – The DevilKannada · 2026“'KD: The Devil' flirts with the idea of an underdog's ascent in a blood-soaked world of…” — Sruthi Ganapathy Raman

5.1

7 criticsMixed3412 StrongEnglish · 2018“To be fair, some of the action scenes are photographed with genuine flair, but none of…” — Rashid Irani

5.1

4 criticsMixed35Free State of JonesEnglish · 2016“Gary Ross's film does well to juxtapose telling of Knight's story with the trial his…” — Shalini Langer

5.1

3 criticsMixed36Begum JaanHindi · 2017“The 134-minute long Begum Jaan has Vidya Balan in good form, but it lacks cohesiveness as…” — Rohit Vats

5.0

27 criticsMixed37KochadaiiyaanHindi · 2014“Watch Kochadaiiyaan for the vivid motion capture technology and Rajini's tandav in the…” — Sweta Kaushal

4.9

22 criticsUnfavorable38Ben-HurEnglish · 2016“Ben-Hur is exactly what it says on the tin: A remake of a remake, that is also a prime…” — Rohan Naahar

4.9

15 criticsUnfavorable39Victoria & AbdulEnglish · 2017“Don't be taken in by the delightful sight of Queen Victoria speaking in broken Hindi, and…” — Rashid Irani

4.9

13 criticsUnfavorable40Indu SarkarHindi · 2017“Madhur Bhandarkar's latest film starring Kriti Kulhari and Neil Nitin Mukesh has a…” — Sweta Kaushal

4.8

19 criticsUnfavorable41KalankHindi · 2019“Kalank often feels too much, and I only wish it made me do the same. It is a stunningly…” — Raja Sen

4.7

25 criticsUnfavorable42Mohenjo DaroHindi · 2016“The very straight, simple and oft-repeated tale of foster parents, mistaken identity,…” — Namrata Joshi

4.6

37 criticsUnfavorable43Thugs of HindostanHindi · 2018“Ambitious in its visual scale, 'Thugs of Hindostan' reveals a disappointing lack of heft…” — Namrata Joshi

4.2

30 criticsUnfavorable44The Accidental Prime MinisterEnglish · 2019“The film is so incompetently crafted, terribly performed and transparently petty that it…” — Rahul Desai

4.1

23 criticsUnfavorable45PM Narendra ModiHindi · 2019“Vivek Oberoi stars in Omung Kumar's latest biopic. The film, PM Narendra Modi, isn't mere…” — Raja Sen

3.6

17 criticsUnfavorable

See all 95 history films →

Recent History releases

6.6

Satluj

9 critics

6.1

Raja Shivaji

12 critics

5.1

KD – The Devil

7 critics

6.6

Ikkis

11 critics

6.8

Superboys of Malegaon

12 critics

5.6

Sky Force

3 critics

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