Best Indian Thriller Movies

661 films · 316 with 3+ critic reviews

Tautly plotted cat-and-mouse cinema. Malayalam and Tamil filmmakers have made this the most consistently well-reviewed popular genre in the country.

The best Indian thriller movies, ranked by aggregated critic score.

01PinkHindi · 2016“Pink shows what meticulous planning can do to a film. And, of course, Amitabh Bachchan's…” — Rohit Vats

7.8

34 criticsExceptional02NeerjaHindi · 2016“Such films where the filmmakers need to work in the same time and space zone are…” — Rohit Vats

7.6

51 criticsExceptional03AndhadhunHindi · 2018“Sriram Raghavan's thriller is about a blind pianist (Ayushmann Khurrana) who gets…” — Anupama Chopra

7.5

17 criticsExceptional04PapanasamTamil · 2015“'Papanasam' is a faithful, if not better remake. It's an exhilarating cocktail of family,…” — S. Shiva Kumar

7.5

19 criticsExceptional05Dedh IshqiyaHindi · 2014“...quite a colourful montage of cinematic gems. Dedh Ishqiya is a taut film. It's a…” — Rachit Gupta

7.4

35 criticsExceptional06ShanghaiHindi · 2012“Writer-director Dibakar Banerjee and co-writer Urmi Juvekar tell this brutal story with…” — Anupama Chopra

7.4

12 criticsExceptional07KahaaniHindi · 2012“The first-rate performances help steer it to shore - from Vidya Balan to Parambrata…” — Anupama Chopra

7.3

11 criticsExceptional08UglyHindi · 2014“Anurag is so miserly with information that at one point you like to beseech him to part…” — Anuj Kumar

7.2

30 criticsExceptional09TalvarHindi · 2015“Talvar is an intriguing and gripping thriller and boasts of brilliant performances, witty…” — Sweta Kaushal

7.2

34 criticsExceptional10VisaranaiTamil · 2016“A powerful, chilling drama about how the System toys with us...” — Baradwaj Rangan

7.2

12 criticsExceptional11KILLHindi · 2024“Once Kill gets down to business, it explodes. This is one of the gnarliest Hindi action…” — Shilajit Mitra

7.2

14 criticsExceptional12RaaziHindi · 2018“Raazi is an excellent film because of how easily it could have not been one. On another…” — Rahul Desai

7.1

27 criticsExceptional13BadlapurHindi · 2015“The supporting players — from Huma to Kumud Mishra — are terrific. But ultimately,…” — Anupama Chopra

6.9

42 criticsRecommended14SanjuHindi · 2018“Sanju is another gem in Ranbir Kapoor's repertoire, but the same can't be said about…” — Rohit Vats

6.9

34 criticsRecommended15ThudarumMalayalam · 2025“He features Mohanlal in a role that has a good character arc with emotional depth and is…” — Latha Srinivasan

6.9

13 criticsRecommended16IshqiyaHindi · 2010“In Ishqiya lingo, the film is a sutli bomb (firecracker) that tickles and explodes. But…” — Nikhat Kazmi

6.9

7 criticsRecommended17NH10Hindi · 2015“Navdeep Singh nails it in the first half, but the second half lacks the same fluidity and…” — Rohit Vats

6.8

46 criticsRecommended18FanHindi · 2016“Fan delivers what it promised in the trailers. Logic may not be its strong point, but…” — Rohit Vats

6.8

40 criticsRecommended19Udta PunjabHindi · 2016“The film is entirely Chaubey's. Bringing in inspiration from Quentin Tarantino, the Coen…” — Rohit Vats

6.8

39 criticsRecommended20Madras CafeHindi · 2013“...undoubtedly makes for an engrossing watch, a little more attention to detail and the…” — Rummana Ahmed

6.8

20 criticsRecommended21DabanggHindi · 2010“Dabangg is a thorough entertainer, and unflinching at that, the kind audiences lapped up…” — Aniruddha Guha

6.8

7 criticsRecommended22Merry ChristmasHindi · 2024“Sriram Raghavan's film is exceptional, and remarkably moving.” — Rahul Desai

6.8

14 criticsRecommended23PonmanMalayalam · 2025“Director Jotish Shankar's film Ponman is extremely different, and Basil has broken out of…” — Latha Srinivasan

6.8

11 criticsRecommended24Kishkindha KaandamMalayalam · 2024“Here, screenwriter Bahul Ramesh achieves a near flawless pay off, worthy of the painfully…” — S.R. Praveen

6.8

4 criticsRecommended25D-DayHindi · 2013“Nikhil Advani exhibits rare brilliance as he manages to sustain edge-of-the-seat suspense…” — Rummana Ahmed

6.7

21 criticsRecommended26Thani OruvanTamil · 2015“Thani Oruvan isn't all that it could have been. If you've wondered why we don't make…” — Baradwaj Rangan

6.6

10 criticsRecommended2724Tamil · 2016“24 is laudable for its attempt to take Indian mainstream cinema a step ahead. The lead…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.6

10 criticsRecommended28BramayugamMalayalam · 2024“Everything about this Bramayugam. Every aspect of the film works towards making this film…” — Priyanka Sundar

6.6

10 criticsRecommended29MaaranGujarati · 2026“A hard-hitting saga of two uneasy relationships—but much more too. If you love serious…” — Rajiv Vijayakar

6.6

4 criticsRecommended30Detective Byomkesh BakshyHindi · 2015“It's a film that will keep you glued to the screen for all the 135 minutes it runs into.…” — Rohit Vats

6.5

42 criticsRecommended31DrishyamHindi · 2015“On paper it belongs to Ajay but on screen it is Tabu who walks away with it. And even…” — Anuj Kumar

6.5

38 criticsRecommended32Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster ReturnsHindi · 2013“Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns doesn't fully deliver the juicy thrill of the first film.…” — Anupama Chopra

6.5

17 criticsRecommended33L2: EmpuraanMalayalam · 2025“Empuraan has hardly anything going for it, except for the richness of its production…” — S.R. Praveen

6.5

14 criticsRecommended34Yennai Arindhaal...Tamil · 2015“A rushed climax, a problematic organ trafficking angle, a repeated plot device, a…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

6.5

11 criticsRecommended35KuberaaTelugu · 2025“Kuberaa falls short of being a gamechanger. But it is a brave film from a director who…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.5

8 criticsRecommended36Om Shanti OmHindi · 2007“Want to celebrate the crunch-popcorn-Manmohan Desai movies of yore? Then you've come to…” — Khalid Mohamed

6.5

7 criticsRecommended37Gali GuleiyanHindi · 2018“There is enough to admire in Dipesh Jain's ambitious first film about a lonely paranoiac…” — Anupama Chopra

6.5

7 criticsRecommended38Manjummel BoysMalayalam · 2024“With Manjummel Boys, Chidambaram pulls off an immaculately-crafted survival thriller.…” — S.R. Praveen

6.5

6 criticsRecommended39Lucky BaskharTelugu · 2024“This relationship drama woven around a financial scam is Atluri's best work till date and…” — Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

6.5

6 criticsRecommended40DrushyamTelugu · 2014“An unconventional film, this film is refreshing as it is not formulaic. Above all, it is…” — IndiaGlitz

6.5

4 criticsRecommended41MomHindi · 2017“To give credit where it's due, Mom does fan the audience's anger against people who…” — Rohit Vats

6.4

28 criticsRecommended42Mirzapur: The MovieHindi · 2026“Much like Ramesh Sippy's Sholay and Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar, the plot of Gurmeet Singh's…” — Anuj Kumar

6.4

28 criticsRecommended43PhobiaHindi · 2016“Much of the terror resides in Radhika Apte's eyes. She is the film, all by herself, that…” — Namrata Joshi

6.4

25 criticsRecommended44No One Killed JessicaHindi · 2011“For the way it's been made, it will be watched. It should be. Go for the kill!” — Mayank Shekhar

6.4

11 criticsRecommended45Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1Hindi · 2012“Gangs of Wasseypur is by turns absorbing and frustrating. Watching it feels like gorging…” — Anupama Chopra

6.4

10 criticsRecommended46Raat Akeli Hai - The Bansal MurdersHindi · 2025“It's taken only five years for the makers of the acclaimed thriller Raat Akeli Hai to…” — Rishabh Suri

6.4

13 criticsRecommended47Dhoom 2Hindi · 2006“Dhoom 2 is sheer, unapologetic entertainment, and a lot of effort has gone into making a…” — Deepa Gahlot

6.4

10 criticsRecommended48AjjiHindi · 2017“Ajji is a unpretentious revenge saga served with proper dose of blood and gore.” — Rohit Vats

6.4

6 criticsRecommended49Bharathanatyam 2 MohiniyattamMalayalam · 2026“A bolder, funnier sequel that dances into dark spaces with aplomb” — Vivek Santhosh

6.4

3 criticsRecommended50BabyHindi · 2015“It is a testament to Neeraj's skill that despite these flaws, he's created a film that…” — Anupama Chopra

6.3

32 criticsRecommended

See all 661 Indian thriller films →

Recent Indian Thriller releases

3.2

Law & Order

3 critics

5.9

Enna Vilai

5 critics

4.5

Secret Soldier

4 critics

4.4

Sardar 2

16 critics

5.3

Haiwaan

27 critics

6.3

Pradhama Drishtiya Kuttakkar

11 critics

← All genres