Best Indian Thriller Movies

652 films · 258 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

7.6

34 criticsExceptional02NeerjaHindi · 2016“You don't even realise that it's the selflessness and courage of real characters you…” — Namrata Joshi

7.4

51 criticsRecommended03Dedh IshqiyaHindi · 2014“...quite a colourful montage of cinematic gems. Dedh Ishqiya is a taut film. It's a…” — Rachit Gupta

7.2

35 criticsRecommended04AndhadhunHindi · 2018“Sriram Raghavan's thriller is about a blind pianist (Ayushmann Khurrana) who gets…” — Anupama Chopra

7.2

17 criticsRecommended05ShanghaiHindi · 2012“Writer-director Dibakar Banerjee and co-writer Urmi Juvekar tell this brutal story with…” — Anupama Chopra

7.1

12 criticsRecommended06PapanasamTamil · 2015“'Papanasam' is a faithful, if not better remake. It's an exhilarating cocktail of family,…” — S. Shiva Kumar

7.1

19 criticsRecommended07UglyHindi · 2014“Anurag is so miserly with information that at one point you like to beseech him to part…” — Anuj Kumar

7.0

30 criticsRecommended08TalvarHindi · 2015“Its intentions might be blunt but as a piece of cinema Talvar is a sharp procedural.” — Anuj Kumar

7.0

34 criticsRecommended09RaaziHindi · 2018“The actors sometimes falter with their accent and dialect, but intrigue around Sehmat's…” — Rohit Vats

6.9

27 criticsRecommended10KahaaniHindi · 2012“The first-rate performances help steer it to shore - from Vidya Balan to Parambrata…” — Anupama Chopra

6.9

11 criticsRecommended11VisaranaiTamil · 2016“A powerful, chilling drama about how the System toys with us...” — Baradwaj Rangan

6.8

12 criticsRecommended12FanHindi · 2016“Fan delivers what it promised in the trailers. Logic may not be its strong point, but…” — Rohit Vats

6.7

40 criticsRecommended13BadlapurHindi · 2015“The supporting players — from Huma to Kumud Mishra — are terrific. But ultimately,…” — Anupama Chopra

6.7

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

6.7

34 criticsRecommended15NH10Hindi · 2015“Navdeep Singh nails it in the first half, but the second half lacks the same fluidity and…” — Rohit Vats

6.6

46 criticsRecommended16Udta PunjabHindi · 2016“The film is entirely Chaubey's. Bringing in inspiration from Quentin Tarantino, the Coen…” — Rohit Vats

6.6

39 criticsRecommended17Madras CafeHindi · 2013“...undoubtedly makes for an engrossing watch, a little more attention to detail and the…” — Rummana Ahmed

6.6

20 criticsRecommended18D-DayHindi · 2013“Nikhil Advani exhibits rare brilliance as he manages to sustain edge-of-the-seat suspense…” — Rummana Ahmed

6.5

21 criticsRecommended19IshqiyaHindi · 2010“Rarely are grace and profanity cited in the same breath. Debutant filmmaker Abhishek…” — Sukanya Verma

6.5

7 criticsRecommended20Detective 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

6.4

42 criticsMixed21DrishyamHindi · 2015“Drishyam works because it doesn't talk about a hero but a common man. Drishyam works…” — Rohit Vats

6.4

38 criticsMixed22DabanggHindi · 2010“Dabangg is not a movie for non-Salman fans. But for those who worship him it's a film you…” — Abhishek Mande

6.4

7 criticsMixed23MomHindi · 2017“To give credit where it's due, Mom does fan the audience's anger against people who…” — Rohit Vats

6.3

28 criticsMixed24Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster ReturnsHindi · 2013“Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns doesn't fully deliver the juicy thrill of the first film.…” — Anupama Chopra

6.3

17 criticsMixed25Yennai Arindhaal...Tamil · 2015“A rushed climax, a problematic organ trafficking angle, a repeated plot device, a…” — Sudhir Srinivasan

6.3

11 criticsMixed26Thani OruvanTamil · 2015“Thani Oruvan isn't all that it could have been. If you've wondered why we don't make…” — Baradwaj Rangan

6.3

10 criticsMixed2724Tamil · 2016“However, the Sathya-Mani romance is silly to the core, and drags the narrative down by…” — Gautaman Bhaskaran

6.3

10 criticsMixed28BabyHindi · 2015“It is a testament to Neeraj's skill that despite these flaws, he's created a film that…” — Anupama Chopra

6.2

32 criticsMixed29PhobiaHindi · 2016“Much of the terror resides in Radhika Apte's eyes. She is the film, all by herself, that…” — Namrata Joshi

6.2

25 criticsMixed30BadlaHindi · 2019“Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu's efficiently assembled film keeps tension at a boil…” — Raja Sen

6.2

23 criticsMixed31No One Killed JessicaHindi · 2011“For the way it's been made, it will be watched. It should be. Go for the kill!” — Mayank Shekhar

6.2

11 criticsMixed32Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1Hindi · 2012“Gangs of Wasseypur is by turns absorbing and frustrating. Watching it feels like gorging…” — Anupama Chopra

6.2

10 criticsMixed33Raat Akeli Hai - The Bansal MurdersHindi · 2025“The filmmaker transports us to the heart of Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow-Kanpur axis, spinning…” — Anuj Kumar

6.2

10 criticsMixed34Dhurandhar: The RevengeHindi · 2026“Not just Ranveer Singh; R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Rakesh Bedi's performances were…” — Lachmi Deb Roy

6.2

12 criticsMixed35Om Shanti OmHindi · 2007“Want to celebrate the crunch-popcorn-Manmohan Desai movies of yore? Then you've come to…” — Khalid Mohamed

6.2

7 criticsMixed36Gali GuleiyanHindi · 2018“There is enough to admire in Dipesh Jain's ambitious first film about a lonely paranoiac…” — Anupama Chopra

6.2

7 criticsMixed37Tiger Zinda HaiHindi · 2017“There's still some time to catch up with Hollywood, but Tiger Zinda Hai is probably the…” — Rohit Vats

6.1

26 criticsMixed38Saheb, Biwi Aur GangsterHindi · 2011“This one is admirably inspired, is almost a sophomore effort. As you'd know, that's a…” — Mayank Shekhar

6.1

10 criticsMixed39Gangs of Wasseypur – 2Hindi · 2012“It would be a mistake to judge Wasseypur for factual correctness. Kashyap shows…” — Sarit Ray

6.1

10 criticsMixed40Dhoom 2Hindi · 2006“Story? Do we really need one! Let's say it's just a simple cops and robbers tale that…” — Nikhat Kazmi

6.1

10 criticsMixed41AjjiHindi · 2017“Ajji is a unpretentious revenge saga served with proper dose of blood and gore.” — Rohit Vats

6.1

6 criticsMixed42Merry ChristmasHindi · 2024“Sriram Raghavan mounts yet another delectable tale of a charming woman accosted by a…” — Anuj Kumar

6.1

10 criticsMixed43DrushyamTelugu · 2014“An unconventional film, this film is refreshing as it is not formulaic. Above all, it is…” — IndiaGlitz

6.1

4 criticsMixed44MaaranGujarati · 2026“Abhishek Jain’s National-award winning Gujarati thriller is a potent and well-performed…” — Rahul Desai

6.1

4 criticsMixed45RaidHindi · 2018“In its textures, Raid aims for a gritty realism but the characters are painted in broad…” — Anupama Chopra

6.0

27 criticsMixed46ThoongavanamTamil · 2015“Thoongaavanam is eminently watchable, even if that means keeping awake for a late night…” — Gautaman Bhaskaran

6.0

17 criticsMixed47Mardaani 3Hindi · 2026“Mardaani 3 arrives with quiet confidence, fronted by Rani Mukerji, who has turned Shivani…” — Rishabh Suri

6.0

12 criticsMixed48TemperTelugu · 2015“Temper is all that the Puri and his team had promised it would be. It has all the…” — Venkat

6.0

6 criticsMixed49Raman Raghav 2.0Hindi · 2016“No Bollywood-style revenge or anger, just pure sadism. Ramanna's purity, despite his…” — Sweta Kaushal

5.9

38 criticsMixed50That Girl in Yellow BootsHindi · 2011“So much lower on logistics and ambition. It is, what they call, a quickie: As true for…” — Mayank Shekhar

5.9

12 criticsMixed

See all 652 Indian thriller films →

Recent Indian Thriller releases

4.5

Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups

16 critics

4.6

Magudam

9 critics

4.9

Agadha

8 critics

5.5

Photographer

4 critics

5.7

Unmadham

11 critics

6.1

Maaran

4 critics

← All genres