9 Underrated Bollywood Movies That Are Actually Phenomenal

The most underrated Bollywood movies worth watching include Ankhon Dekhi, Masaan, The Lunchbox, Ship of Theseus, A Death in the Gunj, The Cinema Travellers and Chittagong, plus newer picks Sir and Joram. Most won major festival or National awards but drew small audiences in theatres, which is why many viewers still have not seen them.

Hindi cinema is often judged by opening weekends. These films were made on modest budgets, without big marketing, and many found their audience later through festivals and streaming. Here is why each one is worth your time.

Quick facts: underrated Bollywood movies

Film	Year	Director	Recognition
Ankhon Dekhi	2014	Rajat Kapoor	Filmfare Best Film (Critics)
Masaan	2015	Neeraj Ghaywan	Two prizes at Cannes, Un Certain Regard
The Lunchbox	2013	Ritesh Batra	Cannes Critics’ Week Viewers’ Choice Award, BAFTA nomination
Ship of Theseus	2012	Anand Gandhi	National Award, Best Feature Film
A Death in the Gunj	2016	Konkona Sen Sharma	Filmfare Best Debut Director
The Cinema Travellers	2016	Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya	Cannes documentary special mention
Chittagong	2012	Bedabrata Pain	Three National Awards
Sir	2018	Rohena Gera	Award at Cannes Critics’ Week
Joram	2023	Devashish Makhija	Filmfare Best Film (Critics)

1. Ankhon Dekhi (2014)

Rajat Kapoor wrote and directed this gentle, funny film about Bauji, a man in old Delhi who decides he will believe only what he sees with his own eyes. The decision upsets his job, his family and his faith, and slowly turns into a question about how anyone knows anything.

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Sanjay Mishra gives one of his finest performances. The film won Filmfare awards for Best Film (Critics), Best Actor (Critics) for Mishra and Best Story.

2. Masaan (2015)

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and written by Varun Grover, Masaan follows two young people in Varanasi, Devi and Deepak, whose lives are shaped by shame, caste and grief. The burning ghats of the city sit at the centre of the story.

It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2015 and won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prix de l’Avenir. It was also an early lead role for Vicky Kaushal, alongside Richa Chadha, Shweta Tripathi and Sanjay Mishra.

3. The Lunchbox (2013)

A lunchbox delivered to the wrong office by Mumbai’s dabbawalas starts a correspondence between a lonely widower, played by Irrfan Khan, and a young housewife, played by Nimrat Kaur. Nawazuddin Siddiqui adds warmth and humour as a trainee.

Ritesh Batra’s debut won the Viewers’ Choice Award at Cannes Critics’ Week and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. Of all the films here, it did the best at the box office.

4. Ship of Theseus (2012)

Anand Gandhi’s film tells three separate stories: a blind photographer, a monk who refuses medicine, and a stockbroker who has had a kidney transplant. Together, they ask an old question: if every part of something is replaced, is it still the same thing?

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the National Award for Best Feature Film. Kiran Rao presented its Indian release in 2013.

5. A Death in the Gunj (2016)

Konkona Sen Sharma’s first film as a director is set in McCluskieganj, now in Jharkhand, in 1979. A family holiday slowly turns tense as a shy young man, played by Vikrant Massey, is pushed around by the people closest to him.

The cast includes Tillotama Shome, Om Puri, Tanuja, Gulshan Devaiah, Kalki Koechlin, Jim Sarbh and Ranvir Shorey. Sen Sharma won the Filmfare award for Best Debut Director.

6. The Cinema Travellers (2016)

This documentary by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya follows travelling cinemas, or “touring talkies”, that carry film projectors on trucks to village fairs. It shows a dying trade and the people who keep it alive.

It won a special mention for the documentary prize at Cannes in 2016 and a Special Jury Award at the National Film Awards.

7. Chittagong (2012)

Bedabrata Pain, a former NASA scientist, directed this film about the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid led by schoolteacher Surya Sen. Manoj Bajpayee plays Surya Sen, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajkummar Rao, Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma in early roles.

It won three National Awards, including Best Debut Film of a Director and Best Male Playback Singer for Shankar Mahadevan’s “Bolo Na”.

8. Sir (2018)

Rohena Gera’s film is about Ratna, a domestic worker in Mumbai played by Tillotama Shome, and Ashwin, the man she works for, played by Vivek Gomber. It looks at class and quiet attraction without melodrama.

It premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, where it won the Gan Foundation Award, but reached Indian theatres only in November 2020, when cinemas were still recovering from the pandemic.

9. Joram (2023)

Devashish Makhija’s thriller stars Manoj Bajpayee as a man from Jharkhand on the run in Mumbai with his baby daughter. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub plays the policeman chasing him, and the film raises hard questions about land and displacement.

It premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and won Filmfare awards for Best Film (Critics) and Best Story, but had a small theatrical release in December 2023.

Why these films were overlooked

• Small releases: most opened on few screens with little marketing.
• No big stars at the time: many actors here, such as Vicky Kaushal and Vikrant Massey, became famous later.
• Festival-first route: several were seen abroad before Indian audiences heard of them.

Streaming availability changes often, so check the official platforms in India before you plan a watch. For more film lists, visit our Entertainment section, and for trending stories, see Buzz.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Masaan (Wikipedia), The Lunchbox (Wikipedia), Ship of Theseus (Wikipedia), Joram (Wikipedia).