They say, ‘Films are a mirror to the society of the nation’. If we’re anything to go by this statement, then our society has changed for the better, since the outgoing decade has given us some unforgettable films. Irrespective of genre, they’ve left a memorable impression over our minds for time immemorial. Here is a comprehensive list of the 50 most influential movies of this decade –
50) Dabangg [Hindi] –
Released in 2010, and directed by Abhinav Singh Kashyap, the first installment in the quirky cop franchise was both hilarious as well as gripping. Starring Salman Khan in the lead role of Assistant Sub Inspector Chulbul Pandey, this movie was an out and out blockbuster.
49) Temper [Telugu] –
Released in 2015, directed by Puri Jagannadh, this Telugu masala flick and a complete 918kiss stuff, starring NTR Rao Jr., Kajal Aggarwal and Prakash Raj in principal roles presented the quirky tale of Daya, a corrupt cop with very few redeemable qualities. The massive success of this movie later led to the iconic remake by Rohit Shetty, titled ‘Simmba’.
48) Eega aka Makkhi [Telugu] –
Released in 2012, directed by ‘Baahubali’ fame SS Rajamouli and starring Nani, Kichha Sudeep and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in lead roles, this quirky take of a man reincarnating as a housefly in order to take revenge took everyone by surprise. With this movie, SS Rajamouli transcended the borders of languages, making himself a household name throughout India.
47) Enthiran [Tamil] –
Released in 2010 and touted to be one of the most expensive movies made in India at that time, the sci-fi movie starring Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Danny Denzongpa in principal roles and directed by S. Shankar became one of the first Indian movies to set new norms for special effects.
46) Pyaar ka Punchnaama Franchise [Hindi] –
Released in 2011, and directed by Luv Ranjan, this movie became the first one to break the barrier and focus on the other side of the human relationships: the men. The epic rant by Rajat aka Rajjo catapulted Kartik Aaryan to cult status and made him a household name. The sequel to the same made him a superstar by the end of 2015 and since then, Kartik has never looked back.
45) Singham [Hindi] –
Released in 2011, and directed by Rohit Shetty, the remake of the 2010 Tamil hit ‘Singam’, starring Ajay Devgn and Prakash Raj in principal roles set the stage of the eponymous cop universe of Rohit Shetty, with Akshay Kumar’s ‘Sooryavanshi’ joining the bandwagon by next year. One of the most entertaining masala films in its own right, the movie restored the superstar status of Ajay Devgn.
44) Oh My God [Hindi]–
Based on “Kanji vs. Kanhaiya”, released in 2012 and directed by Umesh Shukla, this hilarious representation of a man suing the Almighty took everyone by surprise. Starring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar in principal roles, this movie became a sleeper hit and one of the few Bollywood movies to have its own remake in other languages.
43) Jolly LLB [Hindi]–
Directed by Subhas Kapoor and released in 2013, the movie starred Arshad Warsi as Jagdish Tyagi aka Jolly, apart from Boman Irani, Amrita Rao etc. in principal roles. Based on several hit and run cases, this movie was one of the first few films in India, especially Bollywood, to have portrayed the courtroom proceedings realistically.
42) English Vinglish [Hinglish] –
Directed by debutante Gauri Shinde and released in 2012, the comeback movie of famous actress Sridevi Kapoor was an interesting take on how a homemaker Shashi overcomes her inhibitions of not being fluent in English to deliver a speech at one of her relative’s wedding.
41) Praktan [Bengali] –
Directed by Shiboprasad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy, this is an interesting tale of a local guide, who has a tumultuous relationship with one of his tourists. Starring Prosenjit Chatterji and Rituparna Sengupta in leading roles, this movie was a sleeper hit in 2016.
40) Duvvada Jagannadham [Telugu] –
Released in 2017 and directed by Harish Shankar, this vigilante action comedy in Telugu, starring Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde in lead roles was one of the first few movies in Indian cinema to not paint the Brahmins deliberately in a negative way. The movie was a runaway hit at the box office as well.
39) Rajkahini [Bengali] –
Released in 2015, directed by Srijit Mukherji and starring Rituparna Sengupta, Jisshu Sengupta, Saswata Chatterjee in principal roles, this Bengali movie focused on how a brothel owner refused to give up her mansion as the international border between India and East Pakistan would pass through the same. Unfortunately, the Hindi remake of the same, titled Begum Jaan, wasn’t as remarkable as the original one.
38) Pizza [Tamil] –
Directed by Karthik Subbaraj and starring Vijay Sethupathi, Remya Nambeesan, this low budget horror film which released in 2012 gained instant popularity for its unusual filming techniques and its gripping plot premise, paving way for multiple remakes in various languages.
37) Sajjan Singh Rangroot [Punjabi] –
Directed by Pankaj Batra, released in 2018 and starring Diljit Dosanjh, Yograj Singh in principal roles, this relatively underrated movie focused on the plight of the Indian soldiers, who were made to fight for their British masters in World War I. Diljit was brilliant in the portrayal of Sepoy Sajjan Singh, one of the soldiers sent to fight for the British.
36) Aligarh [Hindi] –
Directed by Hansal Mehta, released in 2016 and starring Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao and Ashish Vidyarthi in principal roles, this movie brought forth the dark side of Aligarh Muslim University politics, who wrongfully ousted Professor Ramchandra Siras, when it was found out that he was homosexual.
35) Vicky Donor [Hindi] –
Directed by Shoojit Sircar, released in 2012, and marking the film debut of Ayushmann Khurrana, this film was a quirky, yet effective take on the issue of sperm donation, and how Vicky Arora ends up becoming the ‘father’ of more than 50 children.
34) Kahaani [Hindi] –
Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, released in 2012, and starring Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee in principal roles, the thriller involving a pregnant woman searching for her husband in Kolkata changed the way a thriller is portrayed in Bollywood. The film was a sleeper hit as well, garnering more than Rs. 100 crores worldwide as compared to the shoestring budget of Rs. 8 crores.
33) Table No 21 [Hindi] –
Directed by Aditya Datt, released in early 2013, and starring Rajeev Khandelwal, Tina Desai and Paresh Rawal, this thriller left everyone in shock with the climax, with a hard-hitting message against college ragging. It is still counted as a cult classic by many.
32) Vikram Vedha [Tamil] –
Released in 2017, directed by the duo of Pushkar and Gayathri and starring R Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi in principal roles, this cat and mouse tale between a dreaded criminal and a trigger happy cop intrigued many, as it went on to become a sleeper hit.
31) 96 [Tamil] –
At a time, when vulgarity and promiscuity is becoming the new normal in Indian cinema, this Tamil movie was a refreshing take on innocent schooltime love. Directed by C Premkumar, released in 2018 and starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan in lead roles, this movie acquired a cult status of its own.
30) Dhruva [Telugu] –
Released in 2016, directed by Surender Reddy and starring Ram Charan Teja, Aravind Swamy and Navdeep in principal roles, this political thriller was one of the few films to focus on the rampant malpractices in the pharmaceutical industry in India.
29) Yennai Arindhaal [Tamil] –
Directed by Gautham Menon, released in 2015 and starring Ajith, Trisha Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Arun Vijay in principal roles, this is a gripping tale of an unlikely friendship between a cop and a criminal, which takes turn for the worse as the criminal refuses to reform. The movie also focused on organ trafficking, a rarity at that time in Indian cinema.
28) The Lunchbox [Hindi] –
Directed by Ritesh Batra and released in 2013, this movie, starring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a sweet take of how two complete strangers develop a relationship over a wrong exchange of lunch boxes. Having won the Viewer’s Choice Award at the Cannes Film Festival, this movie went on to be nominated at the BAFTA awards as well.
27) Paan Singh Tomar [Hindi] –
Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, released in 2012 and starring Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill and Vipin Sharma in principal roles, this is a memorable portrayal of Subedar Paan Singh Tomar, a legendary steeplechase athlete from the Indian Army who took the law into his own hands over a land dispute with his relatives in the hinterlands of Madhya Pradesh. Irrfan went on to receive the Best Actor award at the National Film Awards for the same.
26) Kaatru Veliyidai [Tamil] –
Directed by Mani Ratnam, released in 2017 and starring Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari in lead roles, this movie depicts the tale of an Indian Air Force pilot, who was taken captive by the Pakistani forces during the Kargil war. The movie became hauntingly real as Air Marshal Simhakutty Varthaman, who had given the necessary inputs for the movie, saw his own son, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, being captured by the Pakistani forces after his Mig 21 Bison crashed into enemy territory.
25) Onaatah – Of the Earth [Khasi] –
Released in 2015, and directed by Pradeep Kurbah, this extremely underrated movie depicted the tale of Onaatah, a gangrape survivor, who is inspired by her ancestral villagers to restart her life anew. The movie went on to win the National Award for the Best Movie in Khasi in 2016.
24) Ratsasan [Tamil] –
Released in 2018, the crime thriller, starring Vishal and Amala Paul in principal roles, depicts the tale of an aspiring filmmaker turned cop, who is assigned to the task of deducing the case of missing schoolgirls, and how he is embroiled into a dangerous trap by the main mind behind the same. Released on the same day as AndhaDhun, the movie, despite being as brilliant and remarkable as the former wasn’t appreciated in the same way.
23) Sairat [Marathi] –
Released in 2016, directed by Nagraj Manjule, and starring Aakash Thosar and Rinku Rajguru, the movie was a gripping take on the inter-caste marriage and how the social barriers wreak havoc in the lives of Prashant and Archana, the protagonist couple of the movie.
22) Na Peru Surya, Na Illu India [Telugu] –
Directed by debutant Vakkantham Vamsi, released in 2018 and starring Allu Arjun, Boman Irani in principal roles, the movie tells the tale of Surya, an Indian Army officer who has to overcome his anger management issues if he wishes to be posted at the borders. The movie was an instant hit due to the patriotic undertone and the interesting premise.
21) Hindi Medium [Hindi] –
Released in 2017, directed by Saket Chaudhary and starring Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar and Deepak Dobriyal in principal roles, the movie beautifully depicts the battle between English and other languages and how the English speaking populace regard themselves as superior on the basis of their fluency over the language.
20) Uyare [Malayalam] –
Directed by debutant Manu Ashokan, released in 2019, the movie is a moving depiction of an airline pilot aspirant, who is disfigured after an acid attack, and how she fights back the society into reclaiming her own identity. People who have watched this movie are now expecting Deepika Padukone to at least match to the levels of the lead actress Parvathy in her upcoming movie ‘Chhaapaak’.
19) KGF Chapter 1 [Kannada] –
Released in 2018, directed by Prashanth Neel, and starring Naveen Raj Gowda aka Yash in lead roles, the movie describes the rise of Raja aka Rocky, a power-hungry gangster who rises through the ranks in the underworld, with the dark history of Kolar Gold Fields serving as the backdrop. The movie became a runaway hit, despite the competition posed by SRK starrer ‘Zero’.
18) Village Rockstars [Assamese] –
Released in 2017, directed by Rima Das, this Assamese movie is a classic in its own, given that Rima Das is a self-taught filmmaker. One of the first Assamese movies to win the Best Film award at the National Film Awards, this movie was a sweet tale of how a girl tries to save enough money for her younger brother’s guitar, with the Asom floods playing an important role in the movie.
17) Jersey [Telugu] –
Released in 2019, directed by Gowtham Tinnaturi, the movie is a brilliant tale based on the quote ‘It is never too late’. Starring Nani as a retired first-class cricketer Arjun, who decides to re-enter cricket for the sake of his own son, this movie was a sleeper hit, paving for an upcoming Hindi remake in 2020 starring Shahid Kapoor in the lead role.
16) Mahanati [Telugu] –
Released in 2018, directed by Nag Ashwin, and starring Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan etc. in principal roles, the movie brilliantly depicts the rise and fall of Telugu superstar Savithri, who had taken the South Indian film industry by storm. The movie also garnered Keerthy Suresh a National Film Award for Best Actress in 2019.
15) Fatteshikast [Marathi] –
Released in 2019 and directed by Digpal Lanjekar, this movie is a brilliant depiction of how Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj reclaimed his beloved Lal Mahal in the famous fight with Mughal general Shaista Khan, now described as one of the first surgical strikes in India. The movie is the prequel to the 2018 hit ‘Farzand’, which depicted the reclamation of Panhala fort.
14) Evaru [Telugu] –
Directed by Venkat Ramji and released in 2019, the movie, based on the Spanish hit ‘Contratiempo’, is termed to be a much better remake than even the original, with Adivi Sesh and Regina Cassandra adding a few elements of their own with their acting. However, it didn’t acquire the same popularity as the Hindi version ‘Badla’, directed by Sujoy Ghosh.
13) Gumnaami [Bengali] –
Directed by Srijit Mukherji, released in 2019 and starring Prosenjit Chatterjee in the role of the legendary revolutionary Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the movie seeks answers to some extremely uncomfortable questions over the disappearance of the freedom fighter, with a special focus over the Gumnaami Baba Theory and the hearings of Mukherji Commission, which ruled out Netaji’s death in a plane crash, as per the official version.
12) Bala [Hindi] –
Released in 2019, directed by Amar Kaushik and starring Ayushmann Khurrana in the leading role, the movie hilariously depicts the struggles of Bal Mukund Shukla aka Bala, who is suffering from premature balding, and he copes with the societal struggles that come with it.
11) Court [Multilingual] –
Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane, this multilingual court drama released in 2015, depicts the Indian courts in a brilliantly realistic way as a poet is facing a trial for abetting the suicide of a sanitary worker with his creations.
10) Phas Gaye Re Obama [Hindi] –
Directed by Subhash Kapoor, released in 2010, the sleeper hit depicts the tale of Om Shastri, an Indian American businessman who is abducted on his trip to India, and how he witnesses the kidnapping industry in North Central India with his own eyes. The dark comedy made audiences laugh their hearts out.
9) Section 375 [Hindi] –
Directed by Ajay Bahl and released in 2019, the movie brilliantly depicts the rise in false rape cases in India and how media trials influence the decision of courts. Akshaye Khanna and Meera Chopra surprised one and all with their performances in the gripping courtroom drama.
8) Andhadhun [Hindi] –
Based on a French short film, the murder mystery directed by Shridhar Raghavan is regarded as one of the best Indian thrillers by many fans, as well as critics. Starring Ayushmann Khurrana as a blind pianist, the movie acquired a cult status of its own.
7) The Tashkent Files [Hindi] –
Released in 2019 and directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the sleeper hit features an ensemble cast of Shweta Basu Prasad, Mithun Chakraborty, Pankaj Tripathi, Naseeruddin Shah, Pallavi Joshi etc. in principal roles and tries to answer the questions posed after the mysterious death of India’s 2nd Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Tashkent in 1966. Despite the negative campaign, the movie acquired a cult status and went on to become a sleeper hit.
6) Jallikattu [Malayalam] –
Released in 2019 and directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, this Malayalam action thriller is a tale of how a village’s festivities go awry when the sacrificial buffalo escapes, leading to sheer mayhem. Many regard it as a brilliant cinematic experience of its own class.
5) Uri – The Surgical Strike [Hindi] –
Directed by debutant Aditya Dhar, released in 2019 and starring Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Mohit Raina in principal roles, the movie changed the definition of how war dramas are depicted in Indian cinema. Slick and precise, the movie based on Indian Army’s first cross border surgical strikes across PoK in years rode on the negative campaign from leftist portals to become an all-time blockbuster, grossing more than Rs. 340 crores worldwide.
4) Arjun Reddy / Kabir Singh [Telugu & Hindi] –
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, the movie depicts the tale of Arjun Reddy Deshmukh, a brilliant orthopaedic surgeon whose career goes downhill due to his anger management issues. Despite being castigated by the critics for absurd reasons, the movie went on to become a sleeper hit, leading to its remake as ‘Kabir Singh’, a movie which earned jackpot despite being hounded by the critics for not sticking to their diktats.
3) Gangs of Wasseypur [Hindi] –
Released in 2012, the two-part franchise by Anurag Kashyap depicted the tale of the coal mafia in Dhanbad region in a gripping way. The movie acquired a cult status amongst millions of cinemagoers in India and people continue to mouth its iconic dialogues even today.
2) Baahubali Franchise [Hindi] –
Directed by SS Rajamouli, the movie franchise broke every record and parameter of Indian cinema. Starring Prabhas in a double role, apart from Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyraraj in other principal roles, the fictional period drama was an ode to the indigenous culture of India and earned worldwide fame.
1) Drishyam [Malayalam] –
Undoubtedly the best film of this decade, this crime thriller of 2013, directed by Jeethu Joseph left everyone stunned. Many remakes surfaced, of which the Hindi remake, directed by Nishikant Kamath, and starring Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu and Ishita Dutta in principal roles, is considered as one of the best, as well as intriguing in its own right.
We hope our Indian cinema continues to deliver such gems in the forthcoming years.