Best 20 bollywood movies of 2017 you should definitely watch

1. Haraamkhor (IMDb Rating – 6.4)

Ever heard about a married teacher’s affair with a student and how he/she exploits the teenager? Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Tripathi, Haraamkhor is a story about a married teacher who woos his student for sexual advances.

Having premiered at 15th annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) and Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), Nawazuddin’s brilliant performance in the film made him win Best Actor award at the NYIFF. 

2. The Ghazi Attack (IMDb Rating – 7.7)

Starring brilliant actors such as Rana Daggubati, Taapsee Pannu, Kay Kay Menon and Atul Kulkarni, The Ghazi Attack is an Indian war film based on the mysterious sinking of Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. 

3. Trapped (IMDb Rating – 7.6)

With the current climate change scenario, the time is not too far when you will have to survive without the basic necessities. Ever wondered how you’ll manage in those times?

Starring Rajkummar Rao in a stellar performance, Trapped is a story about a man who accidentally gets stuck in an empty high rise building without food, electricity and water. To know how he survives, watch the critically acclaimed film that won a standing ovation at the Mumbai Film Festival when it had its world premiere last year. 

4. Anaarkali of Aarah (IMDb Rating – 6.4)

It’s only difficult to be a dancer in the country because people ridicule you to any extent. After all, we have all heard the story Bigg Boss 11 contestant and popular Haryanvi dancer Sapna Choudhary who once attempted suicide for the same reason, right?

Directed by debutant Avinash Das and starring Swara Bhaskar and Sanjay Mishra, Anaarkali of Aarah is a story of a dancer who is harassed by a local politician as well as police, but the brave woman plots revenge and clears her name out of the controversy. 

5. Poorna (IMDb Rating – 7.9)

Do you that the youngest girl ever to climb the Mount Everest is Telangana girl Malavath Poorna? The 13-year-old is an inspiration for many!

Directed by Rahul Bose, the film has received positive reviews from fans as well as critics. The movie was screened at Palm Springs International Film Festival, where it was nominated in the list of 30 Best Feature Films. 

6. Mukti Bhawan/Hotel Salvation (IMDb Rating – 7.5)

Have you ever visited the holy land of Varanasi and felt being engulfed in the awe of it? Hindus believe that one can obtain salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth and re-birth by dying in the sacred land, and hence, hundreds of cremations take place every day at the river bank.

Starring Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl and Geetanjali Kulkarni, Mukti Bhawan is a story about a father’s untimely and bizarre demand to go and die in Varanasi.

The movie that has an approval rating of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, made its world premiere in 2016 at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. 

7. Baahubali: The Conclusion (IMDb Rating – 8.5)

From the day the Baahubali: The Conclusion had released, it created a havoc at the box office breaking numerous records. Having minted over Rs. 1000 crores  and won praises from international audiences as well as media. 

Starring Prabhas and Rana Dagubbati in lead roles, the movie is the second instalment of the two-part film. 

8. Hindi Medium (IMDb Rating – 7.9)

English isn’t a language; it’s a reflective of your class in India, right? Shedding light on the undying obsession of the country with the language, Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar Zaman starrer Hindi Medium, is a comedy-drama based on the education system of India.

9. Sachin: A Billion Dreams (IMDb Rating – 8.8)

Sachin Tendulkar is not just a cricketer, he is an emotion; the pride of the entire nation. Nothing more than the crowd going crazy while screaming his name in chorus can prove what the skipper means to the nation. 

Want to know how the skipper became the God of cricket? Watch Sachin: A Billion Dreams, a docudrama-biographical film that showcases his journey and details of his personal life, and also a few aspects that have never been heard of or seen before. 

10.  A Death in the Gunj (IMDb Rating – 7.6)

Directed and written by Konkona Sen Sharma, A Death In The Gunj is a story about a shy student who escapes his failed semester through a road trip with family. However, the things gradually shatter and the holiday ends with an implosion.

Starring a brilliant ensemble cast of Vikrant Massey, Tillotama Shome, Om Puri, Tanuja, Gulshan Devaiah, Kalki Koechlin, Jim Sarbh and Ranvir Shorey, the movie made its world premiere at 21st annual 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, its Asian premiere at 21st Busan International Film Festival and US premiere at South Asian International Film Festival. It was chosen as the opening film at the 18th Mumbai Film Festival, where the filmmaker-actress received ‘MasterCard Best India Female Filmmaker 2016 Award.’

11. Lipstick Under My Burkha (IMDb Rating – 6.9)

Women have sexual fantasies, and there’s nothing wrong with it. The shy country that we live in apparently refuses to accept it. That is perhaps, the reason why the censor board refused to certify the movie on the grounds that Indian audience might not be ready for this. After a long controversy and fight with the CBFC, the movie, which won 10 international film festival awards, while it was facing the tough time to get a release date in a country, is one of the best films of 2017.

Helmed by a female director Alankrita Shrivastava and starring critically acclaimed actors such as Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, theatre actress Aahana Kumra and also Plabita Borthakur,  Lipstick Under My Burkha is a film that contributes to changing mindsets in the country. 

12. Raag Desh (IMDb Rating – 8.3)

Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, Raag Desh is a story about real heroes of Independence movement—the soldiers of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (Azaad Hind Fauj). Based on the historic 1945 Indian National Army Red Fort Trials, the movie stars Kunal Kapoor, Amit Sadh and  Mohit Marwah among others. 

13. Indu Sarkar (IMDb Rating – 6.4)

The political thriller got embroiled in controversies even before it was released. Thin-skinned Congress party demanded the movie, which is based on emergency period (between 1975 and 1977) imposed by Prime Minister Indra Gandhi, to be screened for them before its release. Why? Because they were concerned about the depiction of their leaders in their film! And that happened after filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar clearly stated that 70 percent of the film is fiction. 

Starring Kirti Kulhari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anupam Kher, Tota Roy Chowdhury and Supriya Vinod, after a few cuts, Indu Sarkar was released. It was lauded by fans as well as critics. 

14. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (IMDb Rating – 7.5)

Based on the sanitation conditions in India, Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Toilet: Ek Prem Katha is inspired from a real-life story of a woman who left her husband after she found there was no toilet in the house.

The movie not only was lauded by PM Narendra Modi but also Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates who said that it was on his inspiration list of 2017. 

15. Babumoshai Bandookbaaz (IMDb Rating – 7.1)

After a long time, Nawazuddin Siddiqui came back to his Gangs of Wasseypur avatar in Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, where he played the role of a contract killer. Filled with humour and romance, the movie revolves around revenge, rivalries and murders. The powerful dialogues from the film created a buzz even before the release. 

16. Shubh Mangal Savdhan (IMDb Rating – 7.2)

Not all love stories are perfect, and not all of them begin with falling for each other at first sight. But what happens when parents set up an arranged marriage but later reject it, while the boy and girl fall in love with them? Wondering what the problem is? Erectile dysfunction!

After impressing us all with Vicky Donor playing the role of a sperm donor, Ayushmann Khurrana brings the problem of erectile dysfunction on the big screen with the remake of 2013 Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham. The fun filled film is a laughter riot, we promise.

17.  Newton (IMDb Rating – 8.0)

India's official entry for Oscars, Rajkummar Rao starrer Newton didn't make it to the final list of nominations but definitely won the hearts of the audiences. 

Newton is a story about a government clerk who on his election duty to a Naxal-controlled town tries to conduct free and fair voting despite the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communists. 

The movie world premiered at 67th Berlin International Film Festival and had its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Rajkummar Rao won Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Actor for his performance in the movie. 

18. Secret Superstar (IMDb Rating – 8.4)

Aamir Khan starrer Secret Superstar not only became the year’s one of the top grossing Bollywood films world, but also struck a chord with the audiences. The movie, which revolves around a 14-year-old’s journey to becoming a singer one day, made people laugh as well as cry. The film earned critical acclaim from one and all, and actress Zaira Wasim, who played the lead role, won the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement.

19. Ribbon (IMDb Rating – 7.8)

Love is a feeling out of this world. When love happens, you’re on the cloud nine, and everything seems like a cakewalk, doesn’t it? But with time, you realise that to make a relationship work, egos have to be put aside to understand the other person.

We have all been through it at some point in our lives. Introducing us to a similar love story is Kalki Koechlin and Sumeet Vyas starrer Ribbon, will tug at your heartstrings. 

20. Kadwi Hawa (IMDb Rating – 9.0)

No matter how much we run away from it or ignore it, but climate change is real and it doesn’t respect national border; it is affecting people everywhere.

Kadvi Hawa, a film from the makers of Newton and Masaan is a reminder of the grave reality showing what we are leading to. Starring Sanjay Mishra and Ranvir Shorey, Kadwai Hawa, as the name suggests might seem unpleasant but it is going to move you for sure.