The post-pandemic debate of the way forward for Bollywood and theatrical screenings continued in 2025, however issues have been changing into considerably clearer. With the success of Hindi movies like Saiyaara, Chhaava and the latest Dhurandher, the viewers was as soon as once more prepared to go to theaters, and themes of romance and patriotism have been a giant draw.

It was yr for movies from different areas of India, particularly for Malayalam and Tamil cinema.

Some indie movies did handle to discover a restricted theatrical run however the identical movies did higher as soon as they dropped on streaming platforms.

In the meantime, good movies, together with Santosh and Punjab 95, struggled to get licensed by the Censor Board.

Aseem Chhabra ranks the Better of 2025’s movies that launched in theatres, or went on to OTT platforms.

A lot of the movies on the listing are at the moment streaming however it’s unlucky that the very best movie of the yr — scroll all the way down to see which one it’s — has not had any luck with OTT platforms, regardless that it has gained awards at worldwide movie festivals, and likewise had a restricted theatrical run in India and the US.

 

10. Sister Midnight (Hindi)
The place to look at: Amazon Prime Video

In Sister Midnight, a deliciously humorous and darkish movie, directed by UK-based artist and filmmaker Karan Kandhari, Radhika Apte performs Uma, a newly married bride who strikes to Mumbai to reside along with her husband Gopal (Ashok Pathak) in a small room by the facet of the highway. The wedding is in bother from the start.

Uma is aware of nothing about sustaining a house or cooking.

The husband is nearly at all times drunk and afraid of initiating intercourse. As time passes, Uma reveals her darkish wishes which give the movie a wildly loopy twist.

Sister Midnight has a cool soundtrack, together with Sixties Cambodian soul music by singer Sinn Sisamouth.

Apte is a delight to look at within the movie. She has by no means been this good.

 

9. Su From So (Kannada)
The place to look at: JioHotstar

In director/actor J P Thuminad’s horror comedy, a younger man Ashoka (Thuminad) has a crush on a girl in his village. In a drunken state, he peeps into the girl’s lavatory window.

The subsequent day, the villagers begin to consider that Ashoka is possessed by the spirit of an previous girl Sulochana from the close by village known as Someshwara (therefore the title Su From So).

Within the insanity that pursues, Thuminad introduces us to a spread of charming, at occasions wacky village characters. However in essentially the most sudden second, the villagers invite a guru to exorcise Ashoka.

The guru is performed with over-the-top gestures by one of many movie’s producers Raj B Shetty. Previously, Shetty had directed and acted in motion movies together with the sensible Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, the place he performed an especially violent character (J P Thuminad was additionally part of the movie’s forged).

However in Su From So, Shetty is hilarious, pompous in his physicality, but weak and timid.

 

8. Bison Kaalamaadan (Tamil)
The place to look at: Netflix

In Mari Selvaraj’s fifth characteristic, a younger man’s world is flared up with offended mobs, caste points and big hurdles that appear exhausting to beat. But, Selvaraj’s protagonist Kittan (a terrific Dhruv Vikram) runs, and makes each doable effort to turn out to be a nationwide kabaddi champion.

Partially primarily based on the story of the Arjuna Award successful kabaddi participant Manathi Ganesan, Bison Kaalamaadan is Selvaraj’s most violent movie.

However the actual violence within the movie is the battle and problem, usually inside, that Kittan faces to realize his targets.

Bison Kaalamaadan is an bold movie that blends a sports activities drama a few younger man, with giant scale gang wars that envelope his world.

 

7. Avihitham (Malayalam)
The place to look at: JioHotstar

A bunch of voyeuristic males, behaving like an ethical police drive, arrange a plan with army precision to catch a pair making out at evening.

However within the rural Kerala setting, the lads are merely fascinated about exposing the girl since they consider she is the one morally corrupt particular person on this situation.

In Avihitham (An Illicit Affair), Director Senna Hegde exposes patriarchy, however with comedian conditions.

Nonetheless, Hegde’s comedy is not the laugh-out-loud selection.

As an alternative, Avihitham‘s rooted writing captures on a regular basis moments the place many males simply assume they’ve a superior manner of inspecting life.

 

6. People within the Loop (Hindi)
The place to look at: Netflix

An article journalist Karishma Mehrotra wrote for the net web site fiftytwo.in impressed younger filmmaker Aranya Sahay to make a movie about Nehma (Sonal Madhushankar), a tribal single mom in rural Jharkhand who’s employed as a knowledge labeler for a world AI firm.

Nehma’s empowering journey emphasizes a little-known reality about ladies from rural India who work within the background in shaping the brand new expertise. And so they deliver their very own private experiences to broaden the scale of AI.

A silkworm just isn’t a pest, Nehma says to her boss at one level within the movie.

It isn’t a dangerous insect.

It solely eats lifeless leaves, in order that the remainder of the plant stays wholesome.

She provides, ‘AI is sort of a baby. For those who train it something incorrect, it is going to solely be taught incorrect issues.’

 

5. Dhadak 2 (Hindi)
The place to look at: Netflix

Dhadak 2 is a stable debut movie by filmmaker Shazia Iqbal (former manufacturing designer for Sacred Video games and different reveals and movies) and a Hindi remake of Mari Selvaraj’s Tamil masterpiece Pariyerum Perumal.

However Iqbal goes past Selvaraj’s movie inserting Dhadak 2 inside the context of mainstream Hindi cinema, with robust performances by two younger Bollywood actors Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri.

An explosive movie from Dharma Productions, Dhadak 2 goes deep into the caste divide in India in a mid-level metropolis like Bhopal.

In contrast to Selvaraj’s feminine lead, who is sort of meek and sometimes clueless, Iqbal creates a robust girl character, giving her company and the understanding of her environment.

Dhadak 2 is a strong searing drama, a wake-up name to acknowledge the darkish actuality of life in India.

 

4. The Nice Shamsuddin Household (Urdu/ Hindi)
The place to look at: JioHotstar

Fifteen years in the past, Anusha Rizvi dropped at us Peepli [Live], a tragicomedy story of a farmer whose plan to commit suicide creates a media circus.

After a protracted hole, Rizvi and her producer-husband Mahmood Farooqi are again with a pleasant tackle a big center class Muslim household coping with messy, however hilarious points.

She populates her movie with an exquisite ensemble forged of largely ladies actors — Farida Jalal, Dolly Ahluwalia, Sheeba Chaddha (the movie’s three dramatic sisters), and equally proficient youthful performers enjoying cousins, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Kritika Kamra, Juhi Babbar and Nishank Verma.

What makes the movie stand out is that every character owns her/his Muslim house. There isn’t any apology, no worry of who they’re, aside from common gossipy residents of Delhi who occur to be Muslims.

 

3. Angammal (Tamil)
The place to look at: Amazon Prime Video

Primarily based on Perumal Murugan’s quick story Kodithuni, Director Vipin Radhakrishnan’s movie introduces us to a captivating protagonist Angammal (a spirited Geetha Kailasam), a beedi-smoking, bike driving widow, who prefers to not put on a shirt.

As an alternative, she wraps a sari to cowl herself. It is a matter of consolation, though Angammal has at all times been a non-conformist. However now she’s involved about altering occasions.

The problem of the altering occasions comes within the type of her youthful son, a physician, who’s planning to deliver his city-bred fiancé and her mother and father to his village. The long run in-laws will clearly meet the possible groom’s mom. So the son needs his mom to begin to put on blouses.

There aren’t any simple solutions in Angammal. However in Radhakrishnan’s world, life finds a steadiness, nonetheless uncomfortable it could be.

Angammal will stream on Amazon Prime from January 9, 2025.

 

2. Homebound (Hindi)
The place to look at: Netflix

An opinion piece in The New York Occasions written by journalist Basharat Peer, turns into the third act of Neeraj Ghaywan’s heart-wrenching movie that traces a friendship between two younger males from UP — a Muslim and a Dalit (performed by Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa), the hardships and the discrimination they face as they search jobs, and their eventual journey again house as India is locked down through the first part of COVID.

Homebound is India’s entry for the 2026 Finest Worldwide Movie Oscar and now shortlisted for the race.

It is an vital story that wanted to be instructed.

With Martin Scorsese on board as the chief producer, that is the second of the 2 movies Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions produced that look at the truth and the state of Dalits in India.

 

1. Sabar Bonda (Marathi)
The place to look at: Awaiting launch

Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) is the primary Marathi movie to play on the Sundance Movie Pageant, the place it gained the Grand Jury Prize within the World Cinema, Dramatic part. Additionally it is one of many few Indian movies that discover same-sex relationships in rural India.

Rohan Kanawade’s half autobiographical debut characteristic is a wonderful, light tackle mourning and discovering love in essentially the most troublesome time in an individual’s life.

Kanawade’s protagonist, Mumbai-based Anand (Manoj Bhushaan) is caught in his rural village, because the household marks his father’s 10-day dying ceremony.

Slowed down by traditions, Manoj finds consolation in his mom who perceive her son’s frustrations.

By probability Manoj reconnects along with his teenage buddy Balya (Suraaj Suman) and as soon as once more, love blossoms between the 2 younger males.

This fall filmmakers Mira Nair and Payal Kapadia introduced Sabor Bonda for its US theatrical launch. In Kapadia’s phrases, Sabar Bonda is a ‘uncommon present of a movie that makes you wish to attain out and maintain the hand of the particular person you’re keen on.’

Sabar Bonda continues to be looking for an OTT launch.

Pictures curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff