Here are the best Indian films that released recently and you can watch them digitally.
Most of these films have been shot before the COVID pandemic and lockdown
Table of content
- Aavesham (2024) Malayalam
- Manjummel Boys (2024) Malayalam
- 2018 (2023) Malayalam
- Neru (2023) Malayalam
- 12th Fail (2023) Hindi
- Mission Raniganj (2023) Hindi
- Gulmohar (2023) Hindi
- Laapataa Ladies (2024) Hindi
- Maidaan (2024) Hindi
- Sam Bahadur (2023) Hindi
The Indian Cinema has witnessed several blockbusters post the COVID pandemic. Especially the Hindi ‘Bollywood Industry’ which had its best year in 2023. Bollywood had four major films flowing into the gigantic 500 Crore Club. Whereas the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam film industry delivered a few blockbusters.
But here we are not talking about box office success. Here we are solely focusing on the critically acclaimed films of 2023 & 2024 based on story, screenplay, performance, art, and direction.
Aavesham (2024) Malayalam
Indeed, the most fun film of the year. The action-comedy film directed by Jithu Madhavan is one of the biggest hits from the Malayalam film industry. It stars Fahadh Faasil, one of the finest actors in India, as a local don named Ranga. The film tells the story of three college students who befriend a local don ‘Ranga’ in Bengaluru to revenge on their college opponents. From story to screenplay, direction, and performance, Aavesham received critical acclaim and grossed over 150 crores at the box office. The film is available on Amazon Prime (Malayalam) and Hotstar (Hindi).
Manjummel Boys (2024) Malayalam
This survival thriller film directed by Chidambaram is one of the highest-grossing films of 2024 and the highest-grossing Malayalam ever. It is the first Malayalam film to earn more than 200 crores at the box office. Based on a true story, Manjummel Boys focuses on a group of friends who embark on an adventure journey and one of them gets trapped in the Guna Caves. Manjummel Boys opened to overwhelming response and is considered one of the best Indian films ever made. The film is available on Hotstar in many languages.
2018 (2023) Malayalam
Based on the horrifying 2018 Kerala floods, film 2018 is another gem from the Malayalam film industry that was released the past year. The film directed by Jude Anthany Joseph was to overwhelming response and emerged as a blockbuster. The film starred Tovin Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, and Naran among others. You can watch 2018 on Sony Liv.
Neru (2023) Malayalam
Once again, it’s a Malayalam film that was released in the past year and was subjected to overwhelming critical acclaim. Directed by one of the most popular directors in the country, Neru starring Mohanlal in the lead role is a courtroom drama film. The film tells the story of a blind girl who is assaulted when she is alone at her home. Due to her blindness, the police fail to identify the criminal but the blind girl who is an artist sculpts the face of the accused. Mohanlal essays the role of a lawyer who helps the blind girl to get justice. The film is available on Hotstar.
12th Fail (2023) Hindi
The Vidhu Vinod Chopra directional 12th Fail made on a limited budget emerged as a sleeper hit at the box office. Regarded as one of the best Hindi films of 2023, 12th Fail is a biographical film based on how IPS Officer Manoj Kumar Sharma overcame extreme poverty and difficulties to become an Indian Police Service officer. The film stars Vikrant Massey as Manoj Kumar Sharma. 12th Fail opened to widespread critical acclaim for its story, direction, screenplay, and especially the performance by Vikrant Massey. The film is available on Hotstar.
Mission Raniganj (2023) Hindi
Regarded as one of the finest films of the year, Mission Raniganj failed to perform well at the box office despite positive reviews from critics. The film is based on a true story of Raniganj Coalfields collapse in 1989 in West Bengal where 60+ miners were trapped in a mine and a manager named Jaswant Singh Gill puts on a daredevil show to rescue all the miners. Akshay Kumar stars as Jaswant Singh Gill and the film is available on Netflix.
Gulmohar (2023) Hindi
One of the most loved films of 2023, Gulmohar was released on the OTT platform Disney + Hotstar in March 2023. Starring an ensemble cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Simran, Suraj Sharma, Amol Palekar, and Kaveri Seth among others. The family drama received over 14 nominations at the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards 2023. The film is written and directed by Rahul V. Chittella. The film recently won the National Film Award.
Laapataa Ladies (2024) Hindi
The Hindi comedy-drama film is certainly regarded as one of the best films ever made. Laapataa Ladies is directed by Kiran Rao and produced by her ex-husband and one of the biggest superstars of the country Aamir Khan. The film stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan. Opened to rave reviews, Laapataa Ladies was filmed at the 48thTIFF (Toronto International Film Festival).
While the film did decent business at the box office, upon its release on the OTT platform Netflix, Laapataa Ladies emerged as the most-watched Hindi film and received an overwhelming response from everyone. The film follows the story of two newly married brides who get exchanged on a train ride. A screening of Laapataa Ladies was recently organized at the Supreme Court of India, Delhi.
Maidaan (2024) Hindi
Unfortunately, a big office disaster upon its release, Maidaan was one of the most awaited films of 2024. The shooting of the film began in 2019 and faced many hurdles regarding its release, post-production work, and long shooting schedule. The film shooting came to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later due to the Cyclone.
The film was released this year after getting postponed numerous times. The biographical drama film is based on true stories of Indian Football’s golden period in 1962. The film is also based on Indian Football coach Syed Abdul Rahmim played by Ajay Devgn. Maidaan received critical acclaim from critics and is considered one of the best films in Indian Football. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime.
Sam Bahadur (2023) Hindi
Shot with real Indian Army Soldiers, this Meghna Gulzar’s directional Sam Bahadur is a war biographical film based on the life of Sam Manekshaw. It stars Vicky Kaushal as Sam Manekshaw, Sanya Malhotra as Sillo, Sam Manekshaw’s wife, and Fatima Sana Sheikh as Indira Gandhi, India’s 3rd Prime Minister.
With a military career spanning over four decades, Sam Manekshaw was the Chief of the army staff of the Indian army in 1971 and India’s first field marshal. Sam Bahadur was released on 1st December 2023 and clashed with Ranbir Kapoor’s Mighty Animal. Despite the clash, Sam Bahadur grossed over 120+ crores and emerged as a big box office hit. The film received several awards and nominations while Vicky Kaushal was highly hailed for his performance as Sam Manekshaw. You can watch the film on Zee5.