Best of
Underrated Hindi movies to stream in India
Underrated Hindi movies on OTT in India: festival-premiered dramas, award-winning streaming originals and smaller releases, with certificates and runtimes.
Published Sun, 18 Oct, 2026 · Reviewed by Movie Mandala, Sun, 18 Oct, 2026
This list gathers Hindi films that earned serious recognition but never had the scale of a big star release. "Underrated" here has a narrow meaning: each title page records critical recognition, such as a festival premiere at Cannes, Berlin, Venice or Toronto, or a National, Filmfare or Filmfare OTT award, alongside a smaller footprint, such as a modest box-office total or a premiere straight to streaming. We do not have viewing figures, so treat this as a guide, not a measurement.
Every pick has a Hindi audio track and was checked on the platform's Indian app or website, with the check date on each title page. Picks are grouped by how they reached audiences, and within each group ranked by how well they reward someone looking for a strong film they may have missed.
On certificates: several are rated A or carry dark themes, and each note says so; streaming premieres may show only the platform's rating.
For more, see all thrillers, true stories or our Netflix guide.
Festival premieres
- 1
Newton
Prime VideoCBFC U/A106 min
A dry satire about an over-honest clerk running a forest polling booth premiered at Berlin, became India's Oscar entry and won the National Award for Best Hindi Film, yet Bollywood Hungama puts its India total at about ₹15 crore. Rated U/A and only 106 minutes, it is the friendliest entry point here for viewers new to Rajkummar Rao's smaller films.
- 2
Masaan
Prime VideoCBFC A109 min
Two prizes at Cannes and a National Award for its first-time director, and a debut screen role for Vicky Kaushal: Masaan arrived with critical weight but none of a star vehicle's scale. Its Varanasi stories of shame, grief and caste unfold quietly over 109 minutes. The A certificate reflects a suicide, sexual scenes and a blackmail plot, so it is for adults who like slow character dramas.
- 3
Shahid
Prime VideoCBFC A123 min
This Toronto-premiered biopic of a Mumbai lawyer who defended terror accused earned Rajkummar Rao and Hansal Mehta National Awards, while Bollywood Hungama records only about ₹3.7 crore at the box office. It is rated A and runs 123 minutes, with police torture and riot scenes. Pick it if you like courtroom stories with a civil-rights edge.
- 4
Talvar
NetflixCBFC U/A133 min
Meghna Gulzar's look at one murder investigation from three angles played Toronto, London and Busan and won National Awards for its screenplay and sound. Irrfan Khan leads a strong ensemble. It is rated U/A and runs 133 minutes, but the case centres on a teenager's killing, with bloody crime-scene images, so it suits adults and older teens.
- 5
Tumbbad
Prime VideoCBFC A108 min
The first Indian film screened in Venice's critics' week, this folk-horror tale of greed grossed more in its 2024 re-release than in its original run. It won Filmfare awards for its cinematography, art direction and sound design. Rated A and 108 minutes long, it has disturbing imagery and is not for children.
- 6
Mukkabaaz
Prime Video (Eros Now add-on channel)CBFC U/A155 min
Vineet Kumar Singh wrote himself this role and trained as a real boxer for about a year, and the Toronto-premiered result feels rawer than most sports films. Bollywood Hungama reports ₹10.51 crore in India. Despite its U/A rating, the 155 minutes include blood in the ring, caste tension and mob violence. Note it needs the Eros Now add-on on Prime Video.
Straight to streaming
- 7
Raat Akeli Hai
Netflix149 min
Released straight to Netflix in 2020, this small-town whodunit won Best Film at the Filmfare OTT Awards and Best Actor for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, which is why it belongs here rather than on a cinema hits list. It runs 149 minutes and has no CBFC certificate. Murder, sexual abuse and strong language make it strictly for adults who like big suspect lists.
- 8
Bulbbul
Netflix94 min
A 94-minute Gothic tale set in 1880s Bengal, Bulbbul skipped cinemas entirely and went on to win Filmfare OTT awards for Tripti Dimri and Rahul Bose. Viewers who like folklore and atmosphere over jump scares should try it. Netflix rates it U/A 16+, and it deals with child marriage, abuse and sexual violence, with bloody killings.
- 9
Jaane Jaan
Netflix139 min
Sujoy Ghosh's misty Kalimpong take on a Japanese crime novel went straight to Netflix and won three Filmfare OTT awards, including one for Jaideep Ahlawat's quiet maths teacher. It suits readers of crime fiction who enjoy cover-up stories more than whodunits. It runs 139 minutes, has no certificate on our title page, and centres on a killing.
- 10
Kaagaz
ZEE5CBFC U/A 13+ (ZEE5 rating)109 min
Pankaj Tripathi plays a farmer declared dead on paper in this gentle satire, inspired by a real Uttar Pradesh case, that premiered on ZEE5 and earned three Filmfare OTT nominations. It is Satish Kaushik's last film as director. ZEE5 rates it U/A 13+, it runs 109 minutes, and it is mild enough to watch with older children.
- 11
Lootcase
JioHotstarCBFC U/A134 min
Meant for cinemas in April 2020, this comedy about a red suitcase full of a politician's cash landed on Disney+ Hotstar instead, and Rajesh Krishnan still won the Filmfare award for Best Debut Director. It is the lightest pick here: rated U/A, 134 minutes, with gangster gunplay kept mostly comic. Good for a family evening with older kids.
Smaller cinema releases
- 12
A Wednesday!
Prime Video99 min
Neeraj Pandey's debut grossed about ₹12 crore in India and won him the National Award for Best Debut Film, then was remade in Tamil, Telugu and English. At 99 minutes, with Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher facing off by phone, it is a tight evening thriller. No certificate is on our title page; bomb threats and some violence suit teens and adults.
- 13
Lootera
Prime Video (free to watch)135 min
Vikramaditya Motwane's 1950s Bengal romance drew four and five stars from Bollywood Hungama and Rediff but grossed about ₹46 crore on a ₹32 crore budget. Its slow pace and O. Henry-inspired second half suit viewers who like old-fashioned love stories. It runs 135 minutes, is free to watch on Prime Video, and has no certificate on our title page; there is some gunfire.
Updated Sun, 18 Oct, 2026