The Best Hindi Movies on Disney+ Hotstar

Upon learning that his middle-aged mother (Neena Gupta) is pregnant, a twenty-something man (Ayushmann Khurrana) struggles to come to terms with the new development, which also affects his relationship with his girlfriend (Sanya Malhotra). Won two National Awards. Free to watch.

This remixed adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s 1892 short story “Kabuliwala” moves the setting to 1980s Afghanistan under a rising Taliban and switches up its titular dry fruit-seller for a travelling cinema exhibitor, who becomes the object of fascination for a documentary filmmaker as she looks back on her childhood. Free to watch.

Denied a release for nearly two years due to an ongoing court case, Anurag Kashyap’s second directorial venture — the first, Paanch, has never seen the (public) light of day — is based on S. Hussain Zaidi’s 2002 book of the same name and charts the events of the 1993 Bombay bombings, told through different perspectives: police, criminals, and victims.

Set in the titular Haryana city, this neo-noir thriller explores gender inequality and the dark underbelly of the suburban wastelands through a story of a real estate tycoon’s (Pankaj Tripathi) undisciplined son who kidnaps his own sister to pay off a gambling loss. Its grittiness didn’t particularly suit audiences, but critics were more appreciative. Free to watch.

A decade before he made Andhadhun, writer-director Sriram Raghavan gave us this neo-noir thriller adapted from the 1963 French film Symphony pour un Massacre. Neil Nitin Mukesh made his acting debut alongside Dharmendra, Rimi Sen, Vinay Pathak, and Zakir Hussain — not the tabla legend, obviously.

Naseeruddin Shah leads the cast of this Bombay-chawl comedy-drama that serves as a modern spin on the ancient tale of “The Tortoise and the Hare”, following a good-natured clerk (Shah) who’s taken advantage of by everyone and his fast-talking friend (Farooq Shaikh) who impresses everyone with tall tales. National Award-winner Sai Paranjpye directs. Free to watch.

Newcomers Mrunal Thakur and Riya Sisodiya play two sisters who become involved in Mumbai’s dangerous world of sex trafficking in this film from a Slumdog Millionaire producer, alongside an ensemble cast featuring Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Freida Pinto, Richa Chadha, Anupam Kher, Demi Moore, Mark Duplass, and Adil Hussain.

The true story of the youngest recipient of India’s highest peacetime honour Ashok Chakra, 22-year-old Neerja Bhanot (Sonam Kapoor), who thwarted the hijacking of a Pan Am flight in 1986 and died trying to get passengers to safety. Ram Madhvani directs. Free to watch.

Set against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat pogrom and inspired by a real-life tale, the story of a Parsi family — Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika playing the parents — who desperately look for their missing son among the communal violence raging on the streets. It’s largely in English, with bits and parts in Gujarati and Hindi. Free to watch.

Taare Zameen Par writer Amole Gupte concocts another elementary school drama about the titular student (Partho Gupte, Amole’s son) who doesn’t have a lunchbox — “dabba” is Hindi for lunchbox — of his own and is routinely berated by the cantankerous Hindi teacher (Amole) who loves digging through his other students’ lunchboxes. Free to watch.

Based on a Karnataka urban legend — though transported to small-town Madhya Pradesh in the film — this Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.-written comedy horror follows a women’s clothing tailor (Rajkummar Rao) who falls for a mysterious woman (Shraddha Kapoor), who frequently disappears.

A sexagenarian wife (Neena Gupta) decides to leave her husband (Rajit Kapoor) the day after their son’s marriage, prompting a series of conversations that wade through their difficult, decades-long marriage in a raw and bitter manner. Directorial debut for theatre veteran and cinematographer Pushan Kripalani. Favourably [compared] to the works of Mike Leigh, Ingmar Bergman, and Before Midnight.

Five thirty-something friends struggle to find a place in Mumbai where they can play football in peace in this light-hearted rom-com tale, which explores gender divides and social mores along the way. Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, Avinash Tiwary, Vishal Malhotra, Rasika Dugal, and Maanvi Gagroo star.

In this thriller from writer-director Anurag Kashyap, a struggling actor (Rahul Bhat) and a policeman (Ronit Roy) look for a missing 10-year-old girl: their daughter and stepdaughter, respectively. Termed as one of Kashyap’s best by many, though some took issue with its routineness, loose storytelling, and unearned insights.