With the ever-growing content libraries of Indian OTT giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus Hotstar, SonyLIV, and Zee5, etc., you may have already seen most of the recent Indian films streaming on these platforms.
But alongside well known post-2k Indian films, there are many movies streaming on Indian OTT platforms which were released during the 1990s period and yet they remain underrated. For this article, we have compiled a list of five such relatively underrated yet brilliant Indian movies from the 90s which you can watch on various Indian OTT platforms.
Maachis, 1996 (Streaming on MX Player, Hungama Play, Shemaroo Me)
Directed by Gulzar, the hard-hitting political thriller is set amidst the backdrop of the Sikh revolt in Punjab in the 1980s period. The film’s plot follows the protagonist Kripal (played by Chandrachur Singh), who joins an extremist group after witnessing the brutal torture of his innocent friend by the police. The film also featured Tabu, Om Puri, Jimmy Sheirgill, and Kulbhushan Kharbhanda in pivotal roles.
Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin, 1996 (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
As the title suggests, the events of this Sudhir Mishra film take place over a period of one night. When a cheating husband (Nirmal Pandey) unintentionally insults a gangster called Raman Bhai (Ashish Vidyarthi), he runs away to save life from the feared criminal.
The film’s parallel plotline follows the gang rivalry between Raman Bhai and another criminal Vilas (Saurabh Shukla). The storylines converge into an interesting climax.
Lamhe, 1991 (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
Yash Chopra’s directorial ‘Lamhe’ is often called a film that was much ahead of its times and later achieved a cult following. The story is about a young man Viren (Anil Kapoor) who falls in love with an older woman Pallavi (Sridevi). When Pallavi marries someone else, Viren is heartbroken.
Soon after, Pallavi is killed in an accident and she leaves behind a daughter Pooja, who turns out to be an exact replica of her mother. Years later, in an interesting turn of events, Pooja falls madly in love with the much older Viren. The movie also features Waheeda Rehman and Anupam Kher in important roles.
Shiva, 1990 (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Shemaroo Me)
Helmed by maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, the crime actioner features Nagarjuna Akkineni as the titular protagonist Shiva. The confident and fearless Shiva joins a college where he locks horns with an unruly and politically connected student named JD (J. D. Chakravarthy).
Later, Shiva makes it his mission to stand up against the rampant corruption which he witnesses in and around his college. But that makes him the target of a powerful criminal named Bhavani (Raghuvaran).
Vaastav, 1999 (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
Vaastav was Mahesh Manjrekar’s take on the Mumbai underworld. The film follows the story of a chawl resident Raghu (Sanjay Dutt) who runs a food stall with his friend Dedh Footiya. One day, Raghu inadvertently kills the brother of a local gangster.
The incident causes the two friends to unwillingly get involved with the underworld. Eventually Raghu himself transforms into a dreaded gangster but that strains his relationship with his family.
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