Keep Your Mind On Edge With These Must Watch Bollywood Thriller Movies On Netflix
Netflix has been a great saviour in Quarantine for many of us, as we passed time by watching all those movies and series we always wanted to watch but couldn’t. It’s been two months now though, and with your watchlist has been cleared away, you turn to your friends asking one question – What should I watch on Netflix next? Your friend might even have been tired of answering the question for you, which is why we bring to you a fresh list of top 20 Bollywood thrillers on Netflix that will keep your mind thoroughly engaged and entertained.
1. Andhadhun
Sriram Raghavan’s Andhadhun had disrupted the entertainment industry with its release. A story about a blind piano artist, who poses being blind so he can be recognised as a great artist. But when he gets sucked into a murder, his supposed affliction becomes his greatest enemy. A comedy of errors, Andhadhun was made unforgettable with its fine script and finer performances.
2.Badla
From the master of Indian thrillers Sujoy Ghosh comes the film Badla, a carefully crafted thriller that revolves around proving the innocence of a leading businesswoman of murder. A lawyer, who has never lost a single case in his long-standing career, question her back and forth to reveal her truth. When the truth does reveal itself, you are left in a state of shock. With impeccable performances from Taapsee Pannu and Abhishek Bachchan, Badla makes you think about it long after it’s over.
3.Talaash
Another gem in the world of Bollywood thrillers by Reema Kagti, Talaash revolves around a police officer who is investigating a high profile accident, which as the case progresses, seems more of an organised crime. Drenched in the world of deception and desire, Talaash is a tale of truth and loss, which weaves you in its web with the fine-threaded story and performances, delivering a final blow that will leave you shaken to your core and grasping at the threads.
4.Kahaani
My personal favourite from this list of thrillers, Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani takes you in the enchanting and mystic Kolkata with Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant engineer who has come to India to search for husband who has been missing for a while now. As she trundles across the lanes of Kolkata with police officer Rana in her tow, she uncovers a mystery of political scandal proceeded by the truth which will leave you admiring what a fine actress Vidya Balan is.
5.Article 15
A political thriller that doesn’t shy away from speaking the blunt truth, Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15 is hard-hitting blow on the condition of our society. It revolves around a small village where the city bred IPS officer Ayan Ranjan is posted. As two girls turn up dead and left hanging on a tree, Ayan finds himself sliding in the deep-rooted and deadly divides of caste and class, with the responsibility to find the third girl who’s still missing.
6.Wazir
A game of chess can teach you a lot about life and death, and how to masterfully make your each move to succeed. Bejoy Nambiar’s Wazir, uses the game as its base to craft an intricately smart story of a revenge, where an ex-ATS officer Daanish meets Pandit, his dead daughter’s chess master. A friendship blooms over their mutual loss, as Daanish realises that Pandit has also lost his daughter (Nina), which gives way to solving a mystery – of Nina’s murder and threats to Pandit.
7.Naam Shabana
Ever wondered how spies are made? Shivam Nair’s Naam Shabana relieves this curiosity in a tale of shaping Shabana, a secret service agent who was previously seen in the movie Baby. A prequel to the film, it focuses on a seemingly normal girl and how she finds herself in the radar of secret service to be incorporated in dangerous mission to eliminate one of the biggest arm dealer. A thrilling tale of revenge and patriotism, Naam Shabana is a film that makes you curious of the lives and workings of spies.
8.Haider
A Vishal Bhardwaj adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, Haider takes you through the events in a man’s life that can turn any sane person insane. The film revolves around Haider, who returns to his home Srinagar to find out about his father’s disappearance, who was accused of helping the militants and taken away by the army. He gets embroiled in the murky waters of the state politics, losing his sanity and turning into a madman haunted by the idea of revenge. Shahid Kapoor’s unparalleled performance, along with the musical score, makes Haider into an unforgettable experience.
9.Karthik Calling Karthik
A psychological thriller that will leave you picking at your brains, Vijay Lalwani’s Karthik calling Karthik revolves around a young, under-confident man named Karthik, whose life never seems to go right. Thrown down at every chance, he decides to end his life, but is saved by a call from a guy also named Karthik, who promises a better life to him. As Karthik takes advice from this well-wisher on call his life does get better, but when he goes against him, it all comes crashing down. As the mystery of the caller is unveiled, the mystery of human mind leaves you introspecting.
10.Khoon Maaf
A comedy of tragedy, Vishal Bhardwaj, weaves a deadly tale of love in the film 7 Khoon Maaf. Susanna is on a quest to find true love in her life, but fails all the seven time she tries. All her seven husbands possess a flaw that overpowers their love, and end up dead. With the helps of her faithful servants, Susanna always manages to escape prison and even death. This story of femme fatale is made sublime by Priyanka Chopra’s unforgivable performance.
11.Gurgaon
Excessive greed never lasts, and will always end up in your downfall. Gurgaon is one such of a powerful, corrupt family whose luck turns sour because of jealousy and the hunger for power. It revolves around Kehri Singh and his family, a man feared by all. When his beloved daughter goes missing, the family’s secrets come tumbling out, revealing an ugly façade that becomes their destruction.
12.A Wednesday
SRK’s dialogue from Chennai Express, “Never underestimate the power of a common man” fits the bill perfectly to describe Neeraj Pandey’s film, A Wednesday. The city is thrown into chaos one fine Wednesday, when an anonymous caller calls the police commissioner to inform him of the five bombs he has planted in the city. He demands the release of 4 militants to save the city from the explosions. A thrilling chase between journalists and law-enforcers, as the film closes it leaves you feeling dumbstruck yet in awe of the story that unfolded in front of your eyes.
13.No One Killed Jessica
A heartrending depiction of the true event that took place in 1999, No One Killed Jessica is a mirror that shows everything that is wrong with our system. This Raj Kumar Gupta film revolves around Jessica’s murder by Manish, son of an influential politician. Despite countless witnesses who saw the crime, the seemingly open-and-shut case favours the culprit because of power and influence. Sabrina, Jessica’s sister, and Meera, a journalist, work tirelessly to see justice served, bringing down the corrupt system.
14.Talvar
Revolving around the most conflicted and controversial case in our country, Meghan Gulzar’s Talvar is fine depiction of confusion the case still invokes. As a detective starts investigating the double murder of Tandon’s daughter and their servant, various evidences (or the lack thereof) start presenting themselves, establishing two fronts – one which says that Ramesh Tandon killed his daughter, and the other which says he is innocent. Among the outrage and power-grab, the question remains – will the truth prevail?
14.Kurbaan
A tale of love soaked in the shades of revenge and terrorism, Kurbaan is an action thriller that presents its own shade of love and hatred. It revolves around Avantika, an NRI, who meets Ehsaan on her visit to India. They fall in love, and as work calls her back, marry and move back to US to live happily ever after. But Avantika soon realises that her marriage was a hoax for an elaborate terror activity in the US. With an enchantingly beautiful musical score, Rensil D’Silva’s Kurbaan is one of the lost gems in Bollywood thrillers.
15.Ittefaq
Ittefaq is a pure ‘Who dunnit?’ story of double murder where two people are prime suspects – Vikram and Maya. Both the murders are of their respective spouses, and both have motives of committing the murder for their gains. In the investigation by Dev, each one tells a story that proves them innocent – but the truth is something altogether different. In the confusion between coincidence and conviction, Abhay Chopra weaves a tale of a crime that puts you in a spin.
16.Kaabil
Sanjay Gupta’s Kaabil is film of love and revenge, a crime thriller about how power can make people blind towards justice. Rohan Bhatnagar is happy-go-lucky blind man, who falls in love with Supriya – a blind woman who is fiercely independent. Their sweet and simple life is destroyed by the local goon who rapes Supriya and goes unscathed because of his powerful politician brother. Rohan decides to take justice in his own hands, to avenge his love, and sets out a carefully constructed plan to fruition.
17.Vodka Diaries
In this psychological thriller by Kushal Srivastava, reality goes for a spin, as the story delves deeper and deeper into a murder mystery. Vodka Diaries revolves around ACP Ashwini Dixit, who’s investigating a case of three murders, all associated with the club Vodka Diaries. Aided by a mysterious phone call, solving the case becomes imperative as Ashwini’s wife, Shikha also goes missing. In the clutches of differentiating between the truth and the lie, unfolds a story that leaves you wondering what exactly happened.
18.Aamir
A thrilling tale of terrorism, Raj Kumar Gupta’s Aamir revolves around an NRI, Dr. Aamir Ali, on visit in Mumbai who gets handed a phone from a stranger. Aamir soon gets a call on the device with instructions for him to plant a bomb in the city, or his family will be killed. A thrilling chase in the city follows as Aamir carries out the instructions.
19.Ankur Arora Murder Case
Suhail Tatari’s Ankur Arora Murder Case is a medical thriller that revolves a successful, well-known yet arrogant surgeon who, due to negligence and arrogance, operates on a kid when he shouldn’t have, resulting in his death. The movie revolves around the victim Ankur’s mother as she drags the doctor to the court, and fights what seems like a losing battle with the aid of a medical intern and lawyer.
20.Mom
They say a woman’s wrath can be deadly, so imagine incurring a mother’s wrath when you wrong her daughter. Directed by Ravi Udyawar, Mom revolves around a mother’s tale of retribution when justice fails to deliver her the right result. She goes on delivering justice on her own terms, with the help of a sympathetic detective, turning it into an revenge thriller that makes you wonder about right and wrong.
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