Best dark & gritty Hindi movies in India
By the KyaDekhu team · Updated · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb
692 movies in India match this list, with an average IMDb rating of 6.0. Newest addition: Gully Boy, added to Netflix on 21 Oct. Ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating and popularity; showing the top 30.
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1. The Kashmir Files (2022)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 50m · UA · History, Drama · IMDb 8.4 (5.8L votes)
TwistyDark & grittyMatureCold & detached
Based on a true tragedy, the emotionally triggering film sheds light on the plight of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus), a religious minority in the 1990s Kashmir valley, who were compelled to flee their homes by the Islamic militants.
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2. Dhurandhar (2025)
Movie · Hindi · 3h 34m · A · Action, Crime · IMDb 8.2 (1.5L votes)
MatureEdge-of-seatVisually stunningDark & gritty
In the early 2000s, an undercover operative infiltrates Karachi's underworld, breaking into its inner circle to dismantle a violent nexus from within.
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3. Drishyam (2015)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 43m · U/A 13+ · Mystery, Thriller · IMDb 8.2 (1.1L votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
When his family stares down the barrel of criminal charges, a commoner channels his street smarts and knowledge of action films to tie the long arm of the law into an investigative Gordian knot.
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4. Sardar Udham (2021)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 42m · UA · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.3 (51.5K votes)
TwistyVisually stunningDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
A young Sardar Udham Singh left deeply scarred by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, escaped into the mountains of Afghanistan, reaching London in 1933-34. Carrying an unhealed wound for 21 years, the revolutionary assassinated Michael O’Dwyer on 13th March, 1940, the man at the helm of affairs in Punjab, April 1919 to ave
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5. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
Movie · Hindi · 3h 6m · U · Drama · IMDb 8.2 (80.3K votes)
Visually stunningDark & grittySerious
The true story of the "Flying Sikh" world champion runner and Olympian Milkha Singh who overcame the massacre of his family, civil war during the India-Pakistan partition, and homelessness to become one of India's most iconic athletes.
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6. Tumbbad (2018)
Movie · Hindi · 1h 53m · A · Fantasy, Horror · IMDb 8.2 (78.1K votes)
TwistyVisually stunningDark & grittyCold & detached
India, 1918. On the outskirts of Tumbbad, a cursed village where it always rains, Vinayak, along with his mother and his brother, care of a mysterious old woman who keeps the secret of an ancestral treasure that Vinayak gets obsessed with.
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7. Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026)
Movie · Hindi · 3h 55m · A · Action, Crime · IMDb 8.2 (73.9K votes)
MatureFast-pacedEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
As rival gangs, corrupt officials and a ruthless Major Iqbal close in, Hamza's mission for his country spirals into a bloody personal war where the line between patriot and monster disappears in the streets of Lyari.
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8. Drishyam 2 (2022)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 20m · UA · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 8.2 (54.3K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
7 years after the case related to Vijay Salgaonkar and his family was closed, a series of unexpected events bring truth to light that threatens to change everything for the Salgaonkars. Can Vijay save his family this time?
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9. A Wednesday! (2008)
Movie · Hindi · 1h 43m · UA · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 8.1 (86.8K votes)
Edge-of-seatFast-pacedTwistyCold & detached
Prakash Rathod, a retired police commissioner recounts the most memorable case of his career wherein he was informed about a bomb scare in Mumbai by an ordinary commoner.
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10. Kahaani (2012)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 2m · Mystery, Thriller · IMDb 8.1 (70.7K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatFast-pacedDark & gritty
Pregnant and alone in the city of Kolkata, a woman begins a relentless search for her missing husband, only to find that nothing is what it seems.
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11. Paan Singh Tomar (2012)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 15m · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.2 (40.6K votes)
Dark & grittyEdge-of-seatTwistyVisually stunning
Paan Singh Tomar goes from celebrated runner to star brigand and rebel when life after sports fails to unfold as planned.
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12. Sholay (1975)
Movie · Hindi · 3h 28m · U · Action · IMDb 8.1 (64.1K votes)
Visually stunningEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
After his family is slain by notorious bandit Gabbar Singh, former Inspector Thakur Baldev Singh enlists low-level outlaws Jai and Veeru to capture Gabbar and seek revenge.
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13. Udaan (2010)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 18m · A · Drama · IMDb 8.1 (50.6K votes)
Dark & gritty
Upon returning to his industrial hometown, a young man must decide whether to follow his own dreams or acquiesce to his father's plans for his future.
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14. Talvar (2015)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 12m · UA · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 8.1 (44.2K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyCold & detachedEdge-of-seat
A hardened cop deals with three conflicting perspectives involving a brutal double murder. The case is complicated as the prime suspects are the parents who supposedly killed their teenage daughter.
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15. Haider (2014)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 30m · UA · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.0 (61.8K votes)
TwistyVisually stunningDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
A young man returns to Kashmir after his father's disappearance to confront his uncle - the man he suspects to have a role in his father's fate.
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16. Masaan (2015)
Movie · Hindi · 1h 49m · A · Drama · IMDb 8.1 (36.3K votes)
Slow-burnMatureVisually stunningDark & gritty
Four lives intersect along the Ganges: a low caste boy in hopeless love, a daughter ridden with guilt of a sexual encounter ending in a tragedy, a hapless father with fading morality, and a spirited child yearning for a family, long to escape the moral constructs of a small-town.
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17. Pink (2016)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 16m · UA · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (52.9K votes)
MatureDark & grittyTwistyEdge-of-seat
After being molested, Minal and her friends try to file an FIR against a politician's nephew. When the subsequent case gets rigged, a retired lawyer helps them to fight the case.
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18. Shahid (2013)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 9m · A · Drama, Crime · IMDb 8.2 (21.8K votes)
Dark & grittySerious
A story based on real-life human-rights and criminal lawyer, Shahid Azmi, who was slain while defending the wrongly accused by the law in terrorist activities.
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19. Sarfarosh (1999)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 54m · A · Action, Drama · IMDb 8.1 (29.1K votes)
Dark & grittyEdge-of-seatVisually stunning
When terrorists kill a cop's brother and disable his father, he fights back against the smuggling of guns and drugs which plagues his country.
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20. Baby (2015)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 40m · Action, Thriller · IMDb 7.9 (63.8K votes)
Fast-pacedEdge-of-seatCold & detachedDark & gritty
A nascent elite team of the Indian intelligence system perpetually strives to detect and eliminate terrorists and their plots. Officer Ajay leads his team to destroy one such potentially lethal ploy in their biggest operation yet.
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21. The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 35m · U · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.2 (18.6K votes)
Edge-of-seatDark & grittyStraightforwardSerious
Born in British India, Bhagat Singh witnesses numerous atrocities during his childhood and grows up to become one of the most fearless freedom fighters in the country.
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22. Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 7m · U/A 16+ · Drama · IMDb 8.0 (31.5K votes)
Dark & grittyDialogue-drivenSerious
An ordinary lawyer is out to fight an extraordinary case! But can he win against a powerful godman accused of assaulting a minor and deliver justice to the victim?
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23. Gully Boy (2019)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 36m · UA · Music, Drama · IMDb 7.9 (48.2K votes)
Visually stunningDark & grittyMature
Murad, an underdog, struggles to convey his views on social issues and life in Dharavi through rapping. His life changes drastically when he meets a local rapper, Shrikant alias MC Sher.
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24. Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 37m · UA · Crime, Drama · IMDb 7.8 (68.1K votes)
Visually stunningMatureDark & gritty
Duped and sold to a brothel, a young woman fearlessly reclaims her power, using underworld connections to preside over the world she was once a pawn in.
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25. Omkara (2006)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 35m · A · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.0 (24.4K votes)
TwistyMatureEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
Half-caste bandit Omkara Shukla abducts his lady love, Dolly Mishra, from her family. Thanks to his cleverness, he gets away with the kidnapping. A conspiracy, however, forms against him when he denies his right-hand man, Langda Tyagi, a promotion. Ultimately, this plot threatens not only his relationship with Dolly, b
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26. Dev.D (2009)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 24m · A · Comedy, Drama · IMDb 7.9 (34.9K votes)
TwistyMatureDark & gritty
Dev, after spurning his childhood love Paro due to a misunderstanding, turns to drugs and alcohol for solace. Paro moves on but Dev remains in remorse. He then meets Chanda, an escort navigating her own past trauma, but Dev’s chauvinistic attitude and penchant for self-destruction stands in the way of their developing
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27. Section 375 (2019)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 4m · UA · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (21.9K votes)
Cold & detachedDialogue-drivenMatureDark & gritty
A filmmaker stands trial when a costume assistant on his movie accuses him of rape.
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28. Ugly (2013)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 8m · A · Thriller, Drama · IMDb 7.9 (25.7K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
When a 10-year old girl goes missing, her stepfather races against time to investigate the kidnapping.
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29. Badla (2019)
Movie · Hindi · 2h · UA · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 7.8 (35.4K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
A dynamic young entrepreneur finds herself locked in a hotel room with the corpse of her dead lover. She hires a prestigious lawyer to defend her and they work together to figure out what actually happened.
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30. Maqbool (2003)
Movie · Hindi · 2h 12m · A · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.0 (16.5K votes)
MatureDark & grittyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
The Scottish tragedy 'Macbeth' set in the contemporary underworld of India's commercial capital; two corrupt, fortune telling policemen take the roles of the weird sisters, and "Duncan" is Abbaji, the head of a crime family.
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