The Indian Film Industry is among one of the biggest filmmaking industries of the world. It does produce more films annually than any other movie industry. It also has its own style and grammar which is radically different from any other country’s cinema.
Sadly, the popular idea about the industry is that Indian movies are just a bunch of song and dance routines interspersed with melodramatic and unrealistic narratives. A fraction of commercial Indian cinema, whose sole purpose is to entertain the general public can definitely fall under this bracket, provided we are very strict with our judgements. Not that they can’t be thoroughly enjoyable in many cases!
But as with any other industry, which has lived a life as long and fruitful as Indian cinema, it has other sides as well. There have been great auteurs here who have inspired modern filmmakers all over the globe and can still teach some valuable lessons to young filmmakers like ourselves.
So, to get to know about the masterpieces of Indian cinema and to take my share of learnings from them, I have compiled a list of 25 Indian films which had a great run at the festival circuit all over the globe.
This is not an exhaustive list, but this is just a barometer to judge the value of a film as an art piece, as objectively as possible. These might not be the best works of the director’s filmography but a lot of established and experienced jury members of reputed festivals chose them, so there must be something special about them. Please do let me know if you think I’ve missed a gem out of this list.
Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.
Pather Panchali
- Director – Satyajit Ray
- Year Released – 1955
- Major Festival Achievements – Best Human Document winner at Cannes Film Festival, Selznick Golden Laurel for Best Film at Berlin International Film Festival, Golden Gate for Best Director and Best Picture at San Francisco International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Aparajito (Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival), Ashani Sanket (Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival), Charulata (Silver Bear at Venice Film Festival), Mahanagar (Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival)
Pather Panchali depicts the childhood travails of the protagonist Apu and his elder sister Durga amidst the harsh village life of their poor family.
What other film to start this list other than the one film which singlehandedly put Indian cinema on the world map? The debut film of the great Satyajit Ray, who has inspired filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, is the first film of the world renowned ‘Apu Trilogy‘.
Kharij
- Director – Mrinal Sen
- Year Released – 1982
- Major Festival Achievements – Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival, Golden Spike for Best Film at Valladolid International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Akaler Sandhane (Silver Bear Jury Prize at Berlin International Film Festival), Ek Din Achanak (OCIC Award at Venice Film Festival)
It is based on the novel by Ramapada Chowdhury and tells the story of a middle-class family whose child servant, Palan, is found dead in their kitchen, and their efforts to pacify his grieving father.
Another stalwart of Bengali and Hindi cinema, Mrinal Sen was a visionary and a political thinker and filmmaker. He is one of the few Indian filmmakers who has won an award in each of the Big Three of film festivals, namely Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
Neecha Nagar
Neecha Nagar is based on a Hindi story of the same name, written by Hayatullah Ansari, which in turn was inspired by Russian writer Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths. It took an expressionist look at the gulf between the rich and the poor in our society.
This film won the top prize at Cannes in the very first edition where it shared the prize with 10 other films. Ironically, this film couldn’t get an Indian release, but it still remains the only Indian film with a Palm d’Or. It also sowed the seed for the Parallel cinema movement in India which became one of the most glorious periods of Indian cinema in terms of the quality of films being made, as socially relevant art pieces.
Do Ankhen Barah Haath
- Director – V. Shantaram
- Year Released – 1957
- Major Festival Achievements – Silver Bear (Special Prize) and OCIC award at Berlin International Film Festival, Best International Film at Golden Globes
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Jhank Jhanak Payal Baaje (Golden Lion nominee at Venice Film Festival), Amar Bhoopali (Grand Prize nominee at Cannes Film Festival)
The film portrays a young jail warden Adinath, who rehabilitates six dangerous prisoners released on parole to persons of virtue. The film was inspired by the story of an “open prison” experiment.
V. Shantaram was an Indian director, producer and actor who had a prolific career in Hindi and Marathi film industry. He was one of the early filmmakers to realize the efficacy of the film medium as an instrument of social change and used it successfully to advocate humanism on one hand and expose bigotry and injustice on the other.
Do Bigha Zameen
- Director – Bimal Roy
- Year Released – 1953
- Major Festival Achievements – International Prize winner and Grand Prize Nominee at Cannes Film Festival, Prize for Social Progress at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Sujata and Biraj Bahu (Nominees for Grand Prize at Cannes Film Festival), Bandini (Nominee for Best Film at Karlovy Vary)
The story revolves around a farmer, who lives with his wife, son and father in a small village that is hit by drought. Bimal Roy made this trend setting film when he got inspired by Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves.
Another socialist and realistic filmmaker, he was at the forefront of the elite club of Bengali directors who just emerged and took the cinematic world by storm.
Piravi
- Director – Shaji N. Karun
- Year Released – 1989
- Major Festival Achievements – Golden Camera (Special Mention) at Cannes Film Festival, Winner of Silver Leopard at Locarno International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Swaham (Palm d’Or Nominee at Cannes Film Festival)
This is a story of a father’s intense love for his son set against the political backdrop of India at that time.
A brilliant director and cinematographer Shaji N. Karun is also one of the widely respected Indian filmmakers around the globe who hails from the state of Kerela. During his active years, the Kerela film industry was also undergoing rapid advancements and making its presence felt all over the world.
Dil Se…
- Director – Mani Ratnam
- Year Released – 1998
- Major Festival Achievements – Netpac Award at Berlin International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Roja (Nominee for Golden St. George at Moscow International Film Festival)
Dil Se…, a romantic thriller film is a part of the terrorism trilogy by Mani Ratnam, which is a must watch for all filmmakers and film buffs and is set against the backdrop of the Insurgency in Assam. Roja and Bombay are the two other films of this trilogy.
The first director is this list who is still active today, Mani Ratnam has worked in Hindi, Telegu, Tamil, Malyalam as well as Kannada film industry. It makes him one of the few Indian directors who has travelled across so many language barriers in his films.
The Disciple
- Director – Chaitanya Tamhane
- Year Released – 2020
- Major Festival Achievements – Winner of Best Screenplay and FIPRESCI Prize at Venice Film Festival, Amplify Voices Award at Toronto International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Court (Best Debut Film at Venice Film Festival)
This film show’s an artist’s struggle in searching and striving for the excellence that they and the world expects from them.
A rising star of Indian cinema, Chaitanya Tamhane has made two feature films and both have gone to rock the festival circuit and audiences alike. He is someone to be on the lookout for in the near future.
Dhanak
- Director – Nagesh Kukunoor
- Year Released – 2015
- Major Festival Achievements – Crystal Bear at Berlin International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Laksmi (Winner of Audience Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival)
It’s a children’s road film which follows a brother and a sister on their long walk to school, discussing what film should they watch.
An exponent of the Parallel Cinema movement in recent times, Nagesh Kukunoor has a knack of making heart touching films talking about different human relationships and their nitty-gritties.
Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam
- Director – Abrar Alvi
- Year Released – 1962
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee at Berlin International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Pyaasa
Set in the 19th century, this film follows a wife’s effort to keep her husband, who likes drinking and watching prostitutes perform at their home, by drinking with him. She becomes addicted to alcohol, leading both of them into bankruptcy.
Directed by Abrar Alvi, this film was produced by Guru Dutt who also acted in the film and was very instrumental in almost every aspect of filmmaking. He was another genius and an auteur in the truest sense of the world.
Anuradha
- Director – Hrishikesh Mukherjee
- Year Released – 1960
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominated for Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Aashirwad (Nominee for Golden Bear at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
This film was based on a short story written by Sachin Bhowmik, who in turn was inspired by Madame Bovary. It follows the story of a young, free spirited girl from the city who decides to live a life with her lover at the village.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee is one of the most beloved directors of Indian Cinema, making his own genre of films, called ‘Middle Cinema’. It meant films whose subjects and themes were concerned around the growing middle class of the country at that time.
Garam Hawa
- Director – M.S. Sathyu
- Year Released – 1974
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee for Palm d’Or at Cannes Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Bara
Based on an unpublished short story by Ismat Chughtai, this film is set in Uttar Pradesh and deals with the plight of a North Indian Muslim businessman and his family, in the period after the 1947 partition of India.
M.S. Sathyu is a stage designer, art director and director from Karnataka. He has been a part of a number of documentaries and landmark theatrical productions also.
Duvidha
- Director – Mani Kaul
- Year Released – 1973
- Major Festival Achievements – Winner of Interfilm Award at Berlin Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Naukar Ki Kameez (Winner of Netpac Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival)
Duvidha is a ghost movie based on a Rajasthani story of the same name by Vijayadan Detha. It is the reimagination a popular folklore of that region.
Another exponent of the Parallel Cinema movement, Mani Kaul was a student of acclaimed director Ritwik Ghatak. He was a filmmaker with many varied interests which can be seen from his diverse filmography.
Nishant
- Director – Shyam Benegal
- Year Released – 1975
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee of Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Ankur: The Seedling (Nominee of Golden Berlin Bear at Berlin International Film Festival), Sardari Begum (Nominee of Golden St. George Award at Moscow International Film Festival), Kalyug (Nominee of Golden Prize Award at Moscow International Film Festival)
Featuring an ensemble of parallel cinema actors, the screenplay of this film was written by known playwright Vijay Tendulkar. It focuses on the power of the rural elite and the sexual exploitation of women, during the time of feudalism in Telangana.
Regarded as the pioneer of Parallel Cinema, Shyam Benegal is one of the greatest filmmakers to have come out of India post 1970’s. It can be observed from the fact that he is one of most well respected Indian directors in the international festival circuit after Satyajit Ray.
Oridathu
- Director – G. Aravindan
- Year Released – 1987
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee of Golden Lion Award at Venice Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Chidambaram (Nominee of Gold Hugo Award at Chicago International Film Festival)
A Malyalam satirical drama, this film follows the story of the problems faced by the people of a hamlet where electricity was unavailable after electric supply finally reaches there.
Govindan Aravindan was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter and a pioneer of Parallel cinema in Malyalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmmaking changing his cinematic forms consistently and experimenting in storytelling without regular narrative styles.
The Lunchbox
- Director – Ritesh Batra
- Year Released – 2013
- Major Festival Achievements – Winner of Grand Golden Rail Award at Cannes Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Photograph
This film is an endearingly sweet film about a love story which happens through letters exchanged through tiffin boxes.
This is writer and director Ritesh Batra’s debut film and it was nothing short of a dream. The whole world stood up and noticed and then appreciated him, which only tells us that we should be expecting more from this exciting young filmmaker.
Mathilukal
- Director – Adoor Gopalakrishnan
- Year Released – 1990
- Major Festival Achievements – Winner of FIPRESCI Prize and UNICEF Award at Venice Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Vidheyan (Winner of Netpac Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival) Elippathayam (Sutherland Trophy at British Film Institute Awards
It’s the story of Basheer, an author who experiences his life in a prison. In it he finds friendship, loneliness, fear and love. It is based on an autobiographical novel of the same name by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer.
Another legend of Indian Cinema, Adoor Gopalakrishnan is one of the most recognized Indian film directors in world cinema along with Mrinal Sen and Satyajit Ray. Nearly all of his films have premiered at Venice, Cannes and Toronto International Film Festival.
Ardh Satya
- Director – Govind Nihlani
- Year Released – 1983
- Major Festival Achievements – Best Actor Award at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Aakrosh, Droh Kaal
This is a cop-drama where a policeman is struggling with the evils around him and his own frailities. It was based on a short story, ‘Surya’ written by S.D. Panvalkar and the screenplay was written by Vijay Tendulkar.
Govind Nihalani is an Indian film director, cinematographer, screenwriter and producer who makes socially relevant films. He has been associated closely with Shyam Benegal and also did cinematography for the historical epic Gandhi by Richard Attenborough.
Om Dar-B-Dar
- Director – Kamal Swaroop
- Year Released – 1988
- Major Festival Achievements – Winner of Cinema XXI Award at Rome Film Fest
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Pushkar Puran, Rangbhoomi, The Battle of Banaras
The film is about the adventures of a school boy named Om along with his family, in Ajmer and Pushkar in Rajasthan. It employs nonlinear narrative and an absurdist story line to satirize mythology, arts, politics and philosophy.
An eclectic screenwriter and director, Kamal Swaroop is one of a kind. He has also made a documentary on the life of Dadasaheb Phalke, the Father of Indian Cinema, called Rangbhoomi.
Bandit Queen
- Director – Shekhar Kapur
- Year Released – 1994
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee for the Golden Spike Award at the Valladolid International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Bandit Queen is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language biographical action-adventure film based on the life of Phoolan Devi as covered in the book, India’s Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi by the Indian author Mala Sen. This film gave chances to lot of actors who are very well respected all over the globe due to their contribution to Indian Cinema including Manoj Bajpayee, Sourabh Shukla, Gajraj Rao and Raghubir Yadav
A global name, Shekhar Kapur is also a gift to the world of films by India. He has a very diverse catalogue of films to his name, with a lot of them reaching cult status.
Ship of Theseus
- Director – Anand Gandhi
- Year Released – 2012
- Major Festival Achievements – Winner of Transilvania Trophy at Transilvania International Film Festival for Best Director and Best Cinematographer
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Tumbbad, An Insignificant Man
This film explores the questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the stories of an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and an enterprising stockbroker.
Another visionary young Indian filmmaker, Anand Gandhi is a man of many talents. This filmmaker who is also very technologically and scientifically inclined is always on the look out to further develop his own craft and push the boundaries of filmmaking.
Ondanondu Kaladalli
- Director – Girish Karnad
- Year Released – 1978
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee of Gold Hugo Award at Chicago International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Godhuli, Vamsha Vriksha
This epic Kannada film is about a mercenary who sets out to assist a tribal chieftain to defeat the chieftain’s brother who has become an opponent and an enemy. This film was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s early Samurai films.
Girish Karnad is a man who wears many hats. Aside from being one the greatest playwrights of India, he was also an amazing actor. His works often use history and mythology to tackle contemporary issues.
Teesri Kasam
- Director – Basu Bhattacharya
- Year Released – 1966
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee of Grand Prix Award at Moscow International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Anubhav, Aavishkar
Teesri Kasam is an unconventional film that portrays rural Indian society focussing on the story of a naïve bullock cart driver Hiraman, who falls in love with Hirabai, a dancer at a nautanki. The film also deals with the issue of exploitation of women in the performing arts, especially in travelling folk theatre.
Basu Bhattacharya was also part of the Bengali clan of Indian filmmakers during the 70’s and started his career by assisting Bimal Roy. He then went on to become a successful director and producer himself, making films which actually made a difference, for example Sparsh, the love story of a blind school pricipal, which he produced.
Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
- Director – Saeed Akhtar Mirza
- Year Released – 1989
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee of Tokyo Grand Prix Award at Tokyo International Film Festival
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai, Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
Set in 1980’s, this film follows the story of a criminal with a physical disability who has a change of heart through the course of this film.
Saeed Akhtar Mirza has given the Parallel Cinema movement in India, some of its most memorable films. A politically active filmmaker, he has stopped making fictional feature films nowadays but devotes his time to travelling and documenting his journey. Although, what he has already given to Indian Cinema is unquestionable.
Meghe Dhaka Tara
- Director – Ritwik Ghatak
- Year Released – 1960
- Major Festival Achievements – Nominee of Cahiers du Cinema Award
- Other acclaimed films by the director – Jukti, Takko Aar Gappo
This is the story of a young woman’s sacrifice for her family set against the backdrop of the Partition of Bengal and its aftermath.
Although Meghe Dhaka Tara might not have won any major festival, but this film and the filmography of Ritwik Ghatak is of prime importance to anyone, who wants to know the very best of Indian Cinema. (Bonus to you for coming this far)
So, this rounds up our list of Indian films which have made their mark on global audiences. This is in no way a definitive list, but this might sure be a good jumping off point for those looking to see the very best of Indian Cinema.
If you want to send your films to a festival, be sure to check these articles out –
Do tell me the movies which you think should have been in the list. I’ll be waiting. Ciao!
One reply on “The Top 25 Internationally Acclaimed Indian Films”
It would have been nice if there were mentions of where we can watch these at the moment. Not everything is available on Netflix.