There are a lot of Hindi-language movies on Netflix, including films that won big awards in the years of their release and are now available to watch by fans on the streaming service. It is important to understand the concept of Hindi-language movies, as there are different languages and styles in Indian cinema. The most popular of these movies are Bollywood movies, which include colorful costumes and energetic music, but Hindi films extend far beyond that and boast every genre.
There have been Hindi-language horror movies, thrillers, and family dramas that have all won awards and won over fans. When it comes to the best movies on Netflix, this also includes films that have crossed over in popularity internationally, setting Netflix viewing records, and even winning Emmy Awards after their release. With some of the biggest actors in India’s movie history and storylines that cross over regardless of culture, the best Hindi-language movies on Netflix offer something for everyone.
In Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan takes on two roles, playing a father and a son in this Hindu movie on Netflix. It is also one of his biggest budget movies in years, proving he is still a headliner in 2023. SRK plays Azad, a man with a vengeful vendetta who also wants to fix everything that is wrong with society. He also plays Azad’s father Vikram, a man framed as a national traitor. That leads to Azad going by the name Vikram Rathore and working with convicts in a women’s prison to avenge the wrongs done to his father.
The movie was a critical and box-office success. It has an average score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience average of 85%, proving that Khan is still a hugely popular figure in Hindu cinema. The movie was also a massive box office hit, making $140 million worldwide, one of the highest-grossing Indian movies of all time globally. It also picked up some awards, winning Best Action and Best Special Effects at the Filmfare Awards, with 13 other nominations.
Dunki is one of the Hindu comedy dramas on Netflix with Shah Rakh Khan in the lead role. This is another newer movie for SRK, but unlike Jawan, it’s quieter and a little more personal. SRK plays Hardy, a man who is asked to help an elderly woman cross the border back into India. She snuck into the UK when she was younger but wants to return now to live out her last years. The movie is named after the Dunki route, which allows people to sneak over the border without an Indian visa.
Dunki is also a romantic movie, as the woman left a man behind when she left and realizes that he has been waiting for her return ever since. Another SRK success, Dunki made over $55 million at the worldwide box office, and is his third-highest-grossing movie of all time. The reviews were only average, but it was a fan-favorite Hindu film on Netflix. It did win one award, with Vicky Kaushal winning picking up Best Supporting Actor Award at the Filmfare Awards.
Laapataa Ladies is a Hindu movie on Netflix that follows a case of mistaken identity. In this movie, a man loses track of his new wife on a crowded train. However, she is veiled, with her face covered, and when he thinks he finds her and takes her home, he realizes she is not his spouse. While his real wife is at the train station waiting for him to return, the new woman is trying to hang on to her freedom, as she was trying to escape a violent relationship when she entered the train.
The movie is equal parts humorous and heartbreaking as everyone is trying to find out who they are supposed to be and where they are supposed to go in life. It was a huge hit, sitting at a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience agreed with a 96% rating as well, and Laapataa Ladies is one of Netflix’s highest-rated Hindu movies. The movie premiered at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 before a limited theatrical release led to its Netflix home.
One of Shah Rakh Khan’s earlier movies is also one of the best Hindu movies on Netflix. This is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which is a musical from 1998. The movie follows two love triangles, set years apart from each other. The first story in the past follows two friends on a college campus and their relationship and the second story takes place in the future where a widower’s young daughter wants to reunite her father and his old friend. As expected from an SRK movie, it was a huge success at the box office and critically.
The movie was the highest-grossing Bollywood movie of 1998 worldwide and was also a huge hit on the awards circuit. It won eight awards at the Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Karan Johar), Best, Actor (Shah Rakh Khan), Best Actress (Kajol), Best Supporting Actor (Salman Khan), and Best Supporting Actress (Rani Mukherji). Jatin-Lalit composed the movie’s music, and it was the year’s best-selling Bollywood soundtrack (via Box Office India).
Chopsticks is a 2023 Hindu movie on Netflix that tells the story of a woman who goes to a chef moonlighting as a safecracker to help her recover a stolen car from the con man who took it from her. The movie shows how these two people, the woman and the enigmatic safecracker, end up changing each other’s lives along the way. This is the first Netflix original Hindu movie, and it stars Abhay Deol (Dev.D) and Mithila Palkar (Little Things).
The movie received terrible reviews from critics, with a low 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the audience seemed to love it, granting it a much higher 73% average rating, which makes it worth the watch regardless of critics’ disappointment. The movie also didn’t win any awards, but as a popular movie on Netflix, it is mostly a \pleasure for people who just want to see a sweet and funny, love story.
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Haseen Dillruba is a Hindi-language romantic thriller. The movie starts with a housewife named Rani (Taapsee Pannu) outside her home, feeding her dogs, when her house explodes. Her husband is inside the home and is burned beyond recognition, although Rani identifies his hand, which was found close to the body. The problem comes when the police believe Rani might have been responsible for the explosion and her husband’s death. This leads to a series of flashbacks where the secrets unfold.
The movie only earned mixed reviews from critics, but it was a huge success for Netflix. It ended up ranking in the top 10 in 22 countries and was the most-watched Hindi-language movie the streaming service in 2021. It also had an impressive eight nominations at the 67th Filmfare Awards, although it didn’t win any of them. There is also a sequel coming (via India Massey).
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Badla is a mystery thriller Hindi-language movie on Netflix that sees a brash young woman arrested after being accused of murdering her secret lover. She hires a high-profile defense attorney to defend her, but he knows that she is hiding something and isn’t telling him the truth, and the movie takes the viewers down a twisting and turning tale to the shocking truth. Badla was a huge success, making over four times its budget while at the box office, and now it is available to view on Netflix.
On top of the great box office take, it also found success during the awards season that year. The movie earned four nominations at the 65th Filmfare Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Amrita Singh. Taapsee Pannu found some success with the Best Actress Award at the Zee Cine Awards.
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Darlings is a dark comedy about a woman seeking revenge against her husband. The movie is centered on the theme of domestic abuse, as Hamza is a man with a drinking problem who has beaten his wife, Badru, for years. However, when he finally gets sober, he still abuses her, causing her to miscarry their baby, so she plots revenge. Alongside her mother, Badru captures Hamza and begins torturing him relentlessly until the police begin to suspect something is wrong.