Some movies certainly deserve more recognition and acclaim than what they have received. Even though they failed to gain mass popularity, they certainly make it to the list of some of the finest films made in Bollywood.

Highway

Imtiaz Ali’s Highway (2014) starring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda in the lead roles is indubitably one of the well made films of Indian cinema. The story revolves around Veera Tripathi played by Alia Bhatt, who gets abducted a day before her wedding but ironically she finds her abduction as a blessing in disguise as it gives her freedom from her family and helps her make peace with her traumatic childhood. The film although not very popular, is considered as one of Alia Bhatt’s finest of performances.

Lunchbox

The Lunchbox (2013) directed by Ritesh Batra, features Irfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The story revolves around the life of Saajan Fernandes played by Irfan Khan who is a widower living a lonely life and is on the verge of his retirement. Due to an accidental mix up of tiff inboxes, he inadvertently gets delivered the tiffin box which Ila (played by Nimrat Kaur) had prepared for her husband. This mix up leads to an exchange of letters between Saajan and Ila developing their friendship even though they have never met or seen each other.  Even though the Lunchbox did not get as much popularity as the big budget films of Bollywood, it unarguably remains one of the finest films made in Indian cinema.

Masaan

The 2015 drama film Masaan starring Vicky Kaushal, Richa Chaddha and Sanjay Mishra is one of the finest films made in Indian cinema and certainly deserves a lot more recognition than what it received. The film directed by Neeraj Gheiwan, stands out for its screenplay, direction and performances. The plot revolves around two separate stories of two separate individuals, Devi Pathak (played by Richa Chadha) and Deepak Kumar (played by Vicky Kaushal), whose parallel lives are shown to converge towards the end of the film.

Stanley ka dabba

Written and directed by Amol Gupte, Stanley ka Dabba (2011) is one of the most commendable and underrated films of Bollywood. The story of the film revolves around the life of a nine year old school going student, Stanley Fernandes, played by Partho Gupte. Even though Stanley is very popular at the school amongst his friends and teachers, very little is known about his family and his life beyond the school. His friends along with the audience discover more about Stanley’s life as the story unfolds. 

Khosla ka ghosla

Khosla ka Ghosla (2006) with an ensemble star cast comprising Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak is a comedy drama film directed by Dibaker Banerjee. The plot revolves around Kamal Khosla (played by Anupam Kher) and his family. Kamal Khosla is a middle class retired man who has invested all his savings into buying some land to build his house. Things get complicated when he discovers that the land he bought is taken over by the unscrupulous powerful businessman Khurana (Boman Irani).  The film is engaging, hilarious and thus very much underrated, certainly deserving more recognition.

Photograph

Photograph (2019) starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra in the lead roles, is a light hearted romantic drama film written and directed by Ritesh Batra. The storyline revolves around the lives of Rafi (played by Nawazzudin Siddiqui) and Miloni Shah (played by Sanya Malhotra). Rafi is a photographer struggling to make ends meet while Miloni who is a chartered accountancy student comes from an upper middle class family. Despite the two contrasting social and cultural backgrounds, Rafi and Miloni manage to develop their bond of friendship or rather situationship.  Although the film isn’t very popular, it certainly is one of the well made films of Indian cinema.   

October

October (2018) directed by Shoojit Sircar, features Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu and Geetanjali Rao.  Although the film didn’t receive the recognition and popularity as much as it deserved, it is undeniably one of the most thought provoking and insightful films made in Indian cinema. The plot revolves around Danish Walia (played by Varun Dhawan) who is a hotel management intern. One of his colleagues is Shiuli (played by Banita Sandhu), whom he dislikes initially. However, when Shiuli meets with an accident which leaves her bed ridden, Danish gets deeply affected by the incident so much that it transforms him as a person. The film compels you to think about many deeper aspects of life.

Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa

Kundan Shah’s Kabhi haan Kabhi naa (1994) is a romantic comedy drama film starring Shahrukh Khan, Suchitra Krishnmoorthy and Deepak Tejori. The film is one of the most memorable films of the 1990s but it certainly deserved more recognition and acclaim than what it received. The plot of the film is centred around the life of Sunil ( Shahrukh Khan), a carefree youngster who is least interested in academics, but is immensely passionate about music.  It is one of the very few films made in Bollywood, where the protagonist of the film plays a loser’s role.