What IMDb’s Top 250 Reveals About Indian Cinema’s Evolution
From ‘Laapata Ladies’ to ‘3 Idiots’ to ‘Black Friday’ and everything in between, we look at what stands out in the recently released list
(From left to right) 'Super Deluxe,' 'Laapataa Ladies' and 'Kumbalangi Nights' feature in IMDb's Top 250 Highest Rated Indian Movies list Photos: IMDb
Whenever a new “Top 100 of All Time” list drops, it’s both exciting and frustrating. Exciting because you want to see how many of your favorites have made it to the list, and frustrating because ‘how could they miss that one? It’s a conversation starter. The kind where you pull up a chair, argue over chai and wonder how in the world a certain film is sitting at Number One and another isn’t even on the list.
As the curtain rises on IMDb’s Top 250 Highest Rated Indian Movies list, it’s tempting to applaud the titles that made the cut. But, if you’re like me, you will find yourself scratching your head and asking, “Is this really the best representation of our diverse cinematic landscape?” While this list is evidence of the rich stories we’ve told, it also raises some important questions about who gets to tell these stories and what narratives we as audiences are choosing to celebrate.
The IMDb Top 250 isn’t just about who wins the popularity contest, it’s like a beautiful buffet spread of India’s rich cinematic universe. From black-and-white classics to 2024’s freshest releases, it’s all there. The list has a little something for everyone. There are courtroom dramas, sports biopics, murder mysteries, and even feel-good commercial blockbusters that every Indian has seen at least once (3 Idiots or Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.) Then there’s the cinephile’s paradise of hidden gems like Masaan or Kumbalangi Nights, Super Deluxe — the ones you discuss in a cozy indie café and love for emotionally complex narratives.
One thing’s for sure: Indian cinema’s diversity shines through. This list doesn’t stick to one specific formula and that’s exactly what makes it a treasure trove for film lovers. Be it Satyajit Ray’s timeless Pather Panchali from 1955 or quirky, heartwarming Laapataa Ladies from 2024 (which is also India’s 2024 Oscar entry this year), there’s beautiful coexistence on the way as you see how storytelling evolves and adapts. It’s a reminder that the cinema of India is as dynamic as the country it represents: different languages, regions, styles, and moods — all sharing one space.
This list heavily tips into recency bias. After all, 12th Fail, Maharaja and Laapataa Ladies have been pretty revolutionary, but does that really make them such winning choices against the all-time classics? Maybe it’s just that fresh sheen of new releases that draws people in — like an outfit you wear straight out of the store, still smelling like new fabric. With every new movie that hits theatres, there’s this excited first blush when everybody rushes to rate it. There’s this collective buzz, and suddenly everybody gives a movie a high rating because, well, they don’t want to be left out. But do they ever go back and re-rate it after the hype dies down? Seldom. That is the way new movies dominate such lists. Meanwhile, you’ve got absolute gems like Tumbbad which was re-released recently that should be sitting pretty in the top 5 or top 10 at least. The sheer visual spectacle and storytelling in that movie is something we’ve ever seen, a dark fantasy steeped in folklore that Bollywood rarely touches, the kind of film that sticks with you long after the credits roll, and it absolutely deserves a higher spot.
More Than Just a Game
If there’s one thing that IMDb’s Top 250 Highest Rated Indian Movies list tells us, it is that Indians love a good underdog sports story. We have Chak De India, Dangal, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, MS Dhoni, and more. Perhaps it’s the sheer idea of doing the impossible when one goes head-to-head with adversity; be it a hockey field or a wrestling mat. But there is something oddly comforting about these films. They are akin to comfort food: warm, familiar, and easily digested. It is little wonder why they dominate the upper rungs, even if they feel, at times, like they’re following the same formula.
We Can’t Get Enough of The Courtroom Dramas and Thrillers
Something that never gets old, clearly are courtroom dramas, murder mysteries, and suspense thrillers. There’s a reason why films like Black Friday, Drishyam, Maharaja, Talvar, A Wednesday make the cut — they offer that edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting suspense that keeps us coming back for more. Courtroom scenes, especially, have this way of drawing you into the tension. You don’t need fancy CGI or massive dance numbers. Just two people battling it out with words, the law, and raw emotion. That’s probably why Drishyam 2 makes it onto the list right next to its prequel.
The Role of Female Voices in Indian Cinema
The elephant in the room here is the glaring underrepresentation of female filmmakers. Given the boast list, you would expect a fairer ratio of women at the helm of Indian cinema or so. A quick skim through reveals these are indeed great films made by women, though woefully low in ratio in proportion to men. Although films featuring strong female leads do punch holes into traditional gender roles — movies like Raazi and Queen give us images of women in roles that challenge the norms of society, straining against the boxings of patriarchal expectation — But how do we amplify these voices? The contribution of women directors ought to be mentioned here — from Nandita Das with Manto to Zoya Akhtar with Gully Boy. Their films challenge the norms that surround them, bring freshness to the narrative landscape of Indian cinema.
Regional Love: It’s Here and It’s Strong
If one takes anything away from this list, that should be the proliferation of South Indian cinema. One gets to see how films like Nayakan and Pariyerum Perumal can rub shoulders with top-rated movies like Kumbalangi Nights and Manjummel Boys, alongside 777 Charlie, and how wonderfully this displays the Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada studios’ prowess. Bollywood has hogged the attention for far too long, but regional cinema is finally gaining ground and bringing with it a level of storytelling, authenticity, and raw emotion that Bollywood all too often glosses over.
Maharashtra’s Cinema Conundrum
Maharashtra might house the heartland of Bollywood, but we are not witnessing more than two Marathi films. The Top 250 features Sairat and Natsamrat. Court by Chaitanya Tamhane comes to mind as a prime example of a film that challenges the status quo, weaving a poignant tale of caste and the judicial system in India. Considering how much Indians love courtroom dramas and films that hold a mirror to societal realities, it’s confusing how it hasn’t made the cut. Why not include Swaas or Fandry? These films resonate with audiences, offering stories steeped in cultural nuances that deserve recognition on a larger platform.
Celebrating Diverse Narratives: Films That Break the Mold
While the Top 250 list is valuable and has its merits in a number of ways, it often skirts the richness of work that needs to be fished out and validated. Think Gandu, for instance. So raw, so unpalatable an existential take on the angst of a young man, full of gritty realism and honest pliability. Think Aamis — unsettling takes on love and cannibalism that require viewers to confront unpleasant truths about desire and morality.
Then there is Village Rockstars, a gentle ode to dreams and aspirations set against the backdrops of rural Assam. And then, films like Om Dar-B-Dar adds another problem with surrealist saga being effortlessly woven within everyday life and offering glimpses into the absurdities of existence.
These films may not have broad market appeal but carry within them rich, diversified, and important narratives that can be encapsulated for the sake of a comprehensive understanding of Indian cinema.
Such omissions from the IMDb list says much about the stories we really don’t hear or remember. It is all Bollywood to talk of at times, when regional cinema also narrates its own stories full of local struggles, joys, and complexity at such deep levels. Do we really open our cinematic horizons, or are we forever stuck in a bubble?
New vs. Old: Is This List Balanced or Biased?
This question brings me to the eternal debate: classics vs. contemporary hits. On one hand, you have timeless pieces like Pather Panchali, a film that practically put Indian cinema on the world map. But how do we compare that with something like Laapataa Ladies from 2024? Are these new films really better, or are they just riding the wave of fresh reviews? Are people forgetting the kind of depth and mastery that comes with classics just because they don’t have the shiny veneer of 4K restoration and slick marketing?New films certainly deserve their place in the sun, but there’s an imbalance here that leans towards what’s hot right now rather than what’s stood the test of time.
IMDb’s Top 250 Highest Rated Indian Movies list then starts to feel like a time capsule of today’s tastes, rather than an all-encompassing reflection of Indian cinema’s true greats. While the list may provide us with a peek of what Indian cinema might be beating its heart for, it also provides us with scope for evolution.
It’s at the whim of the users at the end of the day. That’s both a beauty and a flaw in IMDb’s ranking system: democratic, yes, but it also means that the loudest voices tend to dominate.
Titles on this dynamic list are determined by ratings from IMDb users who regularly vote on the platform.
