Indian cinema in recent years has been an exciting, emotional romance and action film with great action sequences and touching, sensuous romantic characters.
The old, ridiculous traditions are a thing of the past, as are the awkward special effects. Bollywood does not spare money on script development, excellent costumes and impressive visual effects, while not losing its identity and carefully respecting the culture of their country.
Here are 20 best Indian movies of 2022 to amaze and delight your audience.
RRR
- Rating IMDB – 7.9
- Genre: Action, drama, history
- Production India / 2022
- Budget: $69,000,000
- Worldwide gross: $150,121,761
- Director S.S. Rajamouli
- Cast: Ram Charan Teja, NTR Jr., Olivia Morris, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Twinkle Sharma, Ajay Devgan, Alia Bhatt, Shriya, Samudira Kani
The powerful Bollywood blockbuster tells the story of the sudden friendship between two men that begins a great historical change.
Rama is an honest employee of the colonial authorities. He is assigned to track down the rebel Bhim, and Rama, looking forward to his promotion, is eager to do so.
But Bhim is no rebel at all. The Gond boy is simply looking for a girl kidnapped by the governor from her home village, which of course, does not please the governor himself. Bhima and Rama’s paths will cross when they rescue a drowning boy from the river and travel on together, as yet unaware of the other’s purpose or identity. Their friendship will change many things in this country.
This film became the most expensive project in the history of Indian cinema, and at the same time the box office hit of 2022.
Love Today
- Rating IMDB – 8.1
- Genre: Drama, comedy
- Production India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $158,787
- Directed by Pradeep Ranganathan
- Cast: Pradeep Ranganathan, Ivana, Yogi Babu, Ravina Ravi, Sathyaraj, Mahant, Aditya Katir, Ajid Khaliq, Naveen Krubhakar
Love Today is a romantic comedy by Pradeep Ranganathan, who directed, scripted and starred in the film.
Uthaman and Nikita (actress Ivana) are a young couple in love. The guy thinks he knows everything about his girlfriend, but Nikita’s strict father wants to make sure that the kids really have serious intentions. He makes them exchange phone numbers for one day, and if all goes well, promises to marry them. The most bizarre and amusing adventures and a serious test of trust in each other await the couple in love.
The title of the project is taken from the first film in which Ranganathan played the lead role in 1997.
Major
- Rating IMDB – 8.1
- Genre: Biography, thriller, drama, history
- Production India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $4,961,424
- Directed by Sasha Kiran Tikka
- Cast: Adivi Sesh, Prakash Raj, Revati, Sayi Manjrekar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Murli Sharma, Anish Kuruvilla, Baghria Azzi, Rocky Gondl, Gaurav Manaktala
A quality biopic about the life and death of an Indian hero, young Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who took part in the elimination of terrorists in Mumbai in 2008.
Sandeep grew up in an ordinary family and developed an early interest in the military. In his last year of high school, he met and fell in love with his future wife Isha. After high school, he applied to join the Indian Navy without telling his father and incurring his wrath.
On the eve of the Mumbai attacks, Sandeep asked for time off to mend his relationship with his wife, who had recently fallen apart. However, when he learns of the Pakistani attack, he returns to the capital to do his duty of saving innocent lives.
The rights for the film adaptation of Sandeep’s story were acquired by the studio from his family back in 2019.
Gangubai Kathiawadi
- Rating IMDB – 7.8
- Genre: Biography, crime, drama
- Production India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $3,271,210
- Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
- Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, Indira Tiwari, Seema Bhargava, Varun Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Yu Ajay Devgan, Aakash Pandey, Varun Akki
A crime biopic about the life of the Mumbai Mafia Queen, Ganga Harjivandas Kathiawadi. She grew up in a family where, surprisingly, girls devoted considerable time to education.
At 16, she eloped to Mumbai with her fiancé, Ramnik, who promised her a better life but ended up selling her to a brothel for 1,000 rupees. And by the age of 28, the educated and cunning girl had become the mistress of this brothel and a highly respected crime boss in the capital.
The film is based on a book by Hussain Zaidi, who researched the biography of Gangubai and wrote about her fate.
K.G.F: Chapter 2
- Rating IMDB – 8.3
- Genre: Action, drama, crime
- Production: India / 2022
- Budget: $13,000,000
- Worldwide gross: $159,887,058
- Directed by Prashanth Neil
- Cast: Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidi Shetty, Akyuta Kumar, Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Malavika Avinash, T.S. Nagabnarana, Easwari Rao
The first part of Prashantha Neel’s ambitious and violent action thriller was released in 2018. Events unfold in the gold mines of Kolar, brazenly seized by corrupt officials. Here, human life is worthless, and the only thing that matters is gold mining and smuggling.
The protagonist of the story is a mercenary named Rocky. Growing up on the street, he is a violent criminal himself, dreaming of getting rich. His thirst for profit leads him to the mines, which translates into a confrontation with the army of local “masters” and a redefinition of life values for Rocky.
In the second part, he runs the mines himself, standing up to many forces that want to take power away from him.
Judging by the box office in the world, this film, which hit the top lists of the best action movies in recent years, will be a cult picture.
A Thursday
- Rating IMDB – 7.7
- Genre: Thriller, drama
- Production: India / 2022
- Directed by Behzad Khambata
- Cast: Yami Gautam, Atul Kulkarni, Neha Dhupia, Dimple Kapadia, Kalyani Malai, Karanvir Sharma, Maya Sarao, Sukesh Anand, Adi Irani
A psychological thriller directed by Behzad Kambata, released on Disney + Hotstar. A film that is impossible to tear yourself away from, great quality and a gripping plot with an intrigue that only reveals itself in the finale.
After a three-week absence due to illness, 30-year-old kindergarten teacher Neina shows up at work. She is welcomed by her colleagues and her little charges. And then the woman closes the curtains, locks the doors, loads her gun, and calls the police, telling them she has taken 16 children in her group hostage. And if her demands are not met, she will start killing them one by one…
The film’s soundtrack was released as a separate album of 21 songs.
Monica O My Darling
- Rating IMDB – 7.4
- Genre: Crime, comedy, thriller
- Production: India / 2022
- Directed by Vasan Bala
- Cast: Rajkumar Rao, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte, Sikander Kher, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Zayn Marie Khan, Bagawathi Perumal, Vijay Kenkre, Devendra Dodke
An entertaining neo-noir from Indian director Vasan Bala, filled with black humor.
Jayant Arhedkar is an ambitious young robotics expert who is engaged to the boss’s daughter, Nikki Adhikari. The man plans to take over the company soon, and the only thing that can prevent him is an affair with his secretary Monica.
However, Jayant is not Monica’s only infatuation. She is also having an affair with Nishikant and Arvind, successfully blackmailing the men with this affair. As a result, Monica’s three lovers conspire to kill the woman, but instead find themselves in mortal danger.
The film is based on the novel Heart of Brutus by Japanese writer Keigo Higashino.
Vikram Vedha
- Rating IMDB – 7.1
- Genre: Thriller, drama, crime
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $8,228,974
- Directed by Gayatri, Pushkar
- Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Radhika Apte, Rohit Saraf, Yogita Bihani, Sharib Hashmi, Sudhanwa Deshpande, Govind Pandeu, Manuj Sharma
A brutal crime thriller about a tough cop and a cunning criminal confronting each other.
Superintendent Vikram is a fearless officer of the law who believes in justice. Veda is one of the most wanted gangsters in the country. The film begins with Veda surrendering to the police. And then tells his past to Vikram, including the nuances of their long-standing confrontation and revealing the truth about his brother, the mathematical genius Shatak, and then escapes, forcing Vikram to pursue him again.
This film is a remake of the 2017 Tamil action film Vikram Vedha.
18 Pages
- Rating IMDB – 7.1
- Genre: Melodrama
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $34,525
- Directed by Palnati Surya Pratap
- Cast: Anupama Parameshwaran, Nikhil Sithart, Vaibhav Gohil, Raj Tyrandas, DJ Express, Mr. Motalib Mondal, Bhupal Raju
A tragic-romantic story that has earned rave reviews from audiences around the world. Sidou is a talented programmer who created a popular app that allows estranged loved ones to keep in touch from a distance.
One day Sidu finds a diary of a stranger named Nandini on the road. She suffers from short-term memory loss syndrome, so she writes down all her thoughts and adventures in the diary. After getting involved, Sid realizes he has feelings for the girl who wrote it all, and wants to get to know her. Unfortunately, the diary breaks off on page 18, and the guy goes in search of Nandini, which will turn out to be the most incredible adventure of his life.
The film premiered on the birthday of the lead actor, Nikhil Siddhartha.
Runway 34
- Rating IMDB – 7.0
- Genre: Thriller, drama, detective
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $4,062,826
- Directed by Ajay Devgan
- Cast: Ajay Devgan, Amitabh Bachchan, Rakul Preet Singh, Boman Irani, Angira Dhar, Aakansha Singh, Aryan Khanna, Amy Ayla, Habib Al Eidroos
A drama, thriller, disaster film, a spectacular and heartfelt story based on real events, created by Ajay Devgan, who played the role of the main character in his film.
Vikrant Khanna is an experienced pilot facing a flight from Dubai to Cochin. However, a dangerous cyclone appears near Cochin and Khanna diverts the plane to Trivandrum, a town not far from his destination. And it doesn’t turn out to be a good decision. Due to poor visibility, Khanna miraculously lands the airliner unharmed.
On the way to the hospital during this flight, a passenger who was overexcited dies of a heart attack, and the pilot Khanna is the subject of a stiff investigation.
Some scenes of the film were shot in Russia. The film premiered on April 29, 2022, coinciding with the Eid al-Adha festival.
Freddy
- Rating IMDB – 7.6
- Genre: Thriller, drama
- Production: India / 2022
- Directed by Shashanka Ghosh
- Cast: Karthik Aaryan, Alaya F, Karan Pandit, Sajjad Delafrouze, Myrna S. Dalal, Kamalrukh Khal, Vihaan Chaudhary, Harshika Kevalmarani, Anansuya Chakraborty
A creepy and profound thriller about a good man turning into a monster because of a broken love. Freddy Jinvala, a dentist, is a shy man who was raised by his Aunt Persis after the tragic death of his parents. He has been trying to find his happiness for several years, but has been rejected every time.
One day at a relative’s wedding he meets an attractive woman, Kainaaz, who soon comes to see him. They start a romance, but it turns out that the woman is married and her husband is too fond of getting handsy. Freddie decides to help his beloved, unaware that it will ruin his life forever.
Famous actor Kartik Aaryan gained as much as 14 kilograms to play Freddy.
Bhediya
- Rating IMDB – 7.4
- Genre: Horror, thriller, comedy
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $621,276
- Directed by Amar Kaushik
- Cast: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Deepak Dobriyal, Paalin Kabak, Dosam Beyong, Bahar Ul Islam, Mudang Pai, Saurabh Shukla, Sharad Kelkar
Wolf (Bhediya) is a supernatural horror comedy about werewolves. Bhaskar and his cousin Janardan come to a small out-of-town town to assess the road construction possibilities in the area.
Bhaskar is bitten by a huge wolf, and soon he begins to feel strange changes in himself. His sense of smell and hearing sharpen, and he begins to understand animals. And then murders begin in the area. Rumors of a huge werewolf creep in among the locals, and Janardan begins to suspect his cousin of the murders.
This is the third film in Dinesh Vijan’s Horror Comedy Universe. Vijay is an Indian producer.
Sardar
- Rating IMDB – 7.6
- Genre: Action, drama
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $2,497,844
- Directed by P.S. Mithran
- Cast: Karthi Shivakumar, Rashi Khanna, Mohammad Ali Baig, Ritwik Joti Raj, K.S. Krishnan, Shyam Krishnan, Laila, Mr. Motalib Mondal, Chunky Pandey, Balaji Shaktivel
A spy action film created by P.S. Mithran.
Police officer Vijay Prakash likes to pose for the cameras, emphasizing his dedication to the cause. To some extent, his concern for his own reputation stems from the actions of his father, former spy Chandra Bose, accused of treason.
One day Vijay is assigned to find the thief of classified files, and he gets on the trail of Samira, a social activist who has been fighting against a corporation that produces toxic products. This investigation allows Vijay to reevaluate his life and learn the truth about his father.
Because of the pandemic, filming was delayed for a whole year, and after its release it made the list of the highest-grossing Tamil-language films.
Nenjuku Needhi
- Rating IMDB – 7.2
- Genre: Drama, detective, crime, thriller
- Production: India / 2022
- Directed by Arunraja Kamaraj
- Cast: Aari Arjuna, Suresh Chakravathi, Shivangi Krishnakumar, Abdol, Shivani, Sivathmika Rajashekar, Tanya, Saravanan, Udhayanidhi Stalin
Arunraji Kamaraji’s suspense thriller, which raises pressing social and political issues in India.
Vijaya Raghavan is a metropolitan police officer assigned to a rural town in Tamil Nadu where three girls have disappeared from a local factory.
When he arrives, he discovers that the locals still live under a caste system that divides them into near-slaves and untouchable stewards. He soon discovers that two of the missing girls have been murdered and a third has disappeared without a trace, and no one is willing to help investigate for fear of revenge from the untouchable officials. This means that Raghavan will have to start with them.
This film is a remake of the 2015 crime thriller Article 15.
Attack
- Rating IMDB – 6.8
- Genre: Action, fantasy
- Production: India / 2022
- Budget: $7,000,000
- Worldwide gross: $3,000,000
- Directed by Lakshya Raj Anand
- Cast: John Abraham, Prakash Raj, Rakul Preet Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Elham Ehsas, Ratna Pathak, Rajit Kapoor, Kiran Kumar, Amriptal Singh
Arjun Shergill, an Indian serviceman, marries stewardess Aisha, but his happiness is short-lived. The airport where Aisha works is attacked by the men of the terrorist Hamid, whose father was imprisoned by Arjun 12 years ago. As a result, a woman and several others are killed, and Arjun himself is paralyzed from the neck down.
Soon he is offered an experimental AI chip that will restore Arjun’s mobility. However, the chip has yet to be fully tested and the consequences can be unpredictable. Dreaming of avenging Hamid for his wife’s death, the officer agrees to the surgery
The plot of the film’s script is obviously based on 2018’s American Sai-fi, Upgrade.
Cobra
- Rating IMDB – 6.0
- Genre: Action, thriller, сrime
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $4,868,628
- Directed by R. Ajay Gnanamurthy
- Cast: Chiyan Vikram, Irfan Pathan, Srinidi Shetty, K.S. Ravikumar, Robo Shankar, Sammy Jonas Heaney, Mirnalini Ravi, Babu Anthony, Mohammad Ali Baig
Cobra is a cool action movie for those nostalgic for good old India. There’s dancing and singing and the Russian cranberries are very distinctive and rambunctious, and at the center of the story is a chubby genius mathematician nicknamed “Cobra” who has put his talents at the service of crime.
He makes money killing people all over the world while remaining unrecognizable and elusive thanks to his abilities. Aslan Yilmaz, a Turkish Interpol agent, investigates the murders of a Prince of Scotland, an Indian state minister and others, following the trail of the mysterious Cobra, who at the same time travels to Russia to whack another target, Defense Minister Dimitri.
Filming was interrupted several times. One of the cast members, Mia George, managed to have an affair, get married, get pregnant and have a baby during filming.
Vadh
- Rating IMDB – 7.1
- Genre: Thriller, drama, crime
- Production: India / 2022
- Directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Rajiv Barnwal
- Cast: Nina Gupta, Diwakar Kumar, Sanjay Mishra, Pranjal Pateria, Abhitosh Singh Rajput, Saurabh Sachdeva, Manav Vij
Gwalior is a 2022 Indian thriller. Shambunath Mishra is a schoolteacher who took out a huge loan from a moneylender, Prajapati, to help his son settle in America. He successfully settles abroad and worries the least about his parents, who are forced to pay the moneylender, who bullies the teacher and his wife at every opportunity, a huge interest rate.
When Prajapati begins to go after one of Mishra’s students, his patience runs out and he decides to do the bravest thing of his life. But nothing can be done without consequences…
The film’s director, Sanjay Mishra, gave the main character the name of his father to emphasize how personal the story is to him.
Valimai
- Rating IMDB – 6.1
- Genre: Action, thriller, сrime
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $13 276 393
- Directed by H. Vinoth
- Cast: Ajit Kumar, Huma Qureshi, Kartikeya Gummakonda, Gurbani, Sumitra, Yogi Babu, Selvaa, G.M. Sundar, Akuta Kumar, Raj Ayyappa
Power is H. Vinoth’s crime thriller about police officer Arjuna, who is tasked with tracking down and eliminating a gang of biker criminals.
In the coastal town of Chinnai, a gang of teenage bikers, Satan’s Slaves, are involved in racketeering, theft, drug dealing and murder. They literally terrorize the town and then police chief Vijayakumar asks for help from Arjun, a Madurai police officer known for his brutal methods of dealing with criminals.
Boney Kapoor, the producer of the film, said that he plans to shoot a sequel and turn the action film with the main character Arjun into a major franchise. Time will tell…
Jayeshbhai Jordaar
- Rating IMDB – 6.0
- Genre: Drama, comedy
- Production: India / 2022
- Worldwide gross: $1,924,567
- Directed by Divyang Thakkar
- Cast: Prateik Nanda, Ranveer Singh, Shalini Pandey, Boman Irani, Ratna Pathak, Puneet Issar, Deeksha Joshi, Abinai Raj Singh
A gripping family comedy about an educated man who fights for women’s rights in his village. And it all began with a family conflict. Jayesh Patel lives in a fictional Indian village with his wife Mudra, his daughter Siddhi, and his conservative parents.
After learning that Mudra is once again expecting a girl, Jayesh’s father demands that she have an abortion. He hopes for an heir who can become the village headman. Jayesh at first plans to flee his village with his wife and daughter to avoid the pressure of his father. Then he begins to fight for women’s rights in his native village.
Actress Shalini Pandey’s debut in a Hindi film.
Jalsa
- Rating IMDB – 6.6
- Genre: Thriller, drama
- Production: India / 2022
- Directed by Suresh Triveni
- Cast: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shetty, Rohini Hattangdi, Manav Kaul, Iqbal Khan, Shrikant Yadav, Ganshyam Lalsa, Gurpal Singh
The disturbing thriller The Dance (Jalsa) was released on Amazon in 2022 and quickly won audience acclaim. The protagonist of the story is the principled journalist Maya Menon, the host of the popular show Look at the Truth in Your Face. She prides herself on her high moral principles and revealing reports.
And then one day, nearly falling asleep at the wheel, Maya hit an 18-year-old girl on the road, and, panicking, fled the scene, not knowing that the incident was witnessed, and the hit was recorded by a video camera. And soon in Maya’s life begins a real dance of emotions, threatening events and disturbing mysteries, and the truth becomes the main enemy of the journalist.
The film was highly acclaimed by critics and made the top lists of the best Indian films of 2022.
