No matter how much ‘show-sha’ the big-shots of Bollywood may put together, in order to create their potboilers – they would always fall short in giving us the kind of movie experience that the modern-day filmmakers of Hindi film industry have the potential of giving.
There have been several cinematic gems that have been released in the last one decade alone, that were curated on a minuscule budget – when compared to the star-studded big-budget movies in the mainstream, that have made a greater impact in our minds than those ringing the cash-register at the ticket counter.
The need to categorise movies as ‘parallel wave’ has diminished, as our mainstream audiences have been accepting great cinema – minus all the glamour and pretty faces.
Keeping that in mind, let us celebrate these small-budget gems – that have wowed us, thrilled us and moved us in the past few years.
Here are 14 best small budget Hindi flicks:
TUMBBAD (Budget- 5 Crores)
One of the best horror-fantasy movies ever created in Hindi cinema. Now that’s quite a feat, especially when you consider that it was created on a minuscule budget of 5 crores. But those budgetary constraints do not show up on frame in this beautifully filmed, thrilling and highly creative masterpiece.
QUEEN (Budget – 12 Crores)
The movie that launched the very talented Kangana Ranaut into stardom, raking-in nearly 120 crores worldwide. A simple yet beautifully acted story of a Delhi-based girl, who ventures out on a journey of self-exploration after being left at the altar by her fiance. Ranaut curated one of the most endearing female characters ever portrayed on screen, with this one.
ALIGARH (Budget – 11 Crores)
Manoj Bajpayee and Hansal Mehta at their finest. This beautifully filmed and directed biopic, deals with the life of professor Ramchandra Siras of Aligarh Muslim University, who was banished by his friends, colleagues and the society – when his intimacy with another man was outed by a few, for selfish gains. A powerful film, featuring some unforgettable scenes and performances.
MUKKABAAZ (Budget – 10 Crores)
An over-looked gem from the factory of Anurag Kashyap. The 2017 released sports/crime drama featured stellar performances from Vineet Kumar Singh and Jimmy Shergill and a thrilling screenplay. If you’re a fan of the realistic and gritty cinema of Anurag, don’t just limit yourself to ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ or ‘Sacred Games’, explore more of his brilliant work, starting from – Mukkabaaz.
MASAAN (Budget – estimated 8 Crores)
A heartwarming and moving tale of love, loss and everything in between, set in the backdrop of present-day Varanasi. The stories of two characters interlinked with their respective journeys through tragedy and overcoming the same.
NEWTON (Budget – 9 Crores)
A man attempts to educate a tribal village in a naxal-prone area about the importance of elections and the power of votes. A powerful yet subtly-made drama, about a section largely unexplored in the eyes of India’s city-dwellers and in the world of movies.
ANAARKALI OF AARAH (Budget – estimated 5 Crores)
An entertaining drama about the life of a street performer and dancer, who gets engulfed in a chase with a powerful local man trying to take advantage of her. Swara Bhaskar, before she became controversy’s favourite child, and Sanjay Mishra pulling yet another character with finesse.
HARAAMKHOR (Budget – 2.25 crores)
One of the most under-rated movies starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, which stars him as a womanising government school teacher in a village, who shamelessly chases his underage crush – which happens to be a school girl, beautifully played by Shweta Tripathi. A story about two mischievous boys from the same village, runs in parallel tracks, only to be entangled in tragedy towards the end. A must watch!
MUKTI BHAWAN (Budget – Less than 5 Crores)
A morbid subject and a heartwarming tale of life, death and relationships. Mukti Bhawan was one of the most splendid small-budget gems released in recent years, in which a father-son duo venture out to the holy land of Varanasi – in search of Moksha. Don’t miss out on this one, but be sure to keep your tissues handy.
KHOSLA KA GHOSLA (Budget – 3.7 Crores)
An early 2000’s gem, which “launched” the two amazing talents to the mainstream – actor Ranveer Shoray and filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee. A Delhi-based family attempts to free their land from the hands of big-shot property vultures and their hooligans – and come together as one, in the process. Makes for a great family-watch, even now.
OYE LUCKY LUCKY OYE (Budget – 5.1 Crores)
Loosely based on the life and deeds of popular city-thief – Devinder Singh aka Bunty, this Dibakar Banerjee directed heist film features a stellar performance by the very talented, Paresh Rawal and some other well-written characters making up the engaging narrative of the film. One of the best films of 2008.
PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA (Budget – 6 Crores)
This 2010 satire film stars Rajat Sharma, Manu Rishi, Neha Dhupia, Sanjay Mishra in the lead. The story of an NRI, who gets confused for a super-rich man (just because he’s an NRI) by a group of local kidnappers, who take him into hostage in hopes of a grand ransom. The harder he tries to use his mind to get out of the mess, the deeper he keeps on sinking into it.
PAAN SINGH TOMAR (Budget – 7 Crores)
A hard-hitting, power-packed biopic based on the astonishing life of athlete-turned-dacoit – Paan Singh Tomar. Featuring the great Irrfan Khan in one of his career-best performances, this emotionally-engaging drama went on to win both Best Film and Best Actor awards at the National Awards of the following year, while also being declared a box-office success. A rarity to win accolades from all spheres, but this Tigmanshu Dhulia film achieved the same.
DHANAK (Budget – estimated 2 Crores)
Nagesh Kukunoor’s light-hearted drama which revolves around two siblings in Rajasthan, who venture out of their home, after the demise of their parents, to meet actor Shah Rukh Khan – in hopes of getting enough money to provide for an eye operation for one of them. Although it is essentially a children’s film, and deals with a lot of scenes with forced simplicity – it still makes for a great, heartwarming watch.
Some other great small budget flicks that you can watch apart from these are – Miss Lovely, Kadvi Hawa, Ankho Dekhi, Lipstick Under My Burkha, Iqbaal, Talvar, Peepli (Live), Dum Laga Ke Haisha – to name a few.
So, don’t just limit yourself to mega-budget star-studded movies, when these small-budget gems can pack up so much with so little.