Bollywood movies have given a vast amount of entertainment to their fans round the clock. One of the biggest movie and music-producing industries after Hollywood, the Indian film industry has some of the most dynamic features that will compel people to watch on a loop.
Celebrating a legacy of 100 years of entertainment, we have enlisted some of the most exhilarating movies that truly changed the perception of filmmaking and deserved to shine at the Oscars.
Listed chronologically and their release years, take a look at some of the most intriguing movies that deserved Oscars for their outstanding concept and execution.
Image Source- IMDB
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Laapataa Ladies (2023)
The current contender for Oscars 2025, this movie by Kiran Rao and produced under Aamir Khan Productions, portrays the beautiful journey of two women and a man who navigate their purpose in life after a bride swap takes place on a wedding night.
Set in a rural background of Indian borders, the story depicts the life-changing aspects of true love, independence, and navigating resilience in life.
Let's hope folks, the movie bags the award for Best International Feature category; registering a historic moment in Indian cinema to be the first full-length movie to bag an Oscar after The Elephant Whisper won in the Best Documentary category in 2023.
Image Source- IMDB
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Rocky Rani Ki Prem Kahaani (2023)
Bollywood movies are known for their comedy and romance. One such film, Rocky Rani Ki Prem Kahaani, is one of the highest grossers of 2023. The movie portrays the love story of a Punjabi-rich chaebol, who falls for a Bengali beauty journalist. Things start to get a little tough when both spend three months with each other’s families to see if they can get along with them.
The Gen Z and millennial blend given to the movie brings an interesting side of love and companionship. Although many fans may not agree that the movie should be winning an Oscar, it's a beautiful modern love story of the 21st century where it shackles the classic love at first sight. It's more like a mutual consent and modern approach for the relationship to sustain for life.
Image Source- IMDB
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RRR (2022)
On this list, the major 2022 smasher RRR—Rise, Roar, and Revolt—changed the perception of filmmaking, and the regional film industry glorified the entire country. The movie depicted a fictional story of a rebel and revolt against the British.
The movie made it to the 2023 Oscars under the category of Best Original Song and won the Oscar, bringing the Golden Award home. It was also a Best Foreign Film contender yet could not make it to the final list.
Image Source- IMDB
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Dear Zindagi (2016)
Another Alia Bhatt movie, this lighthearted movie starring Alia and the king of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, depicted a beautiful side of life. The story is set in the breeze of Goa, where a psychiatrist helps a budding cinematographer to live life to the fullest and not fear making mistakes.
This movie truly encourages the viewers to take the road full of adventure and live life like it's your last. It truly deserves to be in the Oscars, showcasing a modern approach to life and its struggles.
Image Source- IMDB
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Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016)
An interesting women-centric movie, Lipstick Under My Burkha, is a surreal movie that features the lives of four different women who try to fit in a society of men and their rules. A senior citizen woman who finds a 30-something swimming trainer attracted to her voice, becoming a man’s desired woman, and a married Muslim woman who happens to be an excellent saleswoman but her only duty is to fulfill her husband’s lust.
A girl in her late 20s is willing to live her life to the fullest and have some fun, and a young college student wants to see the world outside her burka. The lives of these four women are tangled in a web of patriarchal norms, which they finally break.
It beautifully depicts the women's story of those who aren't shy to speak about their likes, where society expects them to remain behind men. The movie could have been an excellent choice for the Oscars, showcasing women's empowerment and no longer a gaze of man’s love and lust.
Image Source- IMDB
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Masaan (2015)
If you are a Vicky Kaushal fan, then this movie must have been your hope to reach the Oscars at some point. The film depicts an interesting story of two people whose lives alter after a tragedy. A pyre burner tries to uplift his life from this profession, and a woman is caught in a messy scandal with her boyfriend.
The juxtaposition of life and death all in one takes the viewers into the reality of life and how time seals the wounds of trauma.
The movie had a strong candidature to represent India at the Oscars, but it couldn't. Nevertheless, it won a National Award. The film remains a gem in Indian cinema.
Image Source- IMDB
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Queen (2013)
One of the epic Indian movies of 2013, that changed the perception of moviemaking, is Queen. The Kangana Ranaut starrer movie was the biggest hit of that year and opened up the book for women-centric movies in Bollywood. The story of a middle-class 20-something girl whose dream shatters when her fiancé breaks up just the day before their wedding.
Heartbroken, she leaves for Paris, and later realizes that she’s worth more than just being someone’s wife. She makes friends and learns to live her life without a man by her side. Fans truly loved the movie and hoped it could make it to the Oscars that year. The movie won two national awards, though.
Image Source- IMDB
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Barfi! (2012)
Lastly, we have Ranbir Kapoor starrer Barfi! which became an instant in 2012. A mute and deaf boy lives life to its fullest and finds trouble as his best friend. Set in the beautiful city of Darjeeling, the movie navigates the love story of this happy-go-boy and how two women change his life simultaneously when all hopes seem to fade.
The movie was nominated for an Oscar, yet it lost in the eleventh hour. There had been a controversy that certain scenes in the movie were from Charlie Chaplin’s movies. Hence, we lost, yet it became a turning point for Ranbir’s career.
Conclusion
These gems are truly one in a million. An Oscar doesn't define these movies to be anything less than a Tarantino or Spielberg movie. Even though these weren't able to get international recognition, it remains in the history of Indian cinema. The changes in the era of Bollywood brought a fresh wave of ideas and perceptions, although it kept its roots hinged to its ground.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
*The views expressed are personal to the author and do not reflect the platform's opinion of the same.
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