Indian Cinema Reviews | Picking Rare Gems from thoughtful Indian Films

The intent of this leaflet is to hoard Indian cinema reviews from outstanding Indian movies. Being an avid Hollywood buff, I rarely get time to watch movies with Indian roots, but whenever I do I ensure I watch quality stuff.

Indian Cinema Review

There is something dearly about your roots. It feels as if you are home. Entwined in your mother’s arms. The precise reason I care to check my roots. I squeeze some time out to watch highly recommended Indian films that I think are worth the time.

image of indian cinema written on a movie reel

Revering all the Hard Work

I fathom making a movie entails a lot of hard work. There are Herculean aspects that simply cannot be overlooked. Right from a perfect Casting to painstaking details entailed in achieving that articulate Cinematography, filling the right frames with apt Music to acing the frames with impeccable Acting, days of diligent Editing, perfecting it with an orgasmic Screenplay and then eventually binding everything together to make it all work is no easy job. I respect that! I intend to be a part of it someday. When that day comes, I will hold it closer to my heart and will never let go.

Changing face of Indian Cinema

Indian Cinema has been growing at a very fast pace. Straight from A Movie intends to celebrate some of those rare flicks that have unveiled the jaded facade of mainstream. New directors have taken over the Indian Film Industry. Different ideas are being helmed even as we speak. People who can really act are slowly sauntering towards the spotlight, and we are standing at a rare developmental plateau with arms wide open, ready to accept the change.

This leaflet of Indian Film tries to celebrate some of those rare Hindi movies that were strong enough to break the shackles of one-way thinking.

If there was an Indian film I discovered that blew my mind away, I would put it here in this column. Make occasional visits to see what this gorgeous category has amassed over a time span.

Sai Pallavi as Sita, Ranbir Kapoor as Rama and Ravi Dubey as Lakshmana in Ramayana (2026)

Ramayana Review (2026): Grand Spectacle, Missing Heart

Ramayana promotional still: Prime Focus Studios. © respective rights holders. Spoiler warning: This Ramayana review discusses major scenes and character choices. As a big Ramayana fan and a disciple of Lord Ram, I struggle to understand why filmmakers miss this ...

Mili (1975) promotional artwork featuring Jaya Bhaduri, Amitabh Bachchan and Ashok Kumar

Mili (1975) Review: When Love Chooses to Stay

Mili: A Girl Who Brings a Building to Life Another Hrishikesh Mukherjee banger. Mili is about a girl bursting with life, played beautifully by Jaya Bhaduri. She's chirpy, playful, always cracking jokes, singing and dancing with the children in her ...

Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se: Ranjeeta Kaur and Sachin Pilgaonkar in official promotional artwork

Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se Review (1978): A Bittersweet Romance

Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978), a Hindi romantic drama produced by Tarachand Barjatya for Rajshri Productions, is a film that feels one of a kind, owing to Hiren Nag's beautiful direction and some powerful performances, particularly by Sachin Pilgaonkar. Performances: ...

Udta Teer review promotional image showing Ayushmann Khurrana in a hammock between India and Pakistan border markers

Udta Teer Review: A Forgettable Popcorn Watch

Udta Teer’s biggest problem is that it wants to be everything at once. It starts with a premise that could have made for an entertaining comedy, then piles on action, twists, patriotic posturing and, eventually, a dramatic climax. Somewhere along ...

Kanyadaan featured image showing Shashi Kapoor and Asha Parekh against a village backdrop

Kanyadaan (1968) Review: Love Bound by Belief

Kanyadaan is a movie that needs to be watched keeping in mind the time in which it was made. Starring Shashi Kapoor and Asha Parekh, this 1968 film was directed by Mohan Segal, and it has been directed so beautifully ...

Aap Ki Kasam original promotional poster featuring Rajesh Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar and Mumtaz

Aap Ki Kasam (1974) | A Consequence of Insecurities

Jay Om Prakash's Aap Ki Kasam turned out to be a sad, despondent movie that spirals down the rabbit hole into an incessant pit to a place from where there was no return. It tries to justify its final line ...

Khushboo movie review featured image showing Hema Malini as Kusum and Jeetendra as Vrindavan in 1975 promotional artwork

Khushboo Movie Review: Love, Pride and Missed Chances

This Khushboo movie review is about another wonderful drama directed by Gulzar. Based on Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay’s Pandit Mashayi and its Bengali film adaptation, it draws you in gradually. The film does not begin by explaining its protagonists’ past. Instead, their ...

Mausam movie review featured image with Sanjeev Kumar as Amarnath and Sharmila Tagore as Chanda and Kajli

Mausam Movie Review: Gulzar’s Tale of Redemption

Another great Gulzar movie. This Mausam movie review begins with the film’s greatest strength: the extraordinary way Gulzar writes while keeping the main plot firmly in sight. Yet what impressed me just as much was his direction. This is one ...

Aandhi movie review featured image with Suchitra Sen as Aarti Devi and Sanjeev Kumar as J. K.

Aandhi Movie Review (1975): A Storm of Love and Politics

Aandhi. The very title tells you that a storm is coming. As I discovered while writing this Aandhi movie review, the film does take you by storm through its pain, longing and political upheaval. The story unfolds against an election ...

Amar Prem movie review featured image with Sharmila Tagore as Pushpa and Rajesh Khanna as Anand Babu

Amar Prem Movie Review (1972): Empathy Over Prejudice

Writing this Amar Prem movie review, I found the film to be a perfect example of society's hypocrisy. People remain biased against certain groups based solely on their professions. Pushpa turns to prostitution after her husband abuses, rejects and abandons ...