In a year that saw Salman Khan giving all he can in Sikandar, Akshay Kumar revving up the nationalism game in Sky Force and Kesari Chapter 2, Ajay Devgn serving a familiar corruption tale with Raid 2, Ayushmann Khurrana mounting a misguided Thamma, and Vicky Kaushal increasing the decibels with Chhaava; it was the smaller, quieter worlds that got lost along the course.
2025 was the year where spectacles didn’t particularly find resonance, barring the continuing success of Dhurandhar, where the numbing craft created a sense of power amidst its worryingly pro-establishment politics. Yet, the year also saw wild experiments like Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight, with a frantic Radhika Apte defying expectations, and Kanu Behl’s Agra creating a major jolt through his roughed up breakdown of feverish masculinity.
There were other stories too, some by known directors, some by debutants; some that spurred like magic, some that stung like a bee; films that brought a stirring sensitivity to the medium but didn’t particularly find a larger audience. Lost between an uneven fight for screens or just released rather nonchalantly on OTT, these films couldn’t journey beyond a clout. Most of them received critical acclaim but not all of them could garner as much attention.
Here’s a list of 10 underrated Hindi films of the year:
1) Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas
Arshad Warsi in ‘Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
A crime-thriller which doesn’t really go beyond the templates of the genre but is revelatory nonetheless. It stars Arshad Warsi as an angry cop, transferred to a North Indian town, who has to investigate a series of kidnappings. In parallel, the story follows Sameer, a charming young man, who sweet-talks a girl to elope with him. The film’s second half is especially striking for how it becomes an exploration of two moral forces pitted against one another. Beyond its tense narrative, Bhagwat also tries to question the communal and patriarchal realities fracturing a country’s essence.
2) Crazxy
Sohum Shah in ‘Crazxy’
| Photo Credit:
T-Series/YouTube
With a mix of some peppy, sentimental and retro vibes in the soundtrack, Sohum Shah’s unusual thriller created little buzz when it had a theatrical release in February. It is an inventive film that gets into momentum right from the first shot as it follows a short-tempered, arrogant Dr. Abhimanyu Sood for the entirety of its 90 minutes runtime. Writer-director Aadesh Prasad fuels Crazxy with plenty of style and heart, creating edgy moments as it reaches a pounding finale. It is a refreshing voice, breaking the clutter with grace.
3) Jugnuma
A still from ‘Jugnuma’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Raam Reddy’s luminous, celluloid-ridden exploration combined a meditative enquiry of the metaphysical realm while putting its questioning gaze on feudal structures. Made with a sombre, poetic sensibility, Jugnuma is filled with allegorical nuances that situate it in one man’s journey with the inner self and his frantic quest to understand the outside world. Anchored by Manoj Bajpayee’s haunting presence, the film takes an audacious philosophical leap purely through an interplay of its meticulous images of eternal, misty mountains, lush tea gardens, and the transient spark of fireflies. It is rightly called The Fable in its English title.
4) Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2
A still from ‘Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The sequel to Kapil Sharma’s sleazy, tantalising 2015 comedy-drama is a film infused with secular ideals. Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 is a delightful surprise as it blends Kapil’s brand of easy-going, silly humor with a sturdy conscience. Written and directed by Anukalp Goswami, the film features Kapil’s Mohan Sharma getting married to three women of different religions leading to confusion and chaos. Released just a week after Dhurandhar, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 largely went unnoticed despite offering a lot of laughs with a lot of heart.
5) Logout
Babil Khan in ‘Logout’
| Photo Credit:
ZEE5
Another film that failed to generate as much attention when it premiered on ZEE5 was this Babil Khan starrer. The actor played a phone-addict influencer, who is on the verge of hitting 10 million followers on social media. However, when his phone gets stolen by an obsessive fan, his entire life comes upside down. The film is written with poise as it explores the horrors of being online and how it leads to psychological alienation. Babil anchors it with a rare vulnerability which culminates into a near-transcendental epiphany in the climax.
6) Nishaanchi
A still from ‘Nishaanchi’
| Photo Credit:
Prime Video
Is it even an Anurag Kashyap film if it is not underrated? The director’s streak continues even with Nishaanchi, an epic crime saga that combined elements from some of his earlier flicks. When it was released, Nishaanchi struggled to find much resonance at the theatres and even divided critics over its laid-back, non-linear storytelling. However, the film breathes with life, echoing the beat of the heartland with a lot of restraint and a pulpy, earthen soundtrack. Kashyap brings back memories of the 70s, designing the narrative around an idealist father, a rebellious elder son, his feeble younger brother and their furious mother. Nishaanchi also often fuels with a breezy undertone which contrasts its gritty, violent portions. It may not be Kashyap at his prime, but is surely Kashyap in his element.
7) Stolen
Abhishek Banerjee in ‘Stolen’
| Photo Credit:
Prime Video
Finding a release two years after its premiere at Venice Film Festival in 2023, Karan Tejpal’s debut feature tells a harrowing tale of two city brothers, who get caught in violent mishaps in the hinterland. As they decide to help a mother find her kidnapped child, a series of misinformation points them to be the kidnappers. Inspired by real events, the film runs with an urgency that is visceral and disturbing, as it becomes a stirring document of a changing country. Its bleak undertones are powered with gritty performances by Abhishek Banerjee and Shubham Vardhan. The film needs to be seen more for its racy narrative and the concerns it raises about our times.
8) Superboys of Malegaon
A still from ‘Superboys of Malegaon’
| Photo Credit:
Prime Video
Reema Kagti’s endearing retelling of the glorious underdog story from Malegaon’s alternate film scene is as much an ode to friendship as it is to cinema. Based on the adventures of Nasir and his bunch making parody films of Bollywood blockbusters, Superboys of Malegaon blooms with nostalgia. Even though its portrayal of the town feels a tad too sanitised, the film comes alive in other smaller moments. Like the one where Vineet Kumar Singh’s, Farogh gives an evocative monologue on the plight of writers. Or the glorious final act, where a passion for cinema and love in friendship combine into a stunning audio-visual interplay.
9) Tehran
A still from ‘Tehran’
| Photo Credit:
ZEE5
A muscular, stoic John Abraham plays an empathetic officer of the special cell in this slow-burn thriller, which released without much noise on ZEE5 on Independence day. Tehran operates without resorting to empty theatrics and chest-thumping nationalism. Based on the bombing of Israeli diplomats in Delhi in 2012, the film journeys to international locations, while incorporating a mix of some foreign languages in the dialogue. It makes an important point about how innocents lose their lives over larger geo-political tensions. There is even an attempt to humanise the bad guys, which sets it apart from others in the genre.
10) The Mehta Boys
A still from ‘The Mehta Boys’
| Photo Credit:
Prime Video
Who knew that Boman Irani, known for adding a lively, comical charm to his performances, would make his directorial debut with a layered, visually dense film about a dysfunctional father-son relationship? The Mehta Boys flourishes with a meticulous visual grammar; its scenes come alive by combining a lot of texture from the cinematography. The setting of each shot — be it a strong yellow tint signalling discomfort in a restaurant or rain used to heighten a father-son banter — becomes a gateway to uncovering complex emotions. The film is also powered by heartfelt performances by Irani and Avinash Tiwary.
Published – December 24, 2025 03:50 pm IST
