Movies based on crime and real-life true events always make for an interesting watch. The seismic shift has come since the Bollywood movies started receiving flak for their overdose of masala and commercialization and too less ‘content.’ But in this era of masala movies and Hindi movies on free Live TV, crime movies based on true events are a welcome change.
There are more than a handful of streaming apps and websites where you can watch Hindi movies.
Here’s a curated list of 6 best Bollywood crime movies based on real life and true events:
Talvar (2015)
Based on the real crime incident of Arushi Talvar murder case that jolted the entire nation, Talvar stars Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Neeraj Kabi in lead roles. The Noida double murder case revolved around the murder of a teenage girl and the house servant and their doctor parents were convicted of the crime.
No One Killed Jessica (2011)
Another crime and murder movie, No One Killed Jessica is the story of Jessica Lal murder case. Jessica Lal, a New Delhi-based model, was killed by Manu Sharma, son of an influential minister Vinod Sharma. However, despite enough evidences and repeat trials, all acquitted were released by court in 2006 for lack of substantial evidence. The movie starred Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherji in lead roles.
Neerja (2016)
Based on the hijacking case of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan; Neerja is the story a brave heart Neerja Bhanot who went beyond the call of her duty to save the lives of 300+ passengers while risking her own. The 1987 hijacking case-based movie had Sonam Kapoor in the title role which bagged her National Award for best film actress.
Shahid (2013)
Based on the life of Shahid Azmi, a lawyer and a human rights activist, the movie Shahid had his real-life story when he was assassinated in 2010 in his own office. Popular for fighting for the rights of people accused under POTA, he dedicated his life for saving people from getting implicated in false cases like he has been in one. The movie starred Raj Kumar Rao in the lead role and went on to getting him a National Award for best performance.
Special 26 (2013)
After a true fake CBI raid incident that happened in 1987, Special 26 showcases a series of raids conducted by fake CBI officers and looting the black money of fraudulent businessmen and ministers. The movie had Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta in pivotal roles.
Raazi (2018)
Though not essentially a crime movie but Raazi makes for a great must watch movie with your family and pals. Based on the true-life story of a Kashmiri girl Sehmat, it is adapted from the novel ‘Calling Sehmat.’ The story has Sehmat marrying a Pakistani Army Officer in order to spy on his family to get the vital information about cross border tension to pass on to his family. Set against the backdrop of Indo-Pak war of 1971, Raazi had Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles and won critical and popular acclaim for its brilliant execution.
