It might sound blasphemous, but the Hindi cinema landscape of 2025 can be summed up with a hypothetical image, of a bloody, bearded man smoking away as the Indian flag sways in the background. Anger, nationalism and macho men were the biggest pulls in theatres this year with films like Dhurandhar, Chhaava and War 2 topping the charts. But amidst all the rage ruling at the box office, some soft, simmering films seeped in, which made you silently reflect than instantly react.
In no particular order, here are the best non-rage-bait Hindi films released to Indian audiences in 2025:
In the films about films genre, Reema Kagti’s dreamy take on Malegaon’s DIY moviemaking industry might just be the most wholesome one. On a shoe-string budget, Nasir (Adarsh Gourav) and friends take on to make a parody of the classic, Sholay (1975). Armed with dreams, the indie spirit and a camera taped on a cycle for a dolly, the filmmakers, in the process, discover the mirth of creation and realise the importance of friendship. The film also gave Hindi cinema one of the most iconic lines in recent times: ‘Writer baap hota hai (Writer is the big daddy of them all).’ Superboys…has been produced by Zoya Akhtar, daughter of Sholay writer Javed Akhtar.
(Streaming on Prime Video)
Arati Kadav’s Hindi remake of the 2021 Malayalam original The Great Indian Kitchen might seem more polished but the simmering rage of a homemaker is intact. Richa (Sanya Malhotra) once had dreams of being a dancer but is now married into a patriarchal household. Her husband wants his clothes to be set up on the bed. Her father-in-law will only eat food made using hand-grounded spices. With little humiliations every day, Richa bottles up. The film has this uncanny sense of doom building up, like a pressure cooker about to blow.
(Streaming on ZEE5)
Everything that can go wrong in a night does go wrong in Karan Tejpal’s high-octane chase thriller Stolen. Two brothers (Abhishek Banerjee and Shubham Bansal) get confused as child kidnappers as they try to help an underprivileged woman (played by Mia Maelzer) locate her missing infant. Urban India meets real India as the brothers are chased and lynched in a country where sensation travels faster than reason.
(Streaming on Prime Video)
In a year of so much testosterone on screen, watching Anurag Basu’s Metro…In Dino, a spiritual sequel of his 2007 film Life in a…Metro, felt like getting into a time machine. The song-and-dance musical has an old-school Bollywood charm to it. It’s an interconnected story of different couples at different stages of their lives and their efforts to keep finding new ways to love despite all. It’s a look into how romance has changed shape in the age of options and career aspirations. Also, who would have thought Pankaj Tripathi and Konkona Sen Sharma would have such crackling chemistry?
(Streaming on Netflix)
Talking about old-school, two fresh faces and a director’s conviction can still pull audiences into theatres. At a time when spectacle has become the new normal, Mohit Suri sticks to his guns and offers a modern-day Aashiqui (1990) to the Gen Z viewer. Ahaan Panday plays upcoming rockstar Krish Kapoor with aplomb and gives a good PR to nepo kids. Aneet Padda is sweet, sensitive and vulnerable as the songwriter Vaani. The love story is often cliché but Saiyaara seems pure in its expression. It proves that no matter what, in Hindi cinema, love will always find a way.
(Streaming on Netflix)
Caste finally gets centrestage in Hindi cinema with Dhadak 2. Shazia Iqbal’s remake of Mari Selvaraj’s 2018 film Pariyerum Perumal might not be as scathing as the original but it still discusses the biggest rot in Hindu society. The façade of Bollywood’s rich-girl-poor-boy romance wears off in Dhadak 2. In a sequence Neelesh (Siddhant Chaturvedi), who hails from an underprivileged caste, imagines matching steps with Triptii Dimri’s Vidhi during a wedding celebration. In reality, he gets urinated on for merely attending the event. Dhadak 2 is a hard-hitting reality check dressed up as a Bollywood romantic-drama.
(Streaming on Netflix)
In the age of constant stimulation from reels and sharply-cut made-for-OTT content, Raam Reddy’s sophomore directorial Jugnuma (The Fable) is a grainy, cinematic feast for sore eyes. Watching it in a theatre is like witnessing somebody’s dream being showcased on the big screen. But it’s not all just poetic visuals, the film also delves into themes of class, caste and our parasitical relationship with nature. It’s a calming experience, like somebody wrapping you in a blanket as you sit by the bonfire.
Sex, urban loneliness and a dysfunctional family makes for an explosive cocktail in Kanu Behl’s sophomore feature. The volatile Guru (debutant Mohit Agarwal) will do anything (includes drinking phenyl) to get another room constructed on his house’s terrace where he can live with his future wife. His mother, however, wants to run a clinic there. Agra is psychological grime creeping over your body. It is raw, real and pessimistic but also has some hope clinging on to it.
With mainstream cinema reducing Muslims to bearded men yapping about their ‘maqsad’ from across the border, Peepli Live (2010) director Anusha Rizvi’s sophomore feature, The Great Shamsuddin Family, normalizes the minority. It’s a warm family-comedy with Muslim women at the helm, solving problems and joking away. The film might be lighthearted but it doesn’t shy from being political. There is mention of Triple Talaq, the lead character is considering leaving the country, a Muslim boy brings home a Hindu girl and another character fears that her husband might have been lynched. The Great Shamsuddin Family makes you laugh and reflect and also proves that Farida Jalal is the grandma for the ages.
(Streaming on JioHotstar)
India’s official entry to the Oscars, Neeraj Ghaywan’s sophomore feature Homebound is the story of hope, dreams, a friendship and a pandemic. Chandan (Vishal Jethwa) and Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) wish to join the police service for both stability and dignity. It’s an exploration into the middle-class’s dream of securing a government job, how the system is rigged against them and the subtle humiliations the Dalits, the Muslims and the underprivileged have to undergo every day. It’s a story of how those at the lowest rung of Indian society always get the shorter end of the stick. The climax is crushing. It will haunt you for days.
(Streaming on Netflix)