Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
300 crore bollywood movies

Bollywood filmmakers have been telling the inspiring stories of real life characters.  Generally, a biographical film features the life story of a real person or it focuses on the incident that involves that person. So here is a list of ten best biographical films from Bollywood.

1.Bhaag Milkha Bhaag – Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the film is based on the life of former sprinter Milkha Singh. Farhan Akhtar plays the title role in it and gets into the skin of the Flying Sikh, with his accent, mannerism and body language, completely transforming in the role. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning the National Award for Best Popular Film.


2. M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story – This Neeraj Pandey-directed 2016 film traces the life of cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni from his childhood, to being a ticket checker to finally becoming a part of the Indian Cricket Team. Sushant Singh Rajput played the titular role alongside Disha Patni, Kiara Advani, Bhumika Chawla, and Anupam Kher in the very important roles. It was a massive success among the critics and audience.


3. Neerja – Based on the life of one of the lesser known personalities, Neerja is directed by Ram Madhvani and follows Neeraj Bhanot’s life, a head purser. She had valiantly saves 359 of the 379 passengers when Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan was hijacked in 1986. The entire story is told through the point of view of Neerja and also highlights the trauma which her family faced during and after the whole incident. The film was lauded for its realistic depiction of the events and was a commercial success as well.


4.Mary Kom – The film is based on the life of Olympic boxer Mary Kom and was directed by debutant Omung Kumar. It features Priyanka Chopra playing the eponymous character which depicts her life and the struggles she faced while pursuing her passion. Mary Kom was a critical and commercial success and won several accolades.


5. The Dirty Picture: The film catapulted its actress Vidya Balan’s career and is credited for paving the way for other future female-centric stories. Directed by Milan Lutharia, the film is based on the life of late south Indian actress Silk Smitha. It was a massive success among the audiences and the critics, with particular praise for Balan’s performance. She also earned several awards and nominations for the role.


6.Paan Singh Tomar – Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, this 2012 sports drama film is based on the life of a lesser known person, an athlete turned bandit, Paan Singh Tomar. It was shelved for a while, until UTV came on board and released it. The film was a sleeper hit and met with critical acclaim for its direction and Khan’s performance, earning him the National Award for Best Actor.


7. Bandit Queen – One of the earliest biopic’s to come out of Hindi cinema, this 1994 Shekhar Kapur-directed film is unlike most of the films made in this country, as it shows a real, brutal and unflinching look at the life of bandit Phoolan Devi. It features Seema Biswas in the titular role and was surrounded with controversy around the release due to its depiction of rape without Devi’s permission. The film won the National Award for Best Film and is regarded as one of the finest biopics.


8. Dangal – The film depicts the life of the wrestlers Phogat sisters – Geeta and Babita as they are trained by Mahavir Singh Phogat to become India’s first world-class female wrestlers. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film stars Aamir Khan, Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Sheikh. It met with mostly critical feedback and became one of the highest grossing Hindi film of all time.


9. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The  Forgotten Hero – Directed by Shyam Benegal, the film is based on the life of Subash Chandra Bose. The titular role has been played by Sachin Khedekar. Upon its release, Khedekar was praised for his performance. The film garnered the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, and the National Film Award for Best Production Design.


10. Sarbjit: The second film in the list directed by Omung Kumar, this 2016 flick is based on the life of Sarabjit Singh who was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991 and who consequently spent 22 years in prison for alleged terrorism and spying. He died in 2013 after being beaten badly by the inmates. The film stars Randeep Hooda in the titular role along with Aishwarya Rai and Richa Chadda. It met with mixed critical reaction but proved to be a profitable venture at the box-office.

11.Sardar – This 1993 film directed by Ketan Mehta is based on the life of barrister and politician Vallabhai Patel, famously known as Sardar Patel. Paresh Rawal plays the titular role in the film which was written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar. It won the National Award for Best Film on National Integration.

12. Shahid – One of the most brutally honest biopic of recent times, this 2013 Hansal Mehta directed film is based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi who was assassinated in 2010. Rajkummar Rao won the National Award for Best Actor for portraying the title role with honesty. The film also met with critical acclaim and was a box-office success.
13. The Legend of Bhagat Singh – Based on one of the most popular freedom fighter of this country, Bhagat Singh, this 2002 film is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. It has Ajay Devgn playing the eponymous character, along with Sushant Singh and Akhilendra Mishra. The film met with positive critical reception and won several awards, but under performed at the box-office.
14. Manjhi – The Mountain Man – The film is based on the extraordinary life of Dashrath Manjhi, who had carved a road of a huge mountain using only a hammer and chisel. Directed by Ketan Mehta, the film has Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing the title role. It met with mostly positive critical response.
15. Haseena Parkar – Shraddha Kapoor plays her career’s first title role in this Apporva Lakhia film based on the life of underworld mafia Dawood Ibrahim’s sister, Haseena Parkar. The film met with mixed to negative critical response and proved to be a box-office dud.
Bollywood also has several other biopics lined up for release, including Shakuntala Devi, Gunjan Saxena, ’83, Shakeela and Jaya among others.

By Yash Singh

A film graduate who writes for a living, apparently.