"Bollywood movies are not my thing", Well, Let us change that for you.

Bollywood movies are often accused of "not being daring and experimental", "not being real enough", "not creative enough" and they are mostly a portrayal of love triangles and romances or action-packed dramas. These charges are to some degree justified when we look at the typical Bollywood movies. Movies are made from a commercial point of view so even if the plot is not real enough, the public buys it for its entertainment constituent, happy ending, romance, and action. But there are a few movies that are bound to get so close to your heart that you would look into more of Bollywood for such content which is much more than just romance and action.

1.Lootera (2013)

IMDb-7.3/10

Vikramaditya Motwane ’s Lootera is bound to touch you emotionally once you hit the climax of the movie. The movie commences with a warm and innocent love story of Pakhi and Varun, so pure that it reminds us of the love stories from the '80s, the film soon takes a turn when Pakhi gets to know about Varun's betrayal, it becomes more of a thriller than a love story. This is where the downfall and tale of separation begins. Yet, destiny plays a big role and brings Pakhi and Varun together after a year of eternal sorrows and loss in both the lives. Lootera is much more than a "happily ever after" romance. The story is about loss, eternal love, and most importantly Leaf. The story is based on O'Henry's short story The Last Leaf.

2.The Lunchbox(2013)

IMDb- 7.8/10

The Lunchbox is a delightful and exceptional movie with no flashy songs, no bungalows, no romance in it. The story is an amalgamation of characters staying in our minds forever and a raw feeling that is bound to leave an impression on one's heart. This movie is a confrontation in itself, two lonely people(Ila and Saajan) trying to communicate through letters exchanged in a lunchbox. Two people who meet completely by chance because of the wrong delivery of a lunchbox and discover their connections amongst their insecurities and loneliness.

3.Tumbbad(2018)

IMDb-8.3/10

Tumbbad is a compelling tale about human greed, an ancient myth, treasure, demons, monsters yet it is much more than just a fright fable. It is true to its genre, has visual abundance and workmanship. It has gothic elements woven splendidly. The ‘aate ki gudiya’ in the movie will make you jittery and you won't be able to get it out of your memory for quite a long it. Directed by Rahi Anil Barve Tumbbad is a masterpiece.

Jonathan Barkan of Dread Central writes " the film is more focused on the horror of human behavior than it is on creaking doors and the terror of what lurks in the dark."

4.October(2018)

IMDb-7.5/10

There is no one like Director Shoojit Sircar when it comes to making unusual movies that deal with offbeat subjects and stories. His works like Vicky Donor, Piku, and Madras cafe have dealt with unconventional matters. October, one of his many masterpieces is about a young hotelier's(Dan) internal renewal, his metamorphosis from a carefree and fun-loving guy to a completely mature human after one of his colleagues fall off a building and is severely injured. (Shiuli)

How does one deal with the sight of death? Shot by Avik Mukhopadhyay, this movie swings between an intensive care unit of a hospital and a hotel. It is subtle yet loud. Is it a love story? Well, we do not hear "I love you" in the entire film yet is recorded with love throughout. Shiuli and Dan are much more than just lovers.

5. Masaan(2015)

IMDb-8.2/10

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, Masaan is an experience in itself, one of the finest Bollywood movies ever made. Set against the backdrop of Varanasi, the city is not just a setting but a character in itself, who calmly sits and laments over the tragedies in the lives of Devi(Richa Chadha) and Deepak(Vicky Kaushal).

“Saala ye dukh kahe khatam nahi hota hai be?”

This very dialogue sums up the entire mood of the film. The film weaves different stories in a single thread. It deals with ordinary societal issues like inter-caste and premarital relations, the suffering of a common man in an extraordinary way. The screenplay and the music in the movie are mind-boggling. Life is not very convenient, yet it has to go on.

6. Barfi(2012)

IMDb-8.1/10

"Sometimes, silence is the language of love."

Written and directed by Anurag Basu, Barfi is a film which is bound to make you laugh and the same moment make you emotional and warm, what a paradox!

Two imperfect people, Barfi and Jhlmil, perfectly in love with each other. A deaf-dumb boy and a girl with autism fall in love with each other and gives us major ‘couple goals’. At the end of the day, love is about silently taking care of each other even though there is no exchange of words. Actions speak louder than words. Barfi initially falls in love with a very beautiful girl but she leaves him because of his disability and marries a contemporary perfect man. She later meets Barfi and realizes that she would have been happier if she married Barfi. Love is all about accepting each other’s flaws.

7. Haider(2014)

IMDb-8.1/10

Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet is without a doubt the best kind of "literature on-screen" you will ever come across, a remarkable achievement. Just like Shakespeare's drama, Haider has it all, starting from love-hate, vengeance, madness, possession, betrayal, death, loss of lives to" the oedipal complex". What adds excellence to the movie is the Political crisis in Kashmir during 1998, the dilemma. A son returns to Kashmir in search of his father who was detained by the army for sheltering militants what follows is a story of betrayal and bloodshed and a thirst for revenge.

8. Aligarh(2015)

IMDb- 7.8/10

Aligarh is much more than just a movie about gay rights in India. It deals with the stigma one has to go through as a homosexual. Hansal Mehta's Aligarh is based on the real-life story of Dr. Siras from Aligarh who was a professor of Marathi. He was thrown out the University, after being 'caught' with another man in the privacy of his home.

This movie came out in 2015, the year now is 2020 and even today people look at gay couples with disgust. "Love is love" we see quotations all over but is it the case truly?

9. Pink(2016)

IMDb- 8.1/10

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Pink is not a typical courtroom drama. It is a story about three young working women labeled as "sluts" just for being friendly and polite. "No means No", Pink ends with this short and crisp dialogue that gives rise to several questions and compels the audience to think about the position of women in “free India”. Are women in India safe? Judging a woman based on her clothes, virginity or her relationship status is nothing uncommon in our patriarchal society. Women here fight for justice after they escape molestation what follows next is bound to make you ponder upon the issues a woman has to go through when she tries to defend herself.

10. My Name is Khan(2010)

IMDb-8/10

Karon Johar's My Name is Khan can be split into three parts- the first section dealing with the innocent love story of Rizwan and Mandira, the next with the unfortunate turn of circumstances in the couple's lives, and finally, Rizwan's journey to meet the US president. Now to understand what went wrong in the lives of Rizwan and Mandira we are taken back to the 9/11 attack where the Muslim community residing in the US had to face racial prejudices. This is a story about Rizwan, a man with Asperger's Syndrome trying to prove it to the world that not every Muslim is a terrorist. The story is so strong that it leaves a mark on us.

11. Andhadhun(2018)

IMDb- 8.3/10

Black comedy, a gripping story, an unpredictable plot, a splendid cast, and brilliant cinematography is what makes Sriram Raghvan's Andhadhun one of the best thrillers in Bollywood. When you start watching this movie it becomes impossible for you to predict what comes in the next moment, it is full of twists and turns. It clutches your attention right from the commencement till the end. A blind pianist's world takes a somersault after he unintentionally lands at the murder scene of a former movie star.

12. Article 15(2019)

IMDb- 8./10

"Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth"- Article 15 in The Constitution Of India 1949

Anubhav Sinha's Article 15 throws light on the harsh and gritty realities of the rural areas in India where discrimination based on caste and race takes place. An upright IPS officer from Delhi is posted in a small village in Uttar Pradesh, the very day there is a report of two bodies of minor girls hanging from a tree. 'Power ki alag hi jaat hoti hai!', there are compelling one-liners throughout the movie to make the viewers aware of what is wrong with our systems, how the Dalits and backward classes in rural heartlands of India suffer just for being born in a lower caste.

13. Rockstar(2011)

IMDb- 7.7/10

Rockstar is a movie about Janardhan Jhakad’s transformation into Jordan after getting his heartbroken. But this movie has got so many layers that it is almost without a flaw. Janardhan, initially a simpleton looking for inspiration to create music believes that he can only be successful after he is heartbroken as the music comes from the soul, later on, he turns into an international Rockstar after falling in love with Heer, a popular college girl. Both of them have fun but their happy lives are interrupted and there is a turn of events. Jordan is thrown out of his family and he discovers his inner “rockstar”. But all this fame and success comes at a cost, self-destruction. Imtiaz Ali’s movies are so full of emotions that one can touch them. The music in this film is everything one could ask for, AR Rahman and Mohit Chauhan deserves special notice.