Critic’s Choice: Underrated Bollywood Films of the Last Decade

Four films from 2014 onward that slipped past wide audiences but hold up on repeat viewings

Start with Court from 2014. The courtroom drama follows a folk singer charged with abetment to suicide and shows how the system moves at its own slow pace. Viewers who expect speeches or twists get long stretches of waiting and paperwork instead, which is exactly where the film lands its point.

Newton arrived in 2017. It tracks a young government clerk sent to run an election in a Maoist-affected forest area. The story stays grounded in small procedural details, like arguments over voter lists and the limits of one official’s authority, rather than turning into a rescue thriller.

Masaan from 2015 splits its time between Varanasi’s cremation ghats and the lives of two young people trying to move past family expectations. The film keeps its focus on everyday logistics, bus fares, job applications, and quiet negotiations at home, without forcing a single uplifting arc.

Soni from 2018 centers on two female police officers in Delhi who handle cases of street harassment. Most scenes take place inside a patrol car or at the station, where the officers trade short, tired exchanges about what they can actually change in one shift.

• Court runs 124 minutes and works best when you watch it straight through without pausing.
• Newton uses real locations in Chhattisgarh and keeps the cast small so the procedural friction stays visible.
• Masaan mixes non-actors with leads and shoots on 35mm to hold the dust and light of the riverfront.
• Soni was shot over 21 nights in actual Delhi police vehicles, which shows in the cramped framing.

If you want to test any of these, start with Newton on a weeknight. Its runtime sits under two hours and the single-location pressure makes the choices feel immediate.