Top 10 Bollywood Movies based on True Stories

By Sanjay Maurya

Top 10 bollywood movie of all time, Without the power in story one cannot supply good movies, sometimes the real story is more powerful than the imagination of the writer and there are many movies that support this claim. Today, we suggest you the top 10 best Bollywood movies based on true stories, and some of them you probably haven’t seen yet, so let’s start the list with Black Friday (2004) directed by Anurag Kashyap.

Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories

01 – Black Friday (2004)- Crime/Drama ‧ 2h 23m

IMDb Rating – 8.4/10

• Release date: 9 February 2007 (India)
• Director: Anurag Kashyap
• Budget: 6.5 crores INR
• Music director: Indian Ocean
• Screenplay: Anurag Kashyap, Piyush Mishra
• Cinematography: Natarajan Subramaniam

Story – After the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, the police force launches a massive operation to nab the criminals responsible for this heinous act.

Directed by Anurag Kashyap, this film has been made very realistic. Actors Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava, and Pavan Malhotra did a great job in the acting department. No matter which is your favorite genre, if you are a movie lover then you should not miss this movie.

02 – 26/11 (2013) – Hindi cinema/Docudrama ‧ 1h 56m

IMDb Rating – 6.9/10

• Release date: 1 March 2013 (India)
• Director: Ram Gopal Varma
• Budget: 22 crores INR
• Producer: Parag Sanghvi
• Screenplay: Ram Gopal Varma, Rommel Rodrigues, Prashant Pandey
• Casting director: Harshal Bandivdekar

Story – Ten terrorists, come to India and carry out several attacks at various places in South Mumbai. However, the Mumbai Police manages to arrest one of the terrorists, Ajmal Kasab.

There are 5 movies and series that repeat the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, but 26/11 (2013) directed by Ram Gopal Varma is a masterpiece in every department. Everything is very realistic; the performance department is also covered by all the top-level actors. The movie will give you a very close view of 26/11 attack so don’t miss this.

03 – The Stoneman Murders – 2009 – Crime/Drama ‧ 1h 35m

IMDb Rating – 7.3/10

• Release date: 13 February 2009 (India)
• Director: Manish Gupta
• Casting director: Nitin Rana
• Language: Hindi

Story – A suspended police officer attempts to solve the case of a professional killer who brutally murders residents sleeping on the footpaths of Bombay.

Fear, darkness, suspense, everything is mixed by Manish Gupta in his brilliant film named The Stoneman Murders. The investigation shown in this movie will keep you completely hooked and booked from the very first scene till the end. This movie is based on a real incident so don’t google anything about it as it will spoil the tension.

04 – URI: The Surgical Strike (2019) – War/Action ‧ 2h 18m

IMDb Rating – 8.2/10

• Release date: 11 January 2019 (India)
• Director: Aditya Dhar
• Music director: Shashwat Sachdev
• Editor: Shivkumar V. Panicker
• Cinematography: Mitesh Mirchandani

Story – Indian Army Major Vihaan Singh Shergill leads a covert operation against a group of militants who attacked an army unit in Uri, Kashmir in 2016, killing several soldiers.

Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), directed by Aditya Dhar and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Hetvi Karia, tells the story of the 2016 Uri attack and its aftermath. The film is not only one of the best Indian war films but also one of the best international war films ever made on such a limited budget of INR 25 crore. Aditya Dhara has done wonders with his direction and Vicky Kaushal has won many hearts from his acting.

05 – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) – Drama/Sport ‧ 3h 6m

IMDb Rating – 8.2/10

• Release date: 11 July 2013 (India)
• Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
• Produced by: Rajiv Tandon; Sudhanshu Vats; Raghav Bahl; Maitrayee Dasgupta; P. S. Bharathi
• Budget: 41 crores INR
• Distributed by: Viacom18 Studios, Viacom 18

Story – An Indian athlete, Milkha Singh aka ‘Flying Sikh’ overcomes many painful obstacles to become an Olympian world champion and one of India’s most celebrated athletes.

Based on the real-life story of an awesome athlete “The Flying Sikh” Milkha Singh, the story solely revolves around the hardships and horrors of his life. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag grossed ₹2.1 billion (US$26 million) worldwide and is the fifth highest-grossing 2013 Bollywood film. Many big issues are covered in the film, which needs to be openly discussed in order to solve them in society.

06 – Talwar 2015 – Thriller/Drama ‧ 2h 12m

IMDb Rating – 8.1/10

• Release date: 2 October 2015 (India)
• Director: Meghna Gulzar
• Budget: 15 crores INR
• Nominations: IIFA Award for Best Film, MORE
• Based on: 2008 Noida double murder case

Story – A hard-nosed investigator investigates a controversial case of a brutal murder. The matter is further complicated when the parents of the dead girl are considered prime suspects.

Who killed Aarushi is an unsolved mystery in the history of crime. Everything from the Narco test to police custody to make you an agent to solve this mystery is covered in this movie. The film is an intriguing and gripping thriller that boasts of stellar performances, witty dialogues, and a lot more.

07 – Paan Singh Tomar (2010) – Action/Hindi cinema ‧ 2h 15m

IMDb Rating – 8.2/10

• Release date: 2 March 2012 (India)
• Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
• Awards: National Film Award for Best Feature Film, MORE
• Box office: est. ₹201.80 million
• Distributed by: UTV Motion Pictures

Story – Athlete Paan Singh Tomar, wins the gold medal at the Indian National Games seven times. But when his mother is murdered and the police don’t take any action, he is forced to become a dacoit.

Irrfan Khan and supporting actresses and actors are behind the huge success of Paan Singh Tomar (2010). ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ is a biographical film based on the true story of an athlete Paan Singh Tomar. Tigmanshu Dhulia has done amazing direction to give this film a real touch of dacoit villages.

08 – Shahid (2012) – Drama/Hindi cinema ‧ 2h 9m

IMDb Rating – 8.2/10

• Release date: 18 October 2013 (India)
• Director: Hansal Mehta
• Box office: 3.6 crores INR
• Budget: 65 lakhs INR
• Screenplay: Hansal Mehta, Apurva Asrani, Sameer Gautam Singh
• Awards: National Film Award for Best Direction, MORE

Story – A former terrorist, Shahid Azmi becomes a criminal lawyer. He fights to bring justice to those convicted of terrorism but meets his own unjust end.

Based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was murdered in 2010, the film stars Rajkummar Rao Azmi; Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prabhleen Sandhu, and Baljinder Kaur in supporting roles. Shahid is one of the best movies and can’t be missed.

09 – Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015) – Drama/Romance ‧ 2 hours

IMDb Rating – 8/10

• Release date: 21 August 2015 (India)
• Director: Ketan Mehta
• Screenplay: Ketan Mehta, Shahzad Ahmad, Varadraj Swami, MORE
• Nominations: Stardust Award for Performer Of The Year (Female) – Editor’s Choice, MORE
• Cinematography: Rajiv Jain

Story – After the death of his wife while trying to cross the mountain, Manjhi, in a fit of rage, starts trying to cut through the huge mountain to build a road.

Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015) is one of the greatest films of all time. This film set an example that entertainment does not depend on a big star cast. If your direction and screenplay work well then no one will ignore your project. The film is based on the life of Dasaratha Manjhi and his journey to conquer mountains.

10 – Kaun Pravin Tambe? – Hindi – docudrama – 2h 14m

IMDb Rating – 8.4/10

• Initial release: 1 April 2022
• Director: Jayprad Desai
• Language: Hindi
• Music by: Sai-Piyush
• Produced by: Shital Bhatia; Sudip Tewari
• Production companies: Fox Star Studios; Friday FilmWorks; Bootroom Sports

Story – An Indian cricketer who shows persistence and hard work to achieve his ultimate goal of playing in the Ranji Trophy. At the age when it is considered that one’s career ends, in the last phase of one’s career, one starts a new chapter of one’s life.

When it comes to cricket, we have many biographical films but the impact and life lesson we learn from Kaun Pravin Tambe? And M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is top-notch. Kaun Pravin Tambe? The movie is based on the journey of Indian cricketer Pravin Tambe who made his Indian Premier League debut at the age of 41, becoming the oldest-ever IPL debutant. This movie will make you laugh, cry, and inspire all at the same time, so don’t miss watching it.

FAQ

01. Which are the top 10 Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories?

The top 10 Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories are as follows: –

1. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – Black Friday (2004)
2. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – 26/11 (2013)
3. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – The Stoneman Murders – 2009
4. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – URI: The Surgical Strike (2019)
5. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
6. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – Talwar 2015
7. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – Paan Singh Tomar (2010)
8. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – Shahid (2012)
9. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015)
10. Best Bollywood Movies based on True Stories – Kaun Pravin Tambe?

02. Which are the top 10 Best Bollywood Movies of all time?

The top 10 Best Bollywood Movies of all time are as follows: –

1. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
2. 3 Idiots
3. Sholay
4. Lagaan
5. Swades
6. Uri: The Surgical Strike
7. A Wednesday
8. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
9. Gangs of Wasseypur
10. Jab We Met

03. Which are the top 10 best horror movies of Bollywood?

The top 10 best horror movies of Bollywood are as follows: –

1. 13B: Fear Has a New Address
2. Tumbbad
3. Veerana
4. 1920
5. Bhool bhulaiyaa
6. Raaz
7. Bhoot
8. The House Next Door
9. Chhorii
10. Darr @ the Mall

04. Which is the top 10 web series in India?

The top 10 web series in India are as follows: –

1. Panchayat
2. Delhi Crime
3. TVF Pitchers
4. Mirzapur
5. Apharan
6. Gullak
7. Paatal Lok
8. Asur
9. CAT
10. Sacred Games

05. Which is the most viewed web series in the world so far?

The most-watched web series in the world of all time are as follows: –

1. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
2. Stranger Things (2016)
3. The Walking Dead (2010–2022)
4. Money Heist (2017–2021)
5. Mirzapur (2011–2019)
6. Squid Game
7. Vikings (2013–2020)
8. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
9. Lucifer (2016–2021)
10. Prison Break (2005–2017)

06. Which are the top 10 must-watch movies of all time?

The top 10 movies that you must watch before you die are as follows: –

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
4. The Godfather Part II (1974)
5. 12 Angry Men (1957)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
10. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

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