Best Indian Historical Drama Movies: Historical Drama is a genre that everyone likes to witness on big screens. These cinematic wonders take us to a variety of eras from The Mughal to the Colonial, Modern history, and more. However, producing such visual spectacles is not that easy as it requires a lot of hard work and patience, compared to the regular commercial flicks. And that’s the reason why only a section of filmmakers garner success while others crash miserably.
Indian cinema has produced a wide range of such visual treats for the audience, and interestingly, most of them released after SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning. Nevertheless, the brilliant success of Baahubali was great learning for Indian filmmakers, as it gave them the confidence to explore this genre more often. In this article, I have listed out seven Best Indian Historical Drama Movies that are must-watch for everyone. Here we go!
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First on the list of the Best Indian Historical Drama Movies, starring Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior tells the epic story of fierce warrior Subedar Tanhaji Malusare, the right hand of renowned Maratha King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Military Chieftain in his army. It revolves around the Battle of Sinhagad, where Tanhaji Malusare, along with his army, takes on Udaybhan Rathod, a Rajput warrior who fought for Aurangzeb, to recapture the Kondhana Fort.
Upon release, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior got an exceptional response from every corner, and it is also the Highest Grossing Indian Movie of 2020. The period-drama venture was lauded for its magnificent making, surreal music, breathtaking action sequences, and power-packed performances by the lead actors. Despite made on a very controlled budget, Tanhaji had impressive visual effects that prove the saying ‘Budget don’t make a movie big, the thought does.’ A must watch flick for all the epic movie buffs!
Three decades back, long before Baahubali came into existence, it was Mammootty’s Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha that changed the definition of historical-dramas in Indian cinema. Revolving around Chandu Chekavar (played by Mammootty), an orphan boy and a quick learner, who is hated by his cousin Aromal Chekavar (Suresh Gopi) for obvious reasons. The two brothers grow up to be rivals, which trigger some unexpected turn of events.
The simple plot was beautifully narrated by director Hariharan that made Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha an evergreen classic. It went on to collect over a dozen awards, including the prestigious National Best Actor Award for Mammootty for his eldritch act. Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha was listed as the third greatest Indian film of all time by IBN Live in a poll conducted in 2013.
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Another visual spectacle by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Padmaavat narrates the story of Rani Padmavati (played by Deepika Padukone), who felt sacrificing her life was better than surrendering to the enemy. Ranveer Singh portrayed the role of Alauddin Khilji, the most powerful ruler of the Khilji dynasty, who, after hearing about the unmatchable beauty of the queen, invades Mewar to get her. In Mewar, Alauddin locks horns with Maharawal Ratan Singh (played by Shahid Kapoor), the husband of Padmavati, and after his defeat, Padmavati had sacrificed her life by jumping in a pit of fire to avoid being captured by the cruel enemy.
Just like Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat also faced a lot of rifts by many religious groups that resulted in the delay of its release. However, the controversies did nothing to hamper Padmaavat’s successful theatrical run, and the historical saga stood as the Highest Grossing Hindi Film of 2018. With regal costumes, magnificent cinematography, mesmerizing soundtrack, and award-winning act by the leading cast helped Padmaavat to attain a classic status.
SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali: The Beginning entirely changed the taste of the Indian audience, and it single-handedly put our industry on the international map. Inspired by the Indian History and Mythology, Baahubali brought alive the fictional Mahishmati Kingdom, in a scale unseen on Indian screens, and was a bonafide success.
With Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, and Sathyaraj in the primary roles, Baahubali: The Beginning, was hugely praised for its every aspect, literally everything. Right from the performances, music to cinematography, action, and visual effects, everything was so marvelous in Baahubali that it ended up being the Best Indian Historical Drama Movies has ever manufactured.
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A magnum opus by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bajirao Mastani chronicles the love story between the Maratha Peshwa ‘Bajirao’ and Princess of Bundelkhand ‘Mastani’. Ranveer Singh brilliantly portrayed the majestic character of Peshwa Bajirao, who is also described as “RanMard,” a man-made of and for the battlefield, who didn’t lose even a single war in his life. On the other hand, Deepika Padukone’s performance as Mastani was something that cemented her position as a terrific performer of Bollywood.
Priyanka Chopra played the role of Kashibai, the first wife of Bajirao, and her act was appreciable as always. Bajirao Mastani was dragged through a lot of controversies and outrage by many religious and political groups as they were upset by the portrayal of Peshwa Bajirao. The film came out as a huge winner against all odds and garnered much love from the audience and several National Awards including Best Direction. One of the Best Indian Historical Drama Movies.
An epic love saga set in the Mughal-era, Jodhaa Akbar, celebrates the true love between Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (played by Hrithik Roshan) and Rajput princess Jodhaa Bai (played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). The film was helmed by Ashutosh Gowariker, who is known for grand-scale cinema, and was praised for its high production values and historical accuracy.
Hrithik Roshan lived the character of Akbar, and his performance is one of the major asset of this film. Aishwarya Rai, on the other hand, looked gorgeous in the avatar of Rajkumari Jodhaa Bai, and she made a perfect pair with Hrithik in Jodhaa Akbar.
Topic on the list of Best Indian Historical Drama Movies, the second part of the blockbuster period war-drama Baahubali: The Beginning helmed by SS Rajamouli, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion truly uplifted the standards set by its predecessor, in terms of Canvas, VFX, and even the Box-Office results. Mounted on a cosmic budget of over Rs 225 Cr, it minted a mammoth worldwide gross of close to Rs 1800 Cr, out of which 1300+ Cr came out from India only. Historic indeed, isn’t it?
Released amidst humongous expectations, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’s buzz was taken to a different level by the question “Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali?“ Thanks to the stellar vision of SS Rajamouli and the entire team, Baahubali 2 will go down in history as a memorable Classic. Filled with uncountable goosebumps sequences, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was a true epic experience, and lucky are those who witnessed it on the big screens.
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