Top Political Bollywood Movies: India is a very political country and in the past few days, the political environment around us is supercharged because of the General Elections. If you are a politics enthusiast, a novice or just want to turn off the cacophony of news channels, maybe you need a break. Here are some Political Bollywood Movies about the politics of India to indulge your political aficionado by watching some fictional politicians (instead of the real ones screaming on the news).
Also Read: 5 Bollywood Movies with the Best Climax Scenes
Starring – Vivek Oberoi
Director – Omung Kumar
Yet another biopic movie that is looking to cash in on the election season, PM Narendra Modi is yet to release. Although the original release date was 5th April 2019, the film courted controversy for violating election commission’s model code of conduct and the release date moved to 24th May 2019. Although that controversy may be a good thing for this Vivek Oberoi starrer because it has created a buzz among the audience which did not exist on its initial release date.
The film has had a super quick turnaround because principal photography started only in January 2019 which is quite unusual. Also, actor Vivek Oberoi has drawn a lot of flak for his look in the film which does not resemble Narendra Modi. There were rumors of a Narendra Modi biopic starring Paresh Rawal as the PM but PM Narendra Modi seems to have beaten that to the punch as the first film about Narendra Modi. Hopefully, once the film releases it is able to convert the buzz into box office success.
Starring – Various
Director – Vivek Agnihotri
In the current season, where Political Bollywood Movies are dime a dozen, The Tashkent Files is yet another political movie that raises questions about one of the most intriguing and mysterious death of an Indian Politician, Lal Bahadur Shastri. There are a lot of (conspiracy) theories laid out in front of the audience and it is on the viewer to decide whether they believe any of them. As of writing, The Tashkent Files is still playing in theatres and has earned back approx 7 times its budget, which is very impressive despite the mixed reviews.
Also Read: Top 5 Classic Emotional Movies of Bollywood
Starring – Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Director – Abhijit Panse
Another Political Bollywood Movies in 2019, Thackeray is funded by a member of the erstwhile political strongman’s party and as such the film came with the approval of the party. It received mixed reviews from critics and audience but one thing that everyone agreed on was that Nawazuddin Siddiqui was superb in portraying the title character. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has consistently delivered on every role from the ridiculous (Munna Michael) to the downright scary (Raman Raghav 2.0) and everything in between and he owns every moment of screen time in Thackeray.
Starring – Anupam Kher
Director – Vijay Gutte
Released on the same weekend as one of the biggest hits of 2019 so far, Uri: The Surgical Strike, the trailer for Accidental Prime Minister set social media ablaze but the film failed to do the same on the box office. Based on the book of the same name by Sanjay Baru, Accidental Prime Minister was not watered down like some of the movies on this list but Anupam Kher’s characterization of the former PM came across as more of a caricature than a tribute.
All the major players in the political landscape found representation here, with some of the biggest events during the ex-PMs tenure but the film was not engaging and if you watched the trailer, you saw most of the biggest scenes in the movie already. Word-of-mouth publicity completely killed this movie commercially, although it couldn’t have helped to be released against the Blockbuster of 2019!
Also Read: Top 5 Banned and Controversial Movies of Bollywood
Starring – Kirti Kulhari
Director – Madhur Bhandarkar
Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and starring Kirti Kulhari in the title role, Indu Sarkar was a mixed bag. Given the pun in its name and its period setting (during the Emergency), there were huge expectations from this movie after the trailer first appeared. It seemed like a movie that would dare to really dissect the emergency but the film was quite watered down and seemed quite averse to taking risks. People did not respond to the movie and it ended up as a commercial dud. Probably, the audience expected more from a risk taker like Bhandarkar!
Starring – Jackky Bhagnani
Director – Syed Ahmed Afzal
While Political Bollywood Movies in 2019 have created controversy for releasing near or during the elections, Youngistaan which had some parallels to the leader of one of the major parties got a free pass in 2014. On the surface, Youngistaan is the story of Abhimanyu Kaul (Jackky Bhagnani) who is thrust into the political spotlight when he becomes the PM due to the death of his father. However, Abhimanyu continues his live-in relationship with Anwita (Neha Sharma). The film was a critical and commercial failure and except for one memorable song (Suno Na Sangemarmar) is utterly forgettable. Thankfully, the producers decided to not make the rumored sequel, Youngistaan Dobara.
Also Read: Underrated Bollywood Movies That Every Cinephile MUST Watch
Starring – Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif
Director – Prakash Jha
If Nayak takes an idealistic view of Politics then Rajneeti takes a hyper-realistic view of it. Co-written and Directed by Prakash Jha, Rajneeti’s story is strongly inspired by the epic Mahabharata. This is a rare multi-starrer where everyone gets an opportunity to shine and everyone delivers on that promise. The viewer gets a behind the scenes look at how the personal lives of dynasties affect their politics.
There was a controversy surrounding this film because certain characters seemed inspired by some real-life political figures but Jha was able to quell these controversies by drawing parallels with Mahabharata. The film is one of the best Political Bollywood Movies, was a blockbuster hit and sparked rumors of a sequel but nothing came out of those rumors.
Starring – Amitabh Bachchan
Director – Ram Gopal Varma
Loosely based on the life and times strongman of Marathi politics and his family (although there are some similarities to The Godfather as well), the Sarkar film series stars Amitabh Bachchan, Supriya Pathak, and Abhishek Bachchan. The world of Sarkar is highly realistic and it dares to put a magnifying glass on the corrupt political establishment. The first two films received mixed reviews but did decent business but the third film was a critical and commercial failure. There were some rumors about a fourth film in the franchise but the director, Ram Gopal Varma, seems to have shelved them for now.
Also Read: Upcoming Bollywood Movies to Look Forward to in 2019
Starring – Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji
Director – S. Shankar
This remake of S. Shankar’s hit Tamil film, Mudhalvan, Nayak starring Anil Kapoor is one of the most well-known Political Bollywood Movies in India. In this film, Anil Kapoor plays Shivaji Rao, an honest journalist who finds himself opposite the greedy and corrupt CM (played by the master of the villainous roles, the late Amrish Puri) and ends up becoming CM for a day.
Nayak did an average box office business at the time but has since gained mass cult status among Bollywood fans. The music composed by A.R. Rahman, was reused from the original film. Nayak presents a very idealized version of what is possible in the politics of this country but sometimes we need such fantasy to escape reality.
Starring – Suchitra Sen, Sanjeev Kapoor
Director – Gulzar
Many movies create controversies but the OG maverick of Bollywood was the film written and directed by Gulzar – Aandhi. Starring Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kapoor, Aandhi was initially released in February 1975. However, rumors circulated about the film as being about Indira Gandhi who was the Prime Minister of India at the time. Certainly, the character of Aarti Devi (Suchitra Sen) seems modeled on the PM (in her dressing sense and mannerisms), even though Gulzar always maintained that this character was purely fictional.
This film was banned during emergency because it depicted Aarti Devi smoking and drinking which were taboo at the time and this reflected badly on the PM. The ban was only lifted in 1977 and the film was re-released, it then went on to become the biggest hit of Sen’s career. This film is most remembered today for its melodic and heart-touching music.
Also Read: The Best Bollywood Movies of 2019 (So Far)
What are some of your favorite Political Bollywood Movies? Comment and let us know!
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