We know Bollywood movies for their extravagant color palettes, soulful and upbeat music, and storylines that touch our hearts. But Bollywood biopic movies have recently been a hot topic with their scripts, dialogue, and sometimes super engrossing perspectives.
The movie industry has produced an array of movies in multiple genres. While romance and action thrillers might dominate the industry, lately, Bollywood Biopic movies have created quite a stir at the box office – from the lives of celebrities, politicians, and even next-door activists.
We have shortlisted some of the most impactful and popular Bollywood biopic movies so you can compare and decide which one to watch next.
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6 Popular Bollywood Biopic Movies We All Love
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)
This Bollywood sports Drama film is based on the life of the former ODI, Test, and T20 captain of the Indian Cricket Team (Men’s), M.S. Dhoni. Starring the Late Sushant Singh Rajput, the movie revolves around the story of how Dhoni became a cricketer and went from being Mahi to Captain Cool over the years.
This Bollywood Biopic movie was dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi and became the 5th highest-grossing movie of 2016. With an enormous commercial as well as a critical success, M.S. Dhoni remains special – especially to cricket fans. The soulful tracks by Armaan Malik, Arijit Singh, and others just added to the story’s brilliance.
Mary Kom (2014)
Based on the life of Indian Boxer Mary Kom, this Bollywood biopic movie shows her journey towards becoming a boxer and winning the prestigious World Boxing Championship in Ningbo in 2008. This movie also marks the debut of Priyanka Chopra Jonas as a Playback singer in Hindi Movies. Set in the hills of Manipur, it catches a glimpse of the boxer’s life. Although the film was shot in parts of Himachal Pradesh, it manages to recreate the essence of her home state.
With great story-telling, this movie ranks as one of the highest-grossing Indian films by a female lead. If you are a sports fan, you would totally love this critically acclaimed movie.
Chhapaak (2020)
Laxmi Agarwal, who herself is an acid attack survivor, this movie is more than just a biopic. The story is impactful and has an important social commentary on acid sales regulations. It shows the tedious and extremely difficult journey a survivor goes through on their way to recovery and the stigma associated with them.
Chhapaak also highlights the nature of most acid attacks, bringing forth the same statistics in the country. The callous sale and easy accessibility of acid are one of the reasons that act as a constraint towards eradicating this heinous crime – “…bikta hi nahi, toh phikta Bhi nahi…”. With Gulzar’s Lyrics and Padukone and Vikrant Massey’s acting, Chhapaak is a must-watch Bollywood biopic movie for sure.
Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)
A biographical Crime drama, the story is loosely based on the lives of Gangubai Kothewali, who is listed in the book “Mafia Queens of Mumbai.” Revolving around a young girl forced into prostitution who manages to stand her ground, the movie throws light on several issues that sex workers face. Some of the issues and stigmatizations depicted in the movie are very much relevant even in today’s society, where the Supreme Court has legalized Sex Work.
Starring some of the finest actors, including Alia Bhatt as Gangubai, Ajay Devgn, and Vijay Raaz, this movie is a treat. With the spectacular frames Bhansali is known for, a great storyline, and catchy tracks like “Dholida,” this Bollywood biopic movie would blow your mind!
Manto (2018)
A film by Nandita Das depicts the life of the writer Sadat Hasan Manto. The Indo-Pakistani writer is most well known for his literally works revolving around the Partition of India, most notably “Toba Tek Singh” and “Thanda Gosht.”
The movie also focuses on the legal allegations and charges he faced, along with other writers like Ismat Chughtai, for “obscenity” in their stories. It is a commentary on different aspects of lives, especially for artists, during the tumultuous time post-partition.
Manto shows, in great detail, how the writer dealt with this all in a rather challenging way. As his stories remain memorable even today, this film is a testimony to his life. With a rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s “Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hain Tere,” this Bollywood biopic will give you goosebumps by the end!
Shershaah (2021)
Shershaah is a Biographical war film based on the life of Vikram Batra, who was martyred in the Kargil War. Starring Siddharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani in the lead roles, this movie became the most-watched movie of the year on Prime Video India.
A heart-touching story, this Bollywood Biopic was critically acclaimed and loved by its audience. With a patriotic undertone and the beautiful chemistry between Sid and Kiara, it greatly impacted the box office ( OTT in this case) and our minds. If your “Raatas” are “Lambiyaan,” and you are in for an emotional rollercoaster, grab a box of tissue and watch this movie.
Which Bollywood biopic movies do you admire? Let us know in the comment section.
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