Top 10 Indian Movies That Gained International Acclaim

Indian films typically perform pretty well domestically, but the makers have yet to discover the secret to success abroad. Bollywood films are sometimes hailed as mindless entertainment, with nothing worth remembering. However, over time, many Indian films have stood out, managed to escape obscurity, and received great global acclaim. Today, we look at some of the best Indian films that have gained international acclaim and made the country proud.

1. Mother India (1957)

Mother India was the first Indian film to receive an Oscar nomination. It tells the tale of a poor single woman who strived to raise her sons. It was one of India's all-time greatest box office successes. Regarded among the most significant Indian movies of all time, Mother India also took home prizes at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

2. Earth (1999)

Deepa Mehta’s second film in the Elements Trilogy, Earth, is brilliant. Set around the Partition of India in 1947, the movie was well-received both domestically and overseas. Roger Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, gave the film three out of four stars and claimed it had a message for everyone. The New Yorker and New York Times gave the film its highest recommendations and lauded Deepa Mehta’s direction.

3. Neecha Nagar (1946)

The first and the only Indian film to win the Grand Prize or Palm D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Neecha Nagar, remains a timeless classic. The Chetan Anand-directed film revolves around the gap between the rich and poor. The film is known for its expressionist social socialism. Though the film performed poorly in India, it received widespread acclaim internationally.

4. Pather Panchali (1955)

Any list of the greatest Indian films of all time is incomplete without mentioning Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece Pather Panchali. The visionary’s 1955 drama served as an inspiration for a new generation of filmmakers. It was the first independent Indian film to receive worldwide critical acclaim and won the 1956 Cannes Film Festival's award for Best Human Document. It was prevalent in the US and garnered a lot of accolades from critics everywhere.

5. Lagaan (2001)

The Ashutosh Gowariker-directed epic is considered one of the greatest Indian movies of all time. Lagaan became the third Indian film nominated for an Academy Award, and it remains the most recent nomination to date. The movie was recognized in Time magazine's special issue of "The All-Time 25 Best Sports Movies" in 2011 and was named No. 55 on Empire magazine's list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.

6. Devdas (2002)

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed version from 2002 was a huge critical and financial success in India. It was India’s entry for the 2003 Oscars and got nominated for a BAFTA for best foreign language film. In a recent list of the Top 10 Movies of the Millennium worldwide, Time Magazine named it the finest global film of 2002. In Empire magazine's list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema," it was ranked on 74^th place.

7. Monsoon Wedding (2001)

The 2001 film, directed by Mira Nair Mira Nair, a veteran Filmmaker, based in New York >> Read More... , revolving around the emotional cost of planning a wedding, won a Golden Globe Award nomination and the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion Award. The film served as the inspiration for its own Broadway musical. Moreover, it won the British Independent Film Award and got nominated for a BAFTA. The film’s production was a joint effort involving Indian and foreign companies.

8. The Lunchbox Click to look into! >> Read More... (2013)

The Lunchbox is a heartfelt film about food and love in which simplicity is the protagonist. It premiered at both the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2013 Cannes Film Festival's International Critics' Week. The film also scored a nomination for the 2015 British Academy Film Award in the category of Film Not in the English Language and won the Critics Week Viewer’s Choice Award (Grand Rail D'Or).

9. Masaan (2015)

The Neeraj Ghaywan-directed film served as the debut of Vicky Kaushal Vicky Kaushal is a famous Indian movie actor. He w >> Read More... . It has won numerous domestic and foreign accolades, including Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. This film was screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the SAARC Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival, to name a few. The movie, set in Benaras, simultaneously explores themes of death and hope and is a must-watch for cinephiles.

10. Awara (1951)

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor was a renowned actor, director, and pro >> Read More... produced, directed, and starred in this 1951 drama film. It also featured Nargis and Prithviraj Kapoor One of the most notable names in the Indian film i >> Read More... . The story focused on the effects of socioeconomic differences on individuals. The movie was highly successful in the country, as well as the former Soviet Union, East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Owing to its tremendous success, TIME magazine placed it in their list of the 100 Greatest Films of All Time.