There’s something different about watching a movie or web-series based on a true story or inspired by real-life incidents. We are continuously reminded that whatever we are watching on the screen actually happened. Add to it the joy of learning about an inspiring or captivating tale.
Here’s a list of such movies and web series from 2021.
1. House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths
The Netflix docuseries offers an insight into what happened in Burari in 2018 when 11 members of a family were found dead in a house. It also deals with the investigation into the infamous and disturbing case that shook the entire nation at that time.
What was initially suspected to be a murder turned out to be a case of ‘mass psychosis’. The investigators apparently found 11 dairies from the home, each detailing the situation. Based on the diary entries, the police suspected it to be a case of a ritual gone wrong.
You can watch it here.
2. Jai Bhim
The Amazon Prime Video film stars Suriya in the lead role and is believed to be one of the boldest films in Indian cinema. It also overtook the cult favourite The Shawshank Redemption and became the highest rated movie on IMDb.
It is inspired by a real-life case fought by Chandru, a senior advocate, where a daily wage worker belonging to the Irular community died in police custody. The movie talks about custodial torture and caste discrimination faced by the tribal community.
Throughout his career, Advocate Chandru worked mainly for human rights and apparently never charged a single penny for these cases.
You can watch it here.
3. Sardar Udham
This is another Amazon Prime Video film that received brilliant reviews from audience and critics. The biopic directed by Shoojit Sircar stars Vicky Kaushal in the lead role of Sardar Udham Singh. He was an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary who is believed to have avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre single-handedly.
It is not one of your conventional patriotic movies and is one-of-a-kind in its depiction of locations, dialogue delivery and authentic star cast.
You can watch it here.
4. Bhuj: The Pride of India
Despite all hiccups, the movie is based on an incredibly true story. It recalls the contribution of the courageous civilians of Bhuj who risked their lives to restore the bombed Indian Air Force airstrip in Bhuj during the 1971 war.
While the film couldn’t do justice to the true story, it made us aware of an incredible chapter from the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
You can watch the film here.
5. Shershaah
The Amazon Prime Video movie is a biopic on the Kargil War hero, Captain Vikram Batra, starring Sidarth Malhotra in the lead role. From cinematography and direction to music, the film received rave reviews from audience.
Sidarth Malhotra as Vikram Batra shines and makes the film what it is.
You can watch it here.
6. Thalaivi
The movie initially released in theatres and is a biopic on six-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. It stars Kangana Ranaut in the lead role and while the movie did not do well at the box office, her transformation captured people’s attention. She inhabits this very complex character of Jayalalithaa.
The movie may not have got all things right, but the performances like that of Kangana (Jayalalithaa) and Arvind Swami, who plays MGR in the film are laudable.
You can watch it here.
7. Bell Bottom
The Amazon Prime Video film is not based on a true story but it does derive inspiration from different events. Majorly, it is inspired by real-life hijacking events in India by Khalistani separatists (a Sikh separatist movement) during the 1980s, such as the Indian Airlines Flight 423, 405 and 421 hijackings.
It stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role who plays a RAW agent with code name, Bellbottom. Lara Dutta’s transformation as former PM Indira Gandhi was another talking point of the movie.
You can watch it here.
8. Alma Matters: Inside the IIT Dream
This is a Netflix docuseries on the life of students at IIT-Kharagpur, India’s first IIT. It gives us a peek into the the lives of students at IIT Kharagpur (or any other IIT largely) and the struggles they go through every single day.
It makes for an interesting watch and leaves the viewers with more questions.
You can watch it here.
9. State of Siege: Temple Attack
The Zee5 film is a fictional drama inspired by the real-life terrorist attack on Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar where pilgrims were held hostage in 2002. Akshaye Khanna plays the role of NSG commando Hanut Singh who is incharge of dealing with the massacre as the terrorists start killing the captives.
You can watch it here.
10. Kaagaz
Director and actor Satish Kaushik’s film Kaagaz, stars Pankaj Tripathi in the lead role. It tells the story of a common man, Lal Bihari’s 18-year-long fight against bureaucracy and corruption to prove that he is alive.
The heartwarming biopic gives us some hilarious moments while also bringing an important story to the forefront.
You can watch it here.
11. Mumbai Diaries 26/11
The Amazon Prime Video series is a fictionalised telling of the story of the first responders in the aftermath of the dastardly terror attack of 26/11. There have been other movies and shows on the Mumbai terror attack but this one attempted to highlight the difficulties experienced by medical personnel.
The portrayal of the whole media thing, the role of hotel staff in evacuating the guests and the Cama Hospital (Bombay General Hospital in the series) attack is pretty much on point. Despite being a fictionalised account, the web series manages to portray the horrors of that night convincingly well.
You can watch it here.
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