The 40 most popular indian history movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


RRR
2022 · 3h 7m
country: India
A fictional history of two legendary revolutionaries' journey away from home before they began fighting for their country in the 1920s.


Gandhi
1982 · 3h 12m
country: India
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.


Toofan Singh
2017 · 2h 22m
country: India
The journey of a Punjabi Sikh boy who grew up during the chaotic, violent 1980s revolving around his chase for survival, equality and justice in order to protect and shield society and fight against brutality, crime and corruption.


Rang De Basanti
2006 · 2h 37m
country: India
After a group of friends graduate from Delhi University, they listlessly haunt their old campus, until a British filmmaker casts them in a film she's making about freedom fighters under British rule. Although the group is largely apolitical, the tragic death of a friend owing to local government corruption awakens their patriotism. Inspired by the freedom fighters they represent in the film, the friends collectively decide to avenge the killing.


Satluj
2026 · 2h 44m
country: India
Triggered by the search for his missing aunt, human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra takes on a broken system in a courageous fight to uncover the conspiracy behind thousands of disappearances and extrajudicial killings during the nadir of Punjab’s period of insurgency.


Ponniyin Selvan: Part I
2022 · 2h 47m
country: India
The Chola kingdom is under threat from forces both internal and external, and with crown prince Aaditha Karikalan, his younger brother Arunmozhi Varman and the emperor, Sundara Cholar separated by situations, it is up to a messenger to ensure the safety of the kingdom. Can he succeed in his mission, especially with Karikalan's former girlfriend, Nandhini, plotting to bring down the entire Chola empire?


Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
2001 · 3h 53m
country: India
The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.


Pather Panchali
1955 · 2h 5m
country: India
Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.


KD – The Devil
2026 · 2h 21m
country: India
In the early 1970s, a petty criminal Kaali unwittingly involves himself with underworld thugs, catalyzing events beyond his control.


Ponniyin Selvan: Part II
2023 · 2h 44m
country: India
968 AD. The Pandyan assassins gather once again to destroy the Chola dynasty. Now the mighty Chola princes must fight the Pandyas, the Rashtrakutas and other Chola enemies who have joined forces. Also, at play are the rumours of Ponniyin Selvan’s death at sea, the powerful Pazhuvettarayar’s betrayal, and the tragic destiny of Aditha Karikalan, whose heart was long lost to the vengeful Nandini.


Bandit Queen
1994 · 1h 59m
country: India
Born a lower-caste girl in rural India's patriarchal society, "married" at 11, repeatedly raped and brutalized, Phoolan Devi finds freedom only as an avenging warrior, the eponymous Bandit Queen. Devi becomes a kind a bloody Robin Hood; this extraordinary biographical film offers both a vivid portrait of a driven woman and a savage critique of the society that made her.


Chhaava
2025 · 2h 41m
country: India
Shivaji's death sparks the Maratha-Mughal conflict. His son Sambhaji leads resistance against Aurangzeb's forces. Amid battles and intrigue, both sides face challenges in a struggle for power.


Sita Ramam
2022 · 2h 38m
country: India
Afreen, a rebellious Pakistani student sets ablaze the car of an Indian in London. Angered Afreen returns to Pakistan to ask for money from her grandfather that she has to pay in a month's time as damages. However, she gets to know that he is no more and the only thing he has left for her is a letter-delivering task, written by Ram to Sita. As Afreen sets out to find Ram, there begins her journey of discovering the secret behind the 20-year-old letter.


Padmaavat
2018 · 2h 43m
country: India
Rajputana, India, 13th century. The tyrannical usurper Alauddin Khilji, sultan of Delhi, becomes obsessed with Queen Padmavati, wife of King Ratan Singh of Mewar, and goes to great lengths to satisfy his greed for her.


LOC: Kargil
2003 · 4h 15m
country: India
This film dramatizes events that occurred as the hostility between India and Pakistan over Kashmir came to a head in 1999, when more than 1,000 men crossed the "Line of Control" that separates the two locations. Taliban and Pakistani soldiers took over the area, blocking the main road that linked the regions. Standing their ground, Indian soldier drove them away, but not without losing more than 400 of their own men first.


Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
2022 · 2h 34m
country: Georgia
The story of the great Indian rocket scientist, Shri Nambi Narayanan's life, a true patriot, who was turned into a villain in the blink of an eye after being falsely accused of treason.


Champion
2025 · 2h 47m
country: India
An aspiring football star desperately seeks a way to travel to England to play for a famous team, but his journey leads him to a village waging a bloody conflict.


Emergency
2025 · 2h 27m
country: India
Based on true events that unfolded in 1975, the film chronicles incidents that took place under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, one of the most powerful women in Indian history.


Jodhaa Akbar
2008 · 3h 33m
country: India
A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess.


Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran
2018 · 2h 9m
country: India
A look at India's second confidential nuclear test series at Pokhran lead by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, during the time of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure.


Bajirao Mastani
2015 · 2h 38m
country: India
Peshwa Bajirao married to Kashibai, falls in love with Mastani, a warrior princess in distress. They struggle to make their love triumph amid opposition from his conservative family.


Ashok Kumar
1941
country: Unknown
Based on age-old Buddhist folklore connected with Mauryan Emperor Ashoka's son Kunal.


Fatteshikast
2019 · 2h 33m
country: Unknown
The film depicts India's first historical surgical strike from the period of Shivaji.


Hey Ram
2000 · 3h 19m
country: India
Saketh Ram's wife is raped and killed during direct action day riots in Calcutta. He is convinced that Mahatma Gandhi is responsible for all the problems happening in the country. He sets out to kill him.


Ikkis
2026 · 2h 28m
country: India
Second Lieutenant and India's youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient, Arun Khetarpal, gave his life fighting for his battalion and the country during the 1971 Battle of Basantar. Ikkis also takes a reflective look at the futility of war through the eyes of Khetarpal's father, who visits his ancestral home in Sargodha and Alma Mater for reunion, which now happens to be in post-partition Pakistan, 30 years later.


Mangal Pandey - The Rising
2005 · 2h 30m
country: India
The film begins in 1857, when India was ruled by the British East India Company. Mangal Pandey is a sepoy, a soldier of Indian origin, in the army of the East India Company. Pandey is fighting in the Anglo-Afghan Wars and saves the life of his British commanding officer, William Gordon. Gordon is indebted to Pandey and a strong friendship develops between them, transcending both rank and race.


Raja Shivaji
2026 · 3h 15m
country: India
Chronicles the rise of young Shivaji Bhonsale, who challenged the might of established empires to found the Maratha kingdom and lay the groundwork for 'Swarajya' (self-rule) during a turbulent period of Indian history.


Sam Bahadur
2023 · 2h 30m
country: India
Based on the life of Sam Manekshaw, who was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.


Border
1997 · 2h 56m
country: India
Amidst the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a company of 120 Indian soldiers stationed at the border region of Longewala in Rajasthan must defend their post through the night against two thousand Pakistani troops armed with tanks. Based on the true events of the Battle of Longewala.


Jai Bhim
2021 · 2h 44m
country: India
A pregnant woman from a primitive tribal community, searches desperately for her husband, who is missing from police custody. So as to find her husband and seek justice for them, as their voice, a High Court advocate rises in support. Will their battle for justice succeed?


Samrat Prithviraj
2022 · 2h 16m
country: India
The true story of legendary Hindu warrior king "Prithviraj Chauhan" including his early military successes, love story with Sanyogita & clashes with Muhammad of Ghor, a ruler of the Ghurid dynasty who led the foundation of Muslim rule in the Indian subcontinent.


Kaantha
2025 · 2h 30m
country: India
Set in the backdrop of a film set, in the 1950’s in post colonial Madras, the film is centred around the professional rivalry between a film-maker trying to make his seminal film and the top reigning actor who the director once introduced. The rivalry spirals around the leading actress, a debutante and as the relationship between the three.


Sky Force
2025 · 2h 5m
country: India
In the 1965 Indo-Pak War, India faces a devastating surprise attack. Wing Commander Ahuja leads a retaliatory strike, but Squadron Leader Vijaya goes missing after a heroic solo engagement against a superior enemy jet. Ahuja spends 23 years seeking the truth and uncovering a cover-up.


Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea
2021 · 3h 2m
country: India
‘Marakkar Lion of the Arabian Sea’ portrays the courageous life-events of a rebellious naval chief, Kunjali Marakkar the fourth, who fought against the Portuguese in the ancient times. He was the fourth naval chief of the Calicut Zamorin. The film revolves around him who was also the first Indian Naval Commander and Indian freedom fighter for the war against the Portuguese. He is said to have won 16 such battles with his impeccable strategies and fighting skills.


83
2021 · 2h 40m
country: India
On the 25th of June 1983, the Lord’s Cricket Ground witnessed one of the biggest underdog stories in the history of sports. Fourteen inspired players - led by a man's self-belief and conviction - fought against all odds and orchestrated India’s greatest sporting triumph by beating the two-time World Champions West Indies.


Bharat Milap
1942 · 2h 50m
country: India
Queen Kaikeyi exiles Rama and demands Bharat be king. Bharat, devoted to Rama, refuses the throne and goes to the forest, urging Rama to return. Rama insists on upholding his father's vow. Bharat then rules Ayodhya as Rama's regent, placing Rama's sandals on the throne until his return.


Mother Teresa & Me
2022 · 2h 25m
country: India
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of the few canonized saints of our day, is discovered through the eyes of Kavita, a young Englishwoman abandoned by her boyfriend after she’s found to be pregnant. Kavita journeys to Calcutta to escape her pain and soon discovers that even holy people like Mother Teresa have to face life’s challenges and, in fact, struggle through years of spiritual crisis known as the “dark night of the soul”. Inspired by Teresa’s example of perseverance and compassionate love, Kavita rediscovers hope and purpose.


Bose: The Forgotten Hero
2005 · 3h 28m
country: India
After resigning from the presidential post of the Indian National Congress, Subhas Chandra Bose plays an important role in India's freedom struggle during World War II.


Maharaj
2024 · 2h 12m
country: India
Based on a real-life historic court case, a bold journalist questions a revered leader's immoral behavior.


Methagu-II
2022 · 1h 49m
country: India
A direct sequel to Methagu, which tells the biography of LTTE Leader Prabhagaran.
India produces more films annually than any other country, across many language industries — Hindi-language Bollywood, plus major Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Bengali traditions. The song-and-dance musical number is a structural convention, not a genre.
Historical films reconstruct the past, whether faithfully or as deliberate myth-making. The genre attracts big budgets and big performances, and it reveals as much about the era that produced the film as the one on screen.