20 Underrated Best Indian Movies of 2024 You Should Not Miss

The year 2024 has been nothing short of an insane year for Indian Cinema. While the Telugu Cinema had taken over the box office with two 1000 crore+ movies, Kalki2898AD and Pushpa 2 The Rule, there are many indie low scale regional movies that garnered appreciation from audiences and critics alike. These hidden gems, rich in storytelling and creativity, deserve to be celebrated for their unique take on narratives and cinematic excellence. Here’s a curated list of 20 lesser-known cinematic masterpieces from 2024 that should not be missed:

1. Kishkindha Kaandam

• Language: Malayalam

• Director: Dinjith Ayyathan

• Synopsis: Strange events unfold in a monkey-inhabited village, prompting a newlywed pair and forest officials to embark on a mission to uncover the root cause of the peculiar disturbances.

2. Santosh

• Language: Hindi

• Director: Sandhya Suri

• Synopsis: A government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is murdered, Santosh is pulled into the investigation by charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.

3. Merry Christmas

• Language: Hindi-English

• Director: Sriram Raghavan

• Synopsis: A gripping noir thriller set during the holiday season, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif. It’s a complex tale of deceit, love, and redemption.

4. All We Imagine as Light

• Language: Malayalam-English

• Director: Payal Kapadia

• Synopsis: This poetic drama a quiet drama about fragility, beauty and kinship, and what it takes to keep going in ordinary, difficult times. Set in contemporary Mumbai, it centers on three Hindu women, their everyday lives and the bonds that they share with one another as well as with the larger world

5. Girls Will Be Girls

• Language: Hindi-English

• Director: Shuchi Talati

• Synopsis: Set in a small-town boarding school, this coming-of-age story examines mother-daughter dynamics and rebellion against societal norms.

6. Manjummel Boys

• Language: Malayalam

• Director: Chidambaram

• Synopsis: Based on a Guna Caves rescue in 2006. The film follows a group of friends from a small locality called Manjummel in Kochi, who decide to have a vacation in Kodaikanal, which is affected when one of them becomes trapped in the Guna Caves.

7. Aavesham

• Language: Malayalam

• Director: Jithu Madhavan

• Synopsis: Three teens come to Bangalore for their engineering education and get involved in a fight. They find a local gangster to help them.

8. Maharaja

• Language: Tamil

• Director: Nithilan Saminathan

• Synopsis: A barber seeks vengeance after his home is burglarized, cryptically telling police his "lakshmi" has been taken, leaving them uncertain if it's a person or object. His quest to recover the elusive "lakshmi" unfolds.

9. 35 - Chinna Katha Kaadu

• Language: Telugu

• Director: Nandha Kishore Emani

• Synopsis: Revolves around a young mother facing challenges when her son fails to secure passing marks, igniting events that test the family's resilience and unity.

10. Bramayugam

• Language: Malayalam

• Director: Rahul Sadasivan

• Synopsis: A psychological horror film that masterfully intertwines folklore and modern fears.

11. Kottukaali

• Language: Tamil

• Director: P.S. Vinothraj

• Synopsis: Meena, who loves a man from a lower caste but her family thinks she is possessed and cast the spell out of her.

12. Vaazhai

• Language: Tamil

• Director: Mari Selvaraj

• Synopsis: A twelve-year-old boy, Sivanandhan, his mother, sister, and friend navigate life's challenges, where a plantain tree, Vaazhai, becomes a central presence.

13. Amar Singh Chamkila

• Language: Hindi

• Director: Imtiaz Ali

• Synopsis: This Imtiaz Ali back-to-form drama follows the life of pop star duo Amar Singh Chamkila and Amarjot Kaur, whose songs that were social commentaries or devotionals became massive hits in the 80's.

14. Kill

• Language: Hindi

• Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

• Synopsis: A relentless action film with a unique plot, following a train journey filled with intense hand-to-hand combat sequences.

15. Meiyazhagan

• Language: Tamil

• Director: C. Prem Kumar

• Synopsis: A man's life is changed when he bumps into someone from his hometown in this moving Tamil-language drama; gentle scenes are occasionally punctuated by sporting threat and recollections of violence.

16. Deep Fridge

• Language: Bengali

• Director: Arjun Datta

• Synopsis: Swarnava and Mili, divorced five years, spend a night reflecting. Divided into Ice Cube, Melting Point, and Defrost, the story explores their emotional journey. The "Deep Fridge" symbolizes their buried feelings and ongoing struggles.

17. Lubber Pandhu

• Language: Tamil

• Director: Tamizharasan Pachamuthu

• Synopsis: Set against the rural backdrop, explores gully cricket stars Gethu and Anbu's intense rivalry. Anbu's romantic involvement with Gethu's daughter escalates the clash. Their skills and emotions are put to the ultimate test.

18. Laapatha Ladies

• Language: Hindi

• Director: Kiran Rao

• Synopsis: The misadventures of two young brides who get lost from the same train. From mistaken identities to laugh-out-aloud escapades, the ensuing chaos guarantees laughter galore and heartwarming moments.

19. Hanu-man

• Language: Telugu

• Director: Prasanth Varma

• Synopsis: A superhero film rooted in Indian mythology, it showcases the adventures of a modern-day Hanuman.

20. Gaami

• Language: Telugu

• Director: Vidyadhar Kagita

• Synopsis: Telugu’s first crowd-funded movie that has been shot for more than 4 years, this drama follows Shankar, an amnesiac Aghori who suffers from the fear of touch, goes on a dangerous Himalayan trail in search of a mythical cure for his condition. What happens when his past uncovers the way for him?

Some of these films may not have garnered massive box office numbers, but their storytelling, direction, and performances are nothing short of remarkable. If you’re a cinephile, make sure to add these to your watchlist!