From Anuparna Roy’s Songs of Forgotten Trees to Tanishstha Chatterjee’s Full Plate, here are all the Indian movies we’re keeping our eyes peeled for in 2025, 2026.
Not every Indian film is built for box office noise. These are the ones that sidestep the usual playbook. They live in the space between spectacle and formula, telling stories that are raw, risky, and deeply rooted. The titles here span languages and styles, but they share a refusal to play it safe. Expect quiet rebellions, broken systems, queer love tales, rural lyricism — the kind of cinema that lingers. These Indian films have gained significant recognition since their respective premieres at Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, and Venice. They’re quarterbacked by filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Rima Das, while up-and-coming directors like Kunjila Mascillamani (Guptam) and Anuparna Roy (Songs of Forgotten Trees) are already landing festival accolades.
All are slated for 2025–2026 release.
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1. Bandar (Monkey in a Cage)
Anurag Kashyap’s social drama features Bobby Deol as a retired TV star who gets implicated in a serious charge of rape, with Sanya Malhotra in the part of his ex-girlfriend. The film shows all signs to be a return to form for Kashyap as a scathing indictment of India’s failed prison system, delays in the judiciary, and institutional cruelties. It had its world-premiere at TIFF this year and is all set for a theatrical release at the end of 2025.
2. Homebound (Neeraj Ghaywan)
Following a hiatus of almost 10 years—a few shorts and web series notwithstanding—the Hindi-language drama Homebound is Neeraj Ghaywan’s first feature after the critical hit that was Masaan (2015). The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2025. It follow childhood friends Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa as they chase after a police job against their systemic socio-political pressures. The film also stars Jahnvi Kapoor. Homebound released September 26, 2025 theatrically and is slated for a Netflix release November 2025.
3. Full Plate (Tanishtha Chatterjee)
In this quietly charged Hindi-language drama, Kirti Kulhari plays Amreen, a hijab-wearing Muslim woman navigating the delicate—and often conflicting—demands of personal ambition and social tradition in modern India. Written and directed by the acclaimed actor-filmmaker Tannishtha Chatterjee, the film made its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival this year, where Chatterjee won the Best Visionary Director award. Sharib Hashmi, Monica Dogra, and Indraneil Sengupta round out the cast of the film, which is set to open the Indian Film Festival of Sydney this October (9–11, 2025).
4. Village Rockstars 2
The much-awaited sequel to the acclaimed Assamese-language original continues the pursuit of a spirited Dhunu, now in her late teens, towards her musical dream, juxtaposed with the stark realities of rural life. Directed, written, edited, shot and produced by Assam’s Rima Das, Village Rockstars 2 revisits Dhunu seven years after the first film. Bhanita Das returns as Dhunu among a cast of mostly non‑professionals. The sequel premiered at Busan 2024 (winning the Kim Jiseok Award), and has since played at Berlin, MAMI Mumbai and other key festivals.
5. Tiger’s Pond (Vaghachipani)
Tiger’s Pond is a Kannada-language lyrical crime drama directed by Natesh Hegde. The film had its premiere in the Forum section of the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival. Hegde’s previous feature, Pedro (2021), made the festival rounds to much acclaim, earning high praise and establishing him as a filmmaker to watch. Set in a quiet village nestled in the Western Ghats, Tiger’s Pond investigates the manipulative tactics of an influential landlord determined to secure a local election—and the fate of an underage shepherdess who falls prey to his will.
6. Ulta
This Bengali-language genre-thriller recently had its premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival—one of the six Indian films selected for the TIFF industry conference. Directed by Paromita Dhar and bankrolled by internationally recognized producer Hyash Tanmoy, Ulta attends to the lives of Bengali and Bihari migrant domestic helpers in Bihar, laying wide open the struggles faced by footnoted communities. Not much about the film is out in the public domain, but you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for this one.
7. Bayaan (Testimony)
Bayaan is a Hindi police procedural drama, starring Huma Qureshi, Chandrachur Singh, and Sachin Khedekar. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery section and is directed by Bikas Ranjan Mishra, whose debut feature Chauranga (2014), won the Grand Jury Prize at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles and won Best Indian Feature at MAMI. The film will follow Huma Qureshi as a detective investigating sexual abuse allegations against a powerful cult leader. The release date is under wraps for now.
8. Guptam (The Last of Them Plagues)
Kunjila Mascillamani’s feature debut is a Malayalam-language drama recognized at TIFF Directors’ Lab 2025. Set in the late 1990s in Kerala, the film follows Amrutha Vijai as Sethulekshmi, a single mother whose young daughter mysteriously disappears as she navigates a series of regional disasters. The producers panel backing the film, including Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine As Light), Jeo Baby (The Great Indian Kitchen), Richa Chadha, Kani Kusruti, and Ali Fazal, should be enough to make you keyed up for the film. Kunjila’s short Asanghadithar, which was a part of the anthology Freedom Fight, earned a Special Jury Mention at the 2023 Kerala State Film Awards.
9. Ha Lyngkha Bneng (The Elysian Field)
Ha Lyngkha Bneng, written and directed by Pradip Kurbah, is a Khasi-language feature from Meghalaya set in 2047, in a remote Khasi Hills village with only six inhabitants. Blending speculative fiction with folklore, the film explores isolation and memory amidst urban migration. It premiered at the 2025 Moscow International Film Festival, winning Best Film and Best Director, a milestone for Khasi cinema.
10. I’m Not an Actor
I’m Not an Actor is an experimental Hindi-language drama written and directed by Aditya Kriplani, which premiered at the USA Cinequest Film Festival in 2025. The film is likely to travel through the festival circuit this year. It follows Mouni, a puritanical actor, and Adnan, a retired banker—played by Chitrangada Satarupa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui—who meet during an online film audition and end up spending the rest of the day together.
11. Baksho Bondi (Shadowbox)
Premiered at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in 2025, Baksho Bondi is a Bengali-language drama directed by feature debutants Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi. The film stars Tillotama Shome as Maya, a working woman living in a Kolkata suburb, whose ex-soldier husband suffers from PTSD and mysteriously disappears, becoming a murder suspect. Other cast members include Chandan Bisht, Sayan Karmakar, and Suman Saha. The narrative intrigue paired with the recognizable talent earns this one a deserving spot in your watchlist.
12. Songs of Forgotten Trees
Backed by Anurag Kashyap, writer-director Anuparna Roy’s Hindi-language drama had its world premiere in the prestigious Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival in September this year. Roy became the first Indian filmmaker to win Best Director in the Orizzonti category, a major breakthrough for Indian indie cinema in the international festival circuit. The film follows migrant and aspiring actress Thooya, played by Naaz Shaikh, amid Mumbai’s unsparing rhythm. A wider streaming release is awaited.
13. Diés Iraé (The Day of Wrath)
Scheduled for a Halloween release, Rahul Sadasivan’s Malayalam-language horror thriller stars Pranav Mohanlal in the lead. After the highly acclaimed Bramayugam (2024) and Bhoothakaalam (2022), it’s writer-director Sadasivan’s third consecutive horror film. Gathering from the trailer, the film revolves around a haunted mansion and a family curse, evoking at once a supernatural horror and psychological drama. The film is out October 31, 2025.
14. Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups
All set for release in March 2026 in 6 languages, the Kannada period gangster drama is written and directed by Geetu Mohandas, best known for Liar’s Dice (2013), India’s official entry to the Oscars. The teaser release generated quite a buzz. The ensemble is stacked, featuring Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Akshay Oberoi, and Sudev Nair. Despite rumors that Yash was ghost-directing parts of the film, co-star Sudev Nair has confirmed Mohandas’ continued involvement, keeping the anticipation intact for fans.
15. Panjab ’95
Long delayed and with no confirmed release date still in sight, PANJAB ’95 remains one of the most anticipated Hindi-language dramas. Director Honey Trehan tells the tale of prominent Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra during the pits of Punjab’s period of insurgency. The film was set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was pulled from the lineup at the last moment. It features Diljit Dosanjh, Arjun Rampal and Suvinder Vicky in key roles.
Wrapping Up
That was my rundown of the the Hindi films to keep an eye out for, in the rest of 2025 and 2026. Quite a line up there! I tried to whittle down my list to titles I’m most thrilled about. So, clear your calendars for the year ahead and bookmark this page to stay updated on their theatrical and streaming release dates.
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