These 10 Underrated Indian Films of 2025 Proved Success Isn’t About Numbers

These Indian films were bold, deeply original, and thoroughly memorable. How many have you managed to watch?

The year 2025 delivered its share of surprise box office successes along with major cinematic letdowns. However, commercial earnings alone should never define a film’s achievement. Some works demand patience and introspection, slowly discovering appreciation beyond the noise. Across multiple Indian languages, 2025 produced several such films that challenged norms and explored fresh creative territory. Here are ten overlooked gems from the year that likely escaped wider attention.

1.    Naangal

Are the children truly safe? Avinash Prakash presents a raw and moody coming-of-age drama that avoids easy conclusions. The film explores emotional suppression and broken parental authority through the lives of three siblings Mithun V, Rithik M, and Nithin D living under their father’s constant surveillance. His repeated physical punishment becomes an ever-present force, slowly building like an approaching storm. While he pushes them toward discipline and ambition at an early age, the emotional damage is profound. Naangal leaves a lasting emotional wound.

2.    Sabar Bonda

Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda, which received major recognition at the Sundance Film Festival, stands as one of the most heartfelt films of the year. Reducing it to a simple gay romance would be misleading. At its core, it is a gentle love story and a return to one’s roots. With understated performances by Bhushaan Manoj and Suraaj Suman, the film allows two men to exist authentically within a rigid social framework. It captures, with sensitivity and clarity, the lived reality of being gay in India.

3.    Jugnuma – The Fable

Manoj Bajpayee delivers one of his finest performances in Raam Reddy’s Jugnuma – The Fable. Set in the Himalayan region during the late 1980s, this mystical narrative slowly draws viewers into its isolated universe. Shot on 16mm film by Sunil Borkar, the visuals possess a dreamlike quality that supports its warning about environmental erosion. The film firmly suggests that inherited privilege is neither accidental nor mysterious.

4.    Deep Fridge

Arjunn Dutta’s Deep Fridge rejects the notion of neat emotional closure. Former partners Swarnava and Mili, played by Abir Chatterjee and Tnusree Chakraborty, revisit shared wounds, disappointments, and emotional fatigue from their past relationship. The film quietly asks whether healing is possible and when it becomes necessary to move forward. It is a contemplative and carefully observed study of communication, resilience, and emotional survival.

5.    Thalavara

Arjun Asokan leads this thoughtful character portrait of a young man with vitiligo aspiring to become an actor. Jyothish faces doubt and mockery, yet director Akhil Anilkumar avoids exploiting these moments for shock value. The narrative gives its protagonist patience and dignity. While the film occasionally leans toward melodrama, it remains compassionate in both writing and performance.

6.    Sthal

This Marathi film refuses to romanticize the arranged marriage system in India. Directed by Jayant Digambar Somalkar, Sthal strips away sentimentality and musical embellishment to expose the degrading realities faced by women. Savita, portrayed with striking honesty by Nandini Chikte, is reduced to physical and social metrics such as skin tone, height, and caste. The film urges empathy for her and countless others subjected to similar judgment.

7.    Agra

Kanu Behl’s Agra is relentless in its intensity and discomfort. It follows deeply troubled characters without offering easy relief. The everyday aggression within Guru’s family, played by Mohit Agarwal, mirrors a larger national crisis surrounding power and privacy. Guru’s suppressed desires grow increasingly volatile within a suffocating domestic environment. The film refuses sensationalism, yet it confronts deeply rooted sexual repression head-on, raising uncomfortable but necessary questions.

8.    Avihitham

Directed by Senna Hegde, Avihitham is a sharp Malayalam black comedy that critiques patriarchal fixation on gossip and moral surveillance. When Prakashan, played by Renji Kankol, believes he has witnessed an inappropriate relationship involving Vinod, portrayed by Vineeth Vasudevan, the village descends into rumor-driven chaos. Personal lives are exposed and distorted under collective scrutiny. The film delivers its message with restraint and confidence.

9.    Stolen

Karan Tejpal’s gripping survival thriller follows two brothers caught in a frantic search for a kidnapped infant. Anchored by Abhishek Banerjee’s powerful performance, the film plunges viewers into escalating disorder and desperation. Its relentless pacing and harsh realism ultimately question the collective indifference of a society that feels increasingly inescapable.

10.    Chaar Phool Hai Aur Duniya Hai

The passing of celebrated writer Vinod Kumar Shukla lends added poignancy to this moving documentary. Director Achal Misra crafts an intimate portrait through gentle and observant filmmaking. Watching the film feels like spending a quiet day in the writer’s company, absorbing his thoughtful reflections on creativity and life. It stands as a deeply touching tribute to one of India’s most respected literary voices.