List of Indian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
by user-272-769207 | created - 05 Aug 2013 | updated - 12 Oct 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Mother India (1957)
Not Rated | 172 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
In this melodrama, a poverty-stricken woman raises her sons through many trials and tribulations. But no matter the struggles, she always sticks to her own moral code.
Director: Mehboob Khan | Stars: Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar Tuli, Raaj Kumar
Votes: 9,850
2. Madhumati (1958)
110 min | Fantasy, Musical, Mystery
A young man takes shelter in a mansion when a landslide blocks his route to the railway station. Then, he finds the mansion familiar and soon learns about the story of his previous birth.
Director: Bimal Roy | Stars: Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Johnny Walker, Pran Sikand
Votes: 1,579
3. The World of Apu (1959)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
This final installment in Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy follows Apu's life as an orphaned adult aspiring to be a writer.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty, Swapan Mukherjee
Votes: 16,729 | Gross: $0.02M
4. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)
Not Rated | 152 min | Drama, Musical
A lowly servant, Bhootnath gets close to the wife of his employer and narrates her story through his eyes and perspective.
Director: Abrar Alvi | Stars: Meena Kumari, Guru Dutt, Rehman Khan, Waheeda Rehman
Votes: 1,848
5. The Big City (1963)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
Life at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Anil Chatterjee, Madhavi Mukherjee, Jaya Bachchan, Haren Chatterjee
Votes: 4,959
6. Guide (1965)
Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Romance
When mistaken to be a sage by some villagers, an ex-tour guide reflects on his past and lost love to search for spiritual wisdom to guide the villagers.
Director: Vijay Anand | Stars: Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Leela Chitnis, Anwar Hussain
Votes: 8,590
7. Amrapali (1966)
119 min | Fantasy, History
A victory over neighboring state Vaishai has always eluded Magadh Samrat Ajaatshatru despite being winning and taking control over all neighboring states. He attacks Vaishali only get ... See full summary »
Director: Lekh Tandon | Stars: Vyjayanthimala, Sunil Dutt, Premnath Malhotra, Bipin Gupta
Votes: 275
8. Aakhri Khat (1966)
153 min | Drama
The illegitimate toddler son of a poor village woman and a city-based artist is lost on the streets of Bombay after his mother's untimely demise.
Director: Chetan Anand | Stars: Rajesh Khanna, Indrani Mukherjee, Master Bunty, Manvendra Chitnis
Votes: 154
9. Majhli Didi (1967)
Not Rated | 136 min | Drama
Bipinchandra breaks family tradition by marrying a city girl, Hemangini, much to the chagrin of his sister-in-law, Kadambini, and her husband, Navinchandra. Things are delicate even after ... See full summary »
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Stars: Meena Kumari, Dharmendra, Lalita Pawar, Sachin Pilgaonkar
Votes: 114
10. Deiva Magan (1969)
166 min | Drama, Family
The story is about a father and his sons--all three roles played by Sivaji Ganesan. One son who had disappeared shortly after his birth reappears, spends time with his father, and solves ... See full summary »
Director: A.C. Trilogchander | Stars: Shivaji Ganesan, Jayalalitha J, Pandari Bai, Major Sundarrajan
Votes: 156
11. Reshma Aur Shera (1971)
158 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Reshma and Shera belong to rival families.They fall in love even after knowing rivalry among their families.Sagat Singh ,Shera's father doesn't accept this and forces his younger son Chotu ... See full summary »
Director: Sunil Dutt | Stars: Waheeda Rehman, Sunil Dutt, Rakhee Gulzar, Vinod Khanna
Votes: 253
12. Uphaar (1971)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama, Romance
Anoop marries Minoo, a childish girl who doesn't understand her relationship with Anoop. While returning back to Calcutta, he is compelled to leave her with her mother.
Director: Sudhendu Roy | Stars: Swarup Dutt, Jaya Bachchan, Suresh Chatwal, Nandita Thakur
Votes: 114
13. Saudagar (1973)
Not Rated | 131 min | Drama, Family
A calculative man schemes to deceit a poor but young widow for his personal monetary gains.
Director: Sudhendu Roy | Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Nutan, Trilok Kapoor, Padma Khanna
Votes: 875
14. Garm Hava (1974)
146 min | Drama
In post-partition India, a Muslim businessman and his family struggle for their rights in a country which was once their own.
Director: M.S. Sathyu | Stars: Balraj Sahni, A.K. Hangal, Geeta Kak, Jamal Hashmi
Votes: 829
15. Manthan (1976)
134 min | Drama
Dr.Rao (Girih Karnad) is a Vetinary doc, who comes to this village with the aim of starting a Milk Co-operative society for the welfare of the villagers. But the wealthy businessman ... See full summary »
Director: Shyam Benegal | Stars: Girish Karnad, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Anant Nag
Votes: 697
16. The Chess Players (1977)
Not Rated | 129 min | Comedy, Drama, History
In 1856, two obsessed noblemen ignore everything while playing chess and fail to notice British rule extending into their Indian province.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi, Farida Jalal
Votes: 4,058
17. Payal Ki Jhankaar (1980)
Not Rated | 114 min | Romance
A girl who is passionate about dance is ill treated by her relatives. She runs away from home to pursue her dream and overcomes many obstacles to become an accomplished dancer.
Director: Satyen Bose | Stars: Alankar Joshi, Komal Mahuvakar, Surinder Kaur, Veena
Votes: 30
18. Saaransh (1984)
Not Rated | 137 min | Drama
An old couple lend a room on rent after recent death of the bread earner of the family, their only son. A budding actress starts living with them, who is in love with a local politician's only son. The movie shows what later ensues.
Director: Mahesh Bhatt | Stars: Anupam Kher, Rohini Hattangadi, Soni Razdan, Madan Jain
Votes: 2,033
19. Saagar (1985)
186 min | Drama, Romance
Raja, a fisherman is secretly in love with Mona. When wealthy Ravi comes to live with his grandmother, Kamladevi, he sees Mona and falls in love with her. Mona also reciprocates his love. ... See full summary »
Director: Ramesh Sippy | Stars: Rishi Kapoor, Kamal Haasan, Dimple Kapadia, Nadira
Votes: 1,069
20. Swathi Muthyam (1986)
Not Rated | 160 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The story is of mentally slow man, whose life is recapped to his grand-daughter. How he meets his wife (who was a widow), earns his living and fights the injustice he and his wife face.
Director: K. Viswanath | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Allu Arjun, Sarath Babu
Votes: 940
21. Nayakan (1987)
Not Rated | 145 min | Crime, Drama
A common man's struggles against a corrupt police force put him on the wrong side of the law. He becomes a don, who is loved and respected by many, but his growing power and influence exact a heavy toll.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Saranya Ponvannan, Delhi Ganesh, Janakaraj
Votes: 22,968
22. Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Not Rated | 113 min | Crime, Drama
Young Krishna struggles to survive among the drug dealers, pimps, and prostitutes in the back alleys and gutters of India.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Shafiq Syed, Anjaan, Amrit Patel, Murari Sharma
Votes: 10,087 | Gross: $2.08M
23. Henna (1991)
184 min | Drama, Romance, Musical
Orphan Chander Prakash is employed as a menial laborer in a timber mart; he meets with wealthy Chandni only to fall in love with her and the marriage is arranged with the blessings of ... See full summary »
Director: Randhir Kapoor | Stars: Rishi Kapoor, Zeba Bakhtiar, Ashwini Bhave, Saeed Jaffrey
Votes: 769
24. Anjali (1990)
Not Rated | 150 min | Drama
After a few years, Chitra learns that her child, who was believed to be dead, is alive but is suffering from a mental illness. However, her family faces many challenges while looking after her child.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Shamili, Revathi, Raghuvaran, Tarun
Votes: 3,176
25. Parinda (1989)
Not Rated | 154 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A man's friend, a police officer, is assassinated by gangsters in broad daylight. He discovers that his elder brother works in the same gang and decides to avenge his friend's death by infiltrating the gang.
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Stars: Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Madhuri Dixit
Votes: 3,735
26. Thevar Magan (1992)
145 min | Action, Drama, Romance
The urbane son of a village chieftain struggles between his personal aspirations and those of his family.
Director: Bharathan | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Shivaji Ganesan, Nassar, Revathi
Votes: 8,016
27. Rudaali (1993)
128 min | Drama
In a small village in Rajasthan, India, a woman named Shanichari was born - so named, as shortly after her birth her father died; & her mother, Peewli, ran away with a rich lover, the owner... See full summary »
Director: Kalpana Lajmi | Stars: Rakhee Gulzar, Dimple Kapadia, Raj Babbar, Raghubir Yadav
Votes: 585
28. In Custody (1994)
PG | 126 min | Comedy, Drama
A poet of Urdu fame is struggling with his legacy while an aspiring poet and historian comes to document him like never before and in return becomes custodian of the great poets last verses.
Director: Ismail Merchant | Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Sushma Seth
Votes: 399 | Gross: $0.09M
29. Kuruthipunal (1995)
Not Rated | 143 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Suave and scintillating, this fast-paced action thriller follows the adventures and investigations of a group of honest police officers, who go undercover to bring down a terror network.
Director: P.C. Sreeram | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Arjun Sarja, Nassar, Gautami
Votes: 4,674
30. Indian (1996)
Not Rated | 185 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A veteran freedom fighter enraged with the rising crime and corruption in the society murders all the wrong doers one by one using an ancient martial arts technique.
Director: S. Shankar | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Sukanya, Manisha Koirala, Urmila Matondkar
Votes: 13,840
31. Guru (1997)
136 min | Drama, Fantasy
Situations turn a man who believes in secularism into an extremist. He plots to bomb a monastery where the survivors of a riot take refuge.
Director: Rajiv Anchal | Stars: Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Madhupal, Kaveri
Votes: 3,500
32. Jeans (1998)
Not Rated | 175 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The father of twin brothers wants to get them married to only twin sisters. But one of the brothers falls in love with a woman does not have a twin sister.
Director: S. Shankar | Stars: Prashanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Nassar, Senthil
Votes: 3,959
33. Earth (1998)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama, Romance, War
It's 1947 and the borderlines between India and Pakistan are being drawn. A young girl witnesses tragedy as her ayah (nanny) is caught between the love of two men and the rising tide of political and religious violence.
Director: Deepa Mehta | Stars: Aamir Khan, Nandita Das, Rahul Khanna, Maia Sethna
Votes: 8,111 | Gross: $0.53M
34. Hey Ram (2000)
Not Rated | 186 min | Crime, Drama, History
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 and sets out to kill him.
Director: Kamal Haasan | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Hema Malini
Votes: 13,990 | Gross: $0.27M
35. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
PG | 224 min | Drama, Musical, Sport
The people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker | Stars: Aamir Khan, Raghubir Yadav, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley
Votes: 120,629 | Gross: $0.91M
36. Devdas (I) (2002)
Not Rated | 185 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in love with, Devdas Mukherjee's life spirals further and further out of control as he takes up alcohol and a life of vice to numb the pain.
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jackie Shroff
Votes: 46,878 | Gross: $3.50M
37. A Breath (2004)
107 min | Drama
This story is about how an old man tried to show his grandson the preciousness and beauty of life in a no win situation such as cancer. It is about keeping a positive attitude towards life.
Director: Sandeep Sawant | Stars: Arun Nalawade, Ashwin Chitale, Sandeep Kulkarni, Amruta Subhash
Votes: 1,627 | Gross: $0.00M
38. Paheli (2005)
Not Rated | 140 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A folk tale - supernatural love story about a ghost who falls in love with a newlywed woman.
Director: Amol Palekar | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah
Votes: 14,255 | Gross: $1.41M
39. Rang De Basanti (2006)
Not Rated | 167 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The story of six young Indians who assist an English woman to film a documentary on the freedom fighters from their past, and the events that lead them to relive the long-forgotten saga of freedom.
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Stars: Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi
Votes: 122,326 | Gross: $2.20M
40. Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007)
Not Rated | 105 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
As the kingdom of Devigarh comes apart at the seams, an aging bodyguard attempts to protect the Royal Family, as well as keep its darkest secrets from ever coming to light.
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan
Votes: 3,493 | Gross: $1.10M
41. Like Stars on Earth (2007)
PG | 162 min | Drama, Family
An eight-year-old boy is thought to be a lazy trouble-maker, until the new art teacher has the patience and compassion to discover the real problem behind his struggles in school.
Directors: Aamir Khan, Amole Gupte | Stars: Darsheel Safary, Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma
Votes: 206,531 | Gross: $1.22M
42. Harishchandrachi Factory (2009)
Not Rated | 96 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 1913 India's cinema industry is born from Dadasaheb Phalke's efforts to make Raja Harishchandra (1913), India's first feature-length B&W silent film.
Director: Paresh Mokashi | Stars: Nandu Madhav, Vibhawari Deshpande, Atharva Karve, Mohit Gokhale
Votes: 2,697
43. Peepli [Live] (2010)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
An impoverished farmer's threat to end his life invites attention from politicians and media.
Directors: Anusha Rizvi, Mahmood Farooqui | Stars: Onkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa, Farrukh Jaffar
Votes: 12,756 | Gross: $0.75M
44. Abu, Son of Adam (2011)
101 min | Drama
A poor aging couple struggle to fulfill their lifelong dream of going to Mecca for pilgrimage.
Director: Salim Ahmed | Stars: Salim Kumar, Said Alharbi, M.R. Gopakumar, Jaffer Idukki
Votes: 1,232
45. Barfi! (2012)
Not Rated | 151 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Three young people learn that love can neither be defined nor contained by society's definition of normal and abnormal.
Director: Anurag Basu | Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ileana D'Cruz, Saurabh Shukla
Votes: 86,715 | Gross: $2.80M
46. The Good Road (2013)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama
A family on vacation lose their son. A truck driver's last ride. A girl chasing hope. This is a life affirming journey, across a local highway, and into the heart of an unseen India, where acts of great compassion are shown to strangers.
Director: Gyan Correa | Stars: Ajay Gehi, Sonali Kulkarni, Shamji Dhana Kerasia, Priyank Upadhyay
Votes: 571
47. Liar's Dice (2013)
104 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A mother and her daughter embarks on a desperate journey to find her missing husband. She met an guy who promised to help her for money. With limited money it become difficult to continue the search which leads to anxiety and despair.
Director: Geethu Mohandas | Stars: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta, Vikram Bhagra
Votes: 1,161
48. Court (2014)
116 min | Drama
When an aging activist is arrested, the lives of the accused, the lawyers, and the judge intertwine to reveal bigotry that underscores the judicial system.
Director: Chaitanya Tamhane | Stars: Vira Sathidar, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Pradeep Joshi
Votes: 5,262
49. Visaaranai (2015)
Not Rated | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Four labourers are tortured by the police to confess to a theft they have not committed.
Director: Vetrimaaran | Stars: Dinesh, Samuthirakani, Anandhi, Murugadass
Votes: 12,070
50. Newton (2017)
Not Rated | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
A government clerk on election duty in the conflict ridden jungle of Central India tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels.
Director: Amit Masurkar | Stars: Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav
Votes: 21,179
51. Village Rockstars (2017)
87 min | Drama
In small-town Assam, the 10-year-old daughter of a widow defies societal norms as she befriends a group of boys and dreams of having her own rock band.
Director: Rima Das | Stars: Bhanita Das, Basanti Das, Boloram Das, Rinku Das
Votes: 1,027
52. Gully Boy (2019)
Not Rated | 154 min | Drama, Music, Romance
A coming-of-age story based on the lives of street rappers in Mumbai.
Director: Zoya Akhtar | Stars: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz
Votes: 43,738 | Gross: $5.57M
53. Jallikattu (2019)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A portrait of a remote village where a buffalo escapes and causes a frenzy of ecstatic violence.
Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery | Stars: Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad, Jaffer Idukki
Votes: 9,034
54. Pebbles (2021)
75 min | Drama
A young boy travels with his violent and alcoholic father to bring back his mother, who has run away from home due to his abuse.
Director: P.S. Vinothraj | Stars: Chellapandi, Karuththadaiyaan, Philip Arulodss, Banu Priya
Votes: 780
55. Last Film Show (2021)
110 min | Drama
Samay fights heaven and earth to find light. He wants to catch, control, cut and project that light to tell stories. Now to pursue that dream he must leave everything he loves and take a flight to find the light.
Director: Pan Nalin | Stars: Bhavin Rabari, Richa Meena, Bhavesh Shrimali, Dipen Raval
Votes: 4,420
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