The list of ten Bollywood biographical films that tell the true stories of actual people and document their highs and lows.

Numerous times throughout Indian cinema history, the biographical genre has been explored, providing dramatized depictions of the lives of real people. Biopics provide an insight into the lives of significant or underappreciated individuals, such as performers, sports stars, and freedom fighters. These movies document the extraordinary journey large or small of individuals, illuminating their life stories for the mass audience.

TOP 10 BIOPIC MOVIES FROM BOLLYWOOD

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The Top 10 Bollywood Biopics Tell Our Great Stories Through Our Legends

1. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)

Neeraj Pandey is the writer and director of the 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. It is based on the life of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former captain of the Indian national cricket team in Test, ODI, and T20 matches. The late Sushant Singh Rajput plays MS Dhoni in the movie, with Anupam Kher, Kiara Advani, and Disha Patani. Through a number of life experiences, the film covers Dhoni’s life from an early age.

Following the 2011 Cricket World Cup Final, Dhoni’s manager, Arun Pandey, encountered an incident at an airport and came up with the idea for the biography. Two years later, development got under way with Dhoni’s permission. While working on Baby, Neeraj Pandey was later invited to direct the movie. Pandey enlisted a large group of individuals to conduct background and life events study on Dhoni. In the end, Dhoni worked as a consultant on the movie.

Fox Star Studios premiered the movie on September 30, 2016, and it was the most widely seen Bollywood film ever, opening in 61 countries. It was dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi in addition to being released in Hindi; however, the Marathi release was eventually canceled due to objections. After its premiere, the movie gained both critical and commercial acclaim. At ₹215.48 crore (US$27 million), it is the sixth-highest grossing Indian film of 2016 and the fifth-highest grossing Bollywood film of 2016.

2. Sanju (2018)

Under the production companies Vinod Chopra Films and Rajkumar Hirani Films, Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra produced the 2018 Indian Hindi-language biographical comedy-drama Sanju. The film was written and directed by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi. The movie follows the life of Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, with special attention to his drug abuse, arrest for his involvement in the 1993 Bombay bombings, his father’s relationship, and his acting career. Along with an all-star supporting cast, Ranbir Kapoor plays the main role.

During a discussion, Dutt told Hirani stories from his past, which the latter found fascinating and inspired him to create a movie about Dutt’s life. The moniker Dutt’s mother Nargis gave him, Sanju, inspired the title. January 2017 marked the start of principal photography, which concluded in January 2018. A. R. Rahman served as a guest composer on the soundtrack, which was written by Rohan-Rohan and Vikram Montrose. The distribution rights to the movie were purchased by Fox Star Studios.

Sanju was made available to everyone on June 29, 2018. Critics gave it favorable reviews, praising Hirani’s directing, writing, soundtrack, cinematography, and performances (especially Kapoor, Kaushal, Rawal, and Koirala). However, others were critical of what they perceived as the protagonist’s alleged image-cleansing. It had the biggest opening of any 2018 Indian release, and on its third day, it made the most money in one day for a Hindi movie in India’s history. Sanju became the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2018, the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2018, and the highest-grossing film of Ranbir Kapoor’s career until the release of Animal in 2023, with a global total of nearly ₹587 crore (US$85.83 million). At the 64th Filmfare Awards, it received seven nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Kapoor won Best Actor while Kaushal won Best Supporting Actor.

3. Shershaah (2021)

Shershaah, which translates to “Lion-king,” is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language biographical war film directed by Vishnuvardhan on his Hindi cinema debut and written by Sandeep Shrivastava. It is based on the life of Vikram Batra, who was killed in action during the Kargil War. Producers Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Shabbir Boxwala, Ajay Shah, and Himanshu Gandhi worked on the movie with Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment. Kiara Advani plays his girlfriend Dimple Cheema, while Sidharth Malhotra plays twin brother Vishal and Vikram Batra.

Principal photography started in May 2019 and ended in January 2020, following the announcement. The film was originally scheduled for release on July 3, 2020, but the COVID-19 epidemic caused a postponement. The movie then had its Amazon Prime Video debut on August 12, 2021.

Both the crowd and critics gave Shershaah favorable ratings. High praise was given by critics to the direction, soundtrack, action scenes, editing, visual effects, photography, and performances—particularly those of Malhotra and Advani. Nonetheless, there were some criticisms of the writing. According to Amazon, Shershaah is now the most watched Indian movie on the platform in India as of August 31, 2021.

Best Actor (Malhotra) and Best Actress (Advani) were among the 19 nominations that Shershaah led for the 67th Filmfare Awards. She won seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Vishnuvardhan), Best Music Director (Tanishk Bagchi, B Praak, Jasleen Royal, Javed-Mohsin, and Vikram Montrose), Best Male Playback Singer (Praak for “Mann Bharrya”), and Best Female Playback Singer (Asees Kaur for “Raatan Lambiyaan”). The movie took home the Special Jury Award (Feature Film) at the 69th National Film Awards (Vishnuvardhan and Johar).

4. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)

Bhaag Run, Milkha, run, also known as Milkha Bhaag, is the title of a 2013 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It was written by lyricist Prasoon Joshi and produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures under the ROMP Pictures banner in collaboration with Rajiv Tandon and editor P.S. Bharathi. It is based on the life of Milkha Singh, an Olympian and Indian athlete who won two 400-meter titles at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. Farhan Akhtar plays the lead role, while Divya Dutta, Meesha Shafi, Pavan Malhotra, Yograj Singh, Art Malik, and Prakash Raj play supporting roles, and Sonam Kapoor makes a lengthy cameo. American action director Rob Miller of ReelSports oversaw sports. Photographed in tandem by Narendra Kumar Singh.

Produced with a ₹410 million (US$5.1 million) budget, the movie debuted on July 12, 2013, and both reviewers and viewers praised it. It was deemed a “super hit” both domestically and internationally after performing incredibly well at the box office. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the 21st film to gross ₹1 billion (US$13 million) and is the sixth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2013.

Bhaag The Race of My Life, an autobiography co-written by Singh and his daughter Sonia Sanwalka, served as the inspiration for Milkha Bhaag. Singh included a condition in his one rupee sale of the film rights, saying that a portion of the proceeds will go to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust, which was established in 2003 to support underprivileged athletes.

5. Dangal (2016)

The 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film Dangal (translation: “Wrestling Competition“) was directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, with Siddharth Roy Kapur under the auspices of The Walt Disney Company India. Khan plays amateur wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat in the movie, who develops Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari into the first two world-class female wrestlers from India.[8] With the exception of Tanwar and Sahore, who made their film debuts, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra play the adult versions of the two Phogat sisters, their mother Sakshi Tanwar, their cousin Ritvik Sahore’s younger version, and Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar, their younger versions.

Dangal was well-received by critics upon its global release on December 23, 2016, following its December 21 premiere in North America. The film’s “honest” portrayal of a true story and the emotional impact of Salman Khan’s performance were the main points of appreciation. Additionally, it was shown in June 2017 at the second BRICS festival and in April 2017 at the Beijing International Film Festival. It took home four gold at the 62nd Filmfare Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Khan), and Best Action (Shyam). Wasim’s portrayal of Geeta’s younger self earned her Best Supporting Actress at the 64th National Film Awards. Dangal was nominated in the Asian Brilliant Stars category at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival. Internationally, it won the inaugural Best Asian Film award at Australia’s 7th AACTA Awards, two Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards, Best Foreign Film and Top Foreign Actor (for Aamir Khan) from China’s Douban Film Awards, and more.

Dangal was a box office hit, breaking multiple records at the box office including highest-grossing Indian and Hindi films, 30th-highest non-English picture (ranked fifth at the time of release), and 16th-highest sports film globally. With a budget of ₹70 crore (US$8.8 million), the movie made ₹2,024 crore (US$340 million) at box office globally, according to multiple estimates. $216.2 million of that amount was earned in China, where it ranked among the top 20 highest-grossing foreign films in that nation. As of right now, it is reportedly the only Indian movie to ever gross above ₹2000 crore. As of November 2018, the movie had been viewed over 400 million times on Chinese streaming services.

6. 12th Fail(2023)

Vidhu Vinod Chopra is the director, producer, and writer of the Hindi-language biographical drama film 12th Fail, which is set to release in 2023. It is based on Anurag Pathak’s 2019 nonfiction book of the same name, which tells the story of Manoj Kumar Sharma, an Indian Police Service (IAS) officer who rose from abject poverty. Alongside Medha Shankar, Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Priyanshu Chatterjee, Vikrant Massey plays Sharma in the movie.

When it was released in theaters on October 27, 2023, 12th Fail won praise from critics and became a sleeper smash, making over ₹69 crore (US$8.6 million) globally on a ₹20 crore (US$2.5 million) budget. It received five accolades at the 69th Filmfare accolades, including Best Director, Best Actor (Critics), and Best Film (Massey).

7. The Accidental Prime Minister (2019)

Based on Sanjaya Baru’s 2014 memoir of the same name, The Accidental Prime Minister is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language political film directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and written by Mayank Tewari. Produced under the Pen India Limited label, it was a collaboration between Jayantilal Gada and the Bohra Bros under the umbrella of Rudra Production (UK). Anupam Kher plays Dr. Manmohan Singh, who led the United Progressive Alliance as India’s 13th prime minister from 2004 to 2014.

The Accidental Prime Minister examines Manmohan Singh’s stint as prime minister of India and the Congress Party’s meddling in opposing his decisions during his first term, based on the book by Indian policy expert Sanjaya Baru. The film tells the story of how Singh was taken in by the dynastic tactics of the Congress Party. The film emphasizes how the Congress consistently disregarded Manmohan Singh in order to protect territory for Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi.

The movie came out on January 11, 2019. On its first day at the box office, it brought in a moderate ₹45 million (US$560,000)[9] and as of January 24, ₹305.2 million (US$3.8 million).

8. Super 30 (2019)

Produced by Phantom Films, Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, and HRX Films, Super 30 is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film with a ₹60 crore budget. It is helmed by Vikas Bahl and features Hrithik Roshan as mathematics teacher and educator Anand Kumar. It is based on the life of Anand Kumar and the educational program of the same name.

Phantom Films’ final output was this movie. The movie debuted in theaters on July 12, 2019. Roshan was widely praised for his performance. The movie became a huge commercial success and one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2019 with a global gross of ₹208 crore.

9. 83 (2021)

Kabir Khan is the writer and director of the 2021 Indian Hindi-language biographical sports drama film 83, which is produced by Reliance Entertainment, Deepika Padukone, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Sajid Nadiadwala, and Khan. Co-written by Khan, Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, Vasan Bala, and Sumit Arora, the film’s story and dialogue are based on the 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning Indian national cricket team captained by Kapil Dev. Rob Miller was the director of the sports action in the movie. Deepika Padukone, Pankaj Tripathi, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jiiva, Saqib Saleem, Jatin Sarna, Chirag Patil, Dinker Sharma, Nishant Dahiya, Harrdy Sandhu, Sahil Khattar, Ammy Virk, Adinath Kothare, Dhairya Karwa, and R. Badree are among the ensemble cast members in this film.

Midway through July 2016, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, the original owner of the film’s rights, and Madhu Mantena, a co-producer at Phantom Films, met the members of the Indian squad of 1983, including frontman Kapil Dev, in person and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to produce the official biography. Reliance Entertainment joined Singh and Khan as producers of the movie in September 2017 and made a formal announcement about the biography featuring members of the winning team. After a protracted casting and pre-production phase, principal photography on the movie started on June 5, 2019. Over the course of three months, the film was primarily shot in and around England, with a brief stopover in India, and it was completed on October 7.

83 earned 14 nominations for the 67th Filmfare Awards, including Best Director (Khan), Best Supporting Actor (Tripathi), and Best Male Playback Singer (Arijit Singh for “Lehra Do”). Ranveer Singh won Best Actor, and Munir won Best Lyricist.

10. Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)

In 2022, Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed and Jayantilal Gada produced the Hindi-language biographical crime drama film Gangubai Kathiawadi. In addition to Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, Indira Tiwari, Seema Pahwa, Jim Sarbh, and Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt plays the film’s lead role.

The movie is on Gangubai Kothewali, whose life story was chronicled in S. Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens of Mumbai. The movie follows the ascent of a poor Kathiawad girl who was forced to accept her fate and turn it to her advantage. On February 16, 2022, Gangubai Kathiawadi made its world premiere at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival. On February 25, 2022, the movie was distributed in theaters.

Gangubai Kathiawadi’s themes, directing, production quality, and Bhatt’s performance won it a lot of praise from critics. The movie was a huge commercial success, earning ₹153.69 crore at the local box office and ₹209.77 crore worldwide during its theatrical run. Several media outlets featured Gangubai Kathiawadi and Bhatt’s role in the movie on their rankings of the top 2022 movies and performances.

The movie has won a number of awards. At the 69th National Film Awards, Gangubai Kathiawadi took home five prizes, including Best Screenplay (Bhansali and Vashishtha) and Best Actress (Bhatt). The movie won a record 11 Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Bhansali), and Best Actress (Bhatt), while it received a record 17 nominations.

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Every biographical film advises viewers to persevere no matter what and to maintain their self-assurance since hard effort always yields the greatest results.