There aren’t many cinematic experiences quite as potent as seeing a really motivating movie. These inspirational works of art perfectly encapsulate the qualities of human tenacity, fortitude, and the unbreakable spirit. They recount tales of people who, by sheer guts and drive, overcome enormous obstacles, defy the odds, and achieve greatness. These movies inspire and uplift viewers while also having a significant educational value. They are not only fun to watch. These films serve as a constant reminder of the incredible potential we all possess, whether it is via a story of individual success, a voyage of self-discovery, or an epic fight for justice.

1. Udaan (2010)

In 2010, Vikramaditya Motwane made his directing debut with the Hindi-language coming-of-age drama film Udaan, which translates to “Flight.” Under their separate production businesses, Anurag Kashyap Films and UTV Spotboy, Sanjay Singh, Anurag Kashyap, and Ronnie Screwvala produced it. The film, which was written by Motwane and Kashyap, stars debutante Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Aayan Boradia, Ram Kapoor, Manjot Singh, and Anand Tiwari. It tells the tale of a teenager who, after being expelled from boarding school, is sent back home to live with his strict father.

In 2003, Motwane created the screenplay but was unable to get a producer. He co-wrote Udaan with Kashyap, and Kashyap produced and co-wrote Dev.D (2009). The film was filmed and set in Jamshedpur, an industrial town. Aditya Kanwar served as the production designer, Dipika Kalra as the editor, and Mahendra J. Shetty as the director of photography.

As the first Indian film to be shown at Cannes in seven years, Udaan debuted in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and was met with a standing ovation.

2. 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 officer who rose from abject poverty. Alongside Medha Shankr, Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Priyanshu Chatterjee, Vikrant Massey plays Sharma in the movie.

When 12th Fail was released in theaters on October 27, 2023, it was met with universal praise from critics and became a sleeper blockbuster, making over ₹69 crore (US$8.3 million) globally on a ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million) budget. It received five accolades at the 69th Filmfare accolades, including Best Director, Best Actor (Critics), and Best Film (Massey).

3. Wake Up Sid (2009)

Ayan Mukerji is the writer and director of the 2009 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama Wake Up Sid, which is produced by Dharma Productions. The film is about a coming-of-age story. Starring are Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor. The film, which is set in modern-day Mumbai, narrates the tale of a reckless wealthy college brat named Kapoor who learns the importance of accepting responsibility from an ambitious writer from Kolkata named Sen Sharma.

When Wake Up Sid was released on October 2, 2009, it was a box office hit. When it was first released, it was widely praised by critics for its original concept, themes, script, soundtrack, director, plot, and cast performances.

Wake Up Sid won three awards at the 55th Filmfare Awards: Best Actor (Critics), Best Debut Director (Mukerji, tying with Zoya Akhtar for Luck by Chance), and Best Female Playback Singer (Kavita Seth for “Iktara”). Wake Up Sid received nine nominations at the 55th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Mukerji), Best Actor (Kapoor), and Best Supporting Actress (Pathak). Netflix is now streaming the movie.

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

Neeraj Pandey is the director and co-writer 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 event at an airport and came up with the concept 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 do 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 owing to objections. After its premiere, the movie gained both critical and financial acclaim. At ₹215.48 crore (US$26 million), it is the sixth-highest grossing Indian movie globally and the fifth-highest grossing Bollywood movie of 2016.

5. Good Will Hunting (1997)

Gus Van Sant directed the 1997 American drama film Good Will Hunting, which Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote. Starring are Minnie Driver, Damon, Affleck, Robin Williams, and Stellan Skarsgård. The movie is about Will Hunting, a janitor at MIT whose mathematical prowess is noticed by a professor.

Despite having a $10 million budget, the movie won praise from reviewers and made over $225 million in its theatrical run. It was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, and took home two wins: Best Original Screenplay for Affleck and Damon, and Best Supporting Actor for Williams. It came in at number 53 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of “100 Favorite Films” in 2014.

6. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Will Smith plays homeless salesperson Chris Gardner in the 2006 American historical drama film The Pursuit of Happyness, which was directed by Gabriele Muccino. Jaden Smith, the son of Smith, co-stars and plays Christopher Jr., Gardner’s son, in his feature debut. Based on Gardner’s best-selling 2006 book of the same name co-written with Quincy Troupe, Steven Conrad wrote the script. It is based on Gardner’s battle with homelessness for over a year. The title of the movie is spelled differently than normal because of a mural that Gardner noticed on the wall of the daycare center his kid frequented. The film is set in 1981 in San Francisco.

Columbia Pictures released the movie on December 15, 2006; it was well-received by critics, who praised Smith’s acting and the story’s emotional impact. Smith received nominations for Best Actor at the Golden Globes and Oscars.

7. The Intouchables (2011)

The 2011 French buddy comedy-drama film The Intouchables (French: Intouchables, pronounced [ɛ̃tuʃablə]), also known as Untouchable in the UK and Ireland, was written and directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. Omar Sy and François Cluzet are its stars. The actual tale of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his French-Algerian caregiver Abdel Sellou, which the directors discovered in the documentary À la vie, à la death, served as the inspiration for the movie’s narrative.

Nine weeks after its November 2, 2011, French premiere, it surpassed the 2008 movie Welcome to the Sticks to become France’s second-highest earning French film. In a Fnac survey, the movie received 52% of the votes to be named the cultural event of 2011 in France. With 51.5 million tickets sold, it was the most-viewed French film globally until Lucy overtook it in 2014.

Along with favorable reviews, the movie was nominated for many awards. The movie received seven further nominations for the César Awards, including the César Award for Best Actor for Cluzet, and won the César Award for Best Actor for Sy in France. A portion of the film’s earnings—five percent—went to the Simon de Cyrène organization, which supports those who are crippled.

8. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

American epic war movie Saving Private Ryan, which debuted in 1998, was written and directed by Robert Rodat. After his three brothers are killed in combat, the story, which takes place in 1944 in Normandy, France during World War II, follows a squad of soldiers, commanded by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), as they search for Private James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon) and bring him home safely. In addition, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, and Barry Pepper are in the cast.

After Rodat finished drafting the script, Paramount Pictures recruited him, spurred on by the novels of Stephen E. Ambrose and stories of many soldiers in a single family, like the Niland brothers, being killed in war. The proposal caught the interest of Spielberg and Hanks, whose cooperation made the creation of the project possible because of their prior triumphs. Spielberg engaged Frank Darabont and Scott Frank to undertake uncredited rewrites of Saving Private Ryan based on veteran interviews and research in an effort to make the film as genuine as possible. A week-long boot camp was required of the primary cast in order to better comprehend the soldier’s perspective.

9. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Russell Crowe plays mathematician and Nobel laureate John Nash in the 2001 American biographical drama film A Beautiful Mind. Ron Howard is the director, while Akiva Goldsman wrote the screenplay. Goldsman adapted Sylvia Nasar’s 1998 biography for the movie. Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Judd Hirsch, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, and Christopher Plummer are among the supporting cast members of the movie in addition to Crowe. The narrative starts when Nash was a gifted but reclusive graduate student studying mathematics at Princeton University. Nash starts to doubt reality when he takes a covert job in cryptography and exposes himself to a bigger conspiracy.

On December 21, 2001, A Beautiful Mind was released in theaters around the country. After earning four Academy Awards—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Connelly—it went on to gross almost $313 million worldwide. In addition, it received nominations for Best Original Score, Best Makeup, Best Film Editing, and Best Actor.

10. Whiplash (2014)

Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, and others feature in Damien Chazelle’s 2014 American psychological thriller film Whiplash. It centers on Teller, a driven music student and aspiring jazz drummer at the fictitious Shaffer Conservatory in New York City, who is pushed to the breaking point by his violent teacher, Simmons.

Right of Way Films, Blumhouse Productions, and Bold Films produced the movie. With the majority of the world’s distribution rights bought by Sony Pictures, the movie was released in select foreign markets under Stage 6 Films and under Sony Pictures Classics in Germany, Australia, and North America.

Drawing from his experiences in a “very competitive” high school jazz band, Chazelle finished the script in 2013. Not too long afterward, Blumhouse and Right of Way assisted Chazelle in transforming fifteen pages of the script into an eighteen-minute short film that was also named Whiplash. Following its 2013 Sundance Film Festival premiere, the short film garnered praise and financiers were drawn to the idea of producing the full screenplay. across the span of twenty days in September 2013, filming was conducted all across Los Angeles. The movie breaks down the idea of ambition and examines ideas of achievement, perseverance, and perfectionism.