10 mind-blowing crime movies to watch on Disney+ Hotstar

One of the most subscribed video-on-demand OTT platforms, Disney+ Hotstar is a conglomerate between The Walt Disney Studios and Star India. In the year 2020, the latter merged with Disney+ bringing home some amazing international content for viewing in India. The platform provides more than 1,00,000 hours of drama and movies in 8 languages. It made a name for itself in the Indian market through the live sports broadcasts, a library to some of the best Indian movies, Hotstar special web series and daily soaps in different regional languages. Yo! Vizag lists down some of the classic crime movies that are available for streaming with the Disney+ Hotstar VIP as well as the premium subscription plan. 

#1 Maqbool

In 2003 director Vishal Bhardwaj presented his own version of Shakespeare’s drama Macbeth. Starring the legendary actors Irrfan Khan and Tabu in the leading roles, while Pankaj Kapur, Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah were seen in supporting roles. The first of Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean trilogy, it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie received universal critical acclaim, nevertheless, it failed to impress the people at the box office. Rated as 15+, it is one of the best crime movies and available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi. 

#2 Black Friday

Based on the book by Hussain Zaidi on the 1993 bombings in Mumbai, the movie chronicles the investigation of the blasts. The film traces the investigation via three different perspectives – police, victims and the traitors. Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, Black Friday was his debut movie that got a release at the theaters in 2004. The movie had a cast of accomplished actors in the industry including Gajraj Rao, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava, Pavan Malhotra with directors Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Kashyap himself. The movie is rated as A and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.

#3 Apaharan

Directed by Prakash Jha, the movie stars Ajay Devgan, Nana Patekar, Yashpal Sharma and Bipasha Basu in prominent roles. The 2005 movie has its premises in eastern Bihar. The story revolved around a father-son duo with different ideologies. Ajay Devgan plays the role of Ajay, a youth aspiring to be a police officer. His dreams are shattered due to the financial constraints and he is forced to work for a gangster, Tabrez Alam. The movie has been rated as U/A 13+ and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.

#4 Talvar 

Based on the true portrayal of what went insode the 2008 Noida double murder case, Talvar is a 2015 crime drama written by Vishal Bhardwaj and directed by Meghna Gulzar. It premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to be screened at the 2015 BFI London Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. The movie even won the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the 63rd National Film Awards. The movie starred a multi-talented cast including Irrfan Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi in the lead roles. Tabu, Gajraj Rao, Sohum Shah, Sumit Gulati and Jaspal Sharma did a commendable job in the supporting roles. The movie is rated U/A 16+ and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.

#5 Gangaajal

Prakash Jha’s masterpiece, Gangaajal is a 2003 crime drama starring an ensemble cast of 87 actors. The movie is based in the fictitious town of Tejpur in Bihar, famous for its high crime rates. Not only did it perform well at the box office but also received a National Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues. The movie had to face a number of controversies and protests during its initial release. It starred Ajay Devgn, Gracy Singh, Mohan Joshi, Yashpal Sharma and Mukesh Tiwari in prominent roles. The movie is rated U/A 16+ and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.

#6 Drishyam

The official Hindi remake of the successful Malayalam crime drama with the same name, Drishyam is a 2015 movie. The movie starred Ajay Devgan, Tabu, Shriya Saran and Ishita Dutta in leading roles. A sequel to the movie is already in the making. It proved to be a huge commercial success at the box office. The movie is rated U/A 13+ and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi

#7 Moh Maya Money

A criminally underrated crime thriller, Moh Maya Money released in 2016. The film started its journey in the 2015 Film Bazaar and went to be premiered at the New York Film Festival. It was also screened at the London Indian Film Festival, Silk Screen Festival in Pittsburgh and the Chicago South Asian Film Festival. The movie proved to be a disaster at the box office. Directed by debutant Munish Bhardwaj, Moh Maya Money starred Ranvir Shorey and Neha Dhupia in the lead roles. The movie is rated U/A 16+ and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.

#8 Bhavesh Joshi Superhero

One of the underrated movies of 2018, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero was directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and marked the debut of Harshvardhan Kapoor. The action crime drama, has some of the best directed one-shot long chase scenes. It was also selected for the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.  Released simultaneously with Sonam Kapoor’s Veere Di Wedding, the movie performed disastrously at the box office. Although it brought in a fresh story it went unheard by the audience. Priyanshu Painyuli, Ashish Verma and Nishikant Kamat delivered an impeccable performance as the supporting roles. Rated U/A 16+, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero is one of the underrated crime movies and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.

#9  Gurgaon

A neo-noir crime drama, Gurgaon is a 2017 movie directed by Shanker Raman. Set in the metropolitan city if Gurgaon, the movie stars Akshay Oberoi, Ragini Khanna, Pankaj Tripathi, Aamir Bashir and Ashish Verma in prominent roles. It was premiered at the International Film Festival & Awards in Macao. Although the movie had a limited number of screenings in India, it managed to earn 67 millions within 3 days of its release. The movie is rated U/A 16+ and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.

#10 Jolly LLB

Jolly LLB is a 2013 crime comedy directed by Subhash Kapoor. Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani and Amrita Rao were seen playing prominent roles in the movie. The storyline of the movie was inspired by the 1999 hit-and-run case of Sanjeev Nanda. Jolly LLB won the 61st National Award for the Best Feature Film in Hindi. It has also been remade in Tamil as Manithan and in Telugu as Sapthagiri LLB. A sequel to the movie Jolly LLB 2, released in 2017 starring Akshay Kumar and Huma Qureshi in lead roles. The movie is rated U/A 13+ and is available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in Hindi.