bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: glambuzz.in

The caste system has become a major problem in India nowadays. Today is the basis of educational and job reservations in India. There are many Bollywood movies based on the Indian caste system which you must watch and learn something from it. These movies will open your mind and let you think about it at least once.  This list is totally based upon my opinion, so no offense, please.

If you watch at least one movie from this list, I will assure you that you will definitely learn something from it. I have compiled a list of the best Bollywood movies based on the Indian caste system. These movies are somehow directly related to the youth of today’s India. So, that’s the reason, these movies must be watched by everyone, especially the youngsters. Let’s continue the list:

Bollywood Movies Based on the Indian Caste System

1. Yeh Mera India (2009)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
Source: Glambuzz.in

Yeh Mera India aka Y.M.I. Yeh Mera India is a movie written and directed by N. Chandra. The movie was released on 28 August 2009 starring Anupam Kher, Perizaad Zorabian, Purab Kohli, Rajpal Yadav, Sarika, and Seema Biswas in the lead role. It is one of the best Bollywood movies based on the Indian caste system.

Yeh Mera India concentrates on the far-reaching lifestyle of Mumbai, with a unique focus on the biases that saturate the corner of its society. Regardless of whether it is communal bias, economic bias, social bias, educational bias, or religious bias, the “bias” factor dominates the entire portrayal of the movie, mixing various characters into one story.

Plot: Twelve people who remain in the city of Mumbai face major issues related to caste, religion, race, language, and culture on a single day.

Watch the movie Now – Yeh Mera India

2. Ankur (1974)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: youtube.com

Ankur (translation: The Seeding) is one of the best movies which is based on the caste system. The movie features Shabana Azmi, Anant Nag, Sadhu Meher, Priya Tendulkar, Kadar Ali Beg, and Dalip Tahil in the principal role. This movie was the first movie which was directed by Shyam Benegal and the debut of Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi.

Ankur is based on a true story that happened in Hyderabad, possibly in 1950s. This movie has won 3 National Film Awards and 43 other prizes both abroad and in India. In this movie, Lakshmi (Shabana Azmi) and Kishtayya(Sadhu Meher) are happily married. They belong to the Dalit tribe. Surya, the village landlord’s son, gets personal with Lakshmi, which harms her reputation and his position.

Watch the movie Now- Ankur

3. Chameli Ki Shaadi (1986)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: youtube.com

Chameli Ki Shaadi is a Hindi comedy movie based on social issues and directed by Basu Chatterjee. The movie was released on 21 February 1986 starring Anil Kapoor, Amrita Singh, Amjad Khan, Pankaj Kapur, and Ram Sethi in a lead role. This movie was below average at the box office but it was highly acclaimed by the critics. Throughout the years, the film has developed a cult following and is one of Basu Chatterjee’s most popular works. This movie is a satire on the caste system in India. It’s a good movie to watch.

Watch the movie Now – Chameli Ki Shaadi

4. Bandit Queen (1994)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: www.dailymotion.com

Bandit Queen is a biographical movie directed by Shekhar Kapur. The movie was released on 26 January 1996 starring Seema Biswas and Nirmal Pandey in the lead role. The movie is based on the life of Phoolan Devi as covered in the book India’s Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi by the Indian author Mala Sen.

The movie won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie, the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, and Best Direction for that year. In this movie, Phoolan Devi, who belongs to a lower caste, faces sexual misuse and discrimination in society. A turn of events led to her becoming the respected leader of a gang.

Watch the movie Now- Bandit Queen

5. Achhut Kannya (1936)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: youtube.com

Achhut Kannya (English: Untouchable Maiden) is an Indian movie directed by Franz Osten and starring Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani in a lead role. Among the early super-hits in the Bombay film industry, the film deals with the social position of Dalit girls and is viewed as a reformist period piece.

Watch the movie Now- Achhut Kannya

6. Sujata (1960)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: youtube.com

Sujata is a movie directed and produced by Bimal Roy. It is one of the best Bollywood movies based on the Indian caste system. The movie was released in 1960 starring Nutan, Sunil Dutt, and Lalita Pawar in the lead role. This movie is based on a Bengali short story “Sujata” by Subodh Ghosh. The movie explores the situation of the caste system in India.

Watch the movie Now – Sujata

7. Tarpan (1995)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: imdb.com

Tarpan (English: The Absolution) is a movie written and directed by K. Bikram Singh. The movie features Om Puri, Revathy, Dina Pathak, Manohar Singh, Mita Vashist, and many others. The film is set in the 1940s, in an imaginary village in the Shekhavati region of Rajasthan, where no female child survives beyond the age of seven. It manages with bigger issues of communalism and the caste system through four inter-related stories. It’s a good movie to watch.

Watch the movie Now- Tarpan

8. Shudra: The Rising (2012)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: movies.sulekha.com

Shudra: The Rising is one of the best Bollywood movies based on the Indian caste system. The movie was released on 23 July 2012 starring Kirran Sharad and Praveen Baby in the lead role. This movie has a storyline that involves the caste system of ancient India. Set in the time when the Aryans attacked west India during the Harappan civilization, the movie depicts the underlying definition of the caste system. Locals turned to the Shudras and abused the class.

Watch the movie Now – Shudra: The Rising

9. Aarakshan (2011)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: www.mydltube.com

Aarakshan(Hindi translation: Reservation) is one of the best Bollywood movies based on the Indian caste system and education system in India. The movie is directed by Prakash Jha and stars Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, Deepika Padukone, and Prateik Babbar in the lead role. This movie is based on the caste-based reservations in Indian government jobs and educational institutions.

Prakash Jha has been in charge of hard-hitting movies that trade on issues including society and politics, and last year’s Raajneeti was one of those gathering pieces that struck up close and personal. With Aarakshan he goes up against the caste system in India, one which many would like not to admit exists, but rather taken other forms such as discrimination, charity, and reservation, depending on which side of the equation one is found standing at.

Watch the movie Now – Aarakshan

10. Chauranga (2014)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: www.shaanig.org

Chauranga is a Bollywood movie and the debut feature movie of writer-director Bikas Ranjan Mishra. The movie was released on 21 October 2014 starring Sanjay Suri, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Soham Maitra, Ena Saha, Riddhi Sen, and many others. The movie won the Golden Gateway of India Award for Best Film at the 16th Mumbai Film Festival in 2014. This is based on Dalit-Brahmin relations in the villages and tells how Dalits are exploited. It is really a good movie to watch and to understand the caste system in India.

Watch the trailer Now – Chauranga

11. Sadgati (1981)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: mubi.com

Sadgati is one of the best movies based on the caste system. The movie was directed by none other than Satyajit Ray. The movie is based on the short story “Sadgati” by Munshi Premchand. The movie features Om Puri, Smita Patil, Mohan Agashe, Gita Siddharth and Richa Mishra in the lead role. In this movie, Dukhi (Om Puri), a village shoemaker and an untouchable, goes to the village Brahmin (priest) to fix the date for his daughter’s wedding. The priest agrees on the condition that Dukhi works for him for free. In the end he….. to know more, you have to watch the movie.

Watch the movie Now – Sadgati

12. Pairon Talle (2010)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: www.scoop.it

Soul of Sand (Hindi: Pairon Talle) is a drama movie directed by Sidharth Srinivasan. The movie features Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Saba Joshi, Avtar Sahni, and Geeta Bisht in the lead roles. The movie deals with the issues of the caste system and land politics, feudalism, and the urbanization of the Delhi NCR (National Capital Region). To know more, you have to watch the movie.

Watch the movie Now – Pairon Talle

13. Khap (2011)

bollywood movies based on the indian caste system
source: latestmovieposter.wordpress.com

Khap is a socio-political drama movie that was directed by Ajai Sinha. The movie was released on 29 July 2011 starring Yuvika Chaudhary, Om Puri, Govind Namdeo, Manoj Pahwa, Mohnish Bahl, Alok Nath, and many others. The movie is based on the Manoj-Babli honor killing case and Khap Panchayats in villages of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, which order honor killing to prevent marriages within the same gotra.

Do let us know which of these Bollywood movies based on the Indian caste system you have already watched? If you have anything in mind, then do let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and continue the discussion! Don’t forget to share this list with your friends on social media like Facebook Google Plus, Twitter, and so on.

Watch the trailer Now – Khap

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