We all love mysteries and solving puzzles. Above all, we love things that question and challenge our minds. Mystery movies in Bollywood are a source of the adrenaline rush one gets after solving a case. So, dive into these 10 lesser-known mystery movies in Hindi and Tamil that are sure to question your senses.
1.Ratsasan
Language: Tamil
Director: Ram Kumar
Box Office: ₹60 cr
Release Date: 5 October 2018
Cast: Vishnu Vishal and Amala Paul
Mystery: With an IMBD rating of 8.7, Ratsasan is a 2018 Tamil psychological thriller film. The film follows the tale of an aspiring filmmaker turned policeman who tracks down a serial killer who targets innocent school girls. Above all, it is one of the best mystery movies in Tamil and in Indian cinema.
Why it made the list: The movie takes the audience on a chilling journey. It keeps you on the edge of your seat keeping the mystery going. The compact way of storytelling keeps the movie fast-paced and interesting.
Memorable moment: The violent scenes in the movie leave an impact because they are rather gory in nature. The director does not hold back at all.
Our Rating: 4.5/5
2.Drishyam
Language: Hindi, Malayalam (original), Tamil ((Papanasam)
Director: Jeethu Joseph
Box Office: 750 million
Release Date: 19 December 2013
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, and Shriya Saran (Hindi) Mohanlal and Meena (Malayalam) Kamal Haasan and Gautami (Tamil)
Mystery: The film directed and written by Jeethu Joseph tracks the struggles of Georgekutty and his family after they get tangled up in the mess of the missing son of the inspector-general. With an IMBD rating of 8.2 and 92% Rotten Tomatoes, the film is one of the best mystery movies in Hindi and in Indian cinema. However, the best part is that even the remade versions of the movie have stayed true to this mind-boggling plot. The Hindi version is one of the best mystery movies in Bollywood.
Why it made the list: Drishyam is the kind of movie that will keep you engaged. The gripping storyline and the spontaneity of the thought and actions of the protagonist help the audience feel completely involved.
Memorable moment: The last scene where the hidden location is revealed is an absolutely mind-boggling, beautiful scene.
Our Rating: 4.5/5
3.Ugly
Language: Hindi
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Box Office: 6.24 crores
Release Date: 26 December 2014
Cast: Rahul Bhat, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Vineet Kumar Singh, Girish Kulkarni, Ronit Roy, Surveen Chawla, and Anshika Shrivastava
Mystery: A struggling actor loses his daughter. In short, this movie follows the quest of finding her. With an IMBD rating of 8.1, directed and written by Anurag Kashyap this is one of the best mystery movies on Netflix in Hindi. Follow the events that unravel this Hindi mystery movie.
Why it made the list: Every frame has a dark undertone and Ugly does not conclude until every possible avenue of audience empathy is explored.
Memorable moment: The scenes where the character of the Shalini is revealed are beautifully directed making it an extremely interesting watch.
Our Rating: 4/5
4. A Wednesday
Language: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and English
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Box Office: 250 million
Release Date: 5 September 2008
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher (Hindi) Kamal Haasan and Mohanlal (Tamil) Kamal Haasan and Venkatesh (Telugu) Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross (English)
Mystery: The film directed by Neeraj Panday is a narration of an account by a to be retired police officer of 2-6 PM on a Wednesday afternoon. Moreover, it follows a series of phone calls that have no evidence left except a scarring effect on the individuals involved. With an IMBD rating of 8.1 and 89% Rotten Tomatoes, this mystery thriller is one of the best mystery movies in Hindi and is for sure to boggle your mind.
Why it made the list: The narrative style used in the whole movie is an extremely new and original attempt and the actors have done a beautiful job.
Memorable moments: It is not possible to pick out a favorite moment in this movie but I am biased towards the conclusion where the tension is finally released.
Our Rating: 4/5
5.Kahaani
Language: Hindi
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Box Office: 1.04 billion
Release Date: 9 March 2012
Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Mystery: This Sujoy Ghosh mystery thriller follows the story of a pregnant woman Vidya Bagchi searching for her missing husband in Kolkata during the Durga puja. With an IMBD rating of 8.1 and 88% Rotten Tomatoes, this tale of the fierce woman will leave you questioning many things. The movie went on to win many awards including a national award just going on to show that it is one of the best Hindi mystery movies in Bollywood.
Why it made the list: The tale of the pregnant woman just keeps twisting and getting progressively complicated. Being one of the very few mystery movies with a female lead, this movie breaks all boundaries.
Memorable moment: the introduction scene in the movie is one of my favorite moments because when explained you see how well thought out it was.
Our Rating: 4/5
6.Pizza
Language: Tamil
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Box Office: 8 crore
Release Date: 19 October 2012
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi and Remya Nambeesan
Mystery: With an IMBD rating of 8 and 96% Rotten Tomatoes, this is a mystery horror film that was the directorial debut of the Karthik Subbaraj. The movie follows the format of a narrative by a pizza delivery boy. One day when he is dragged into a haunted house where he was supposed to deliver pizza. However, as the story keeps going, the details increase. But so do the doubts. This movie opened up the possibility of such a genre in Tamil. So, there is no doubt that it’s one of the best mystery movies in Tamil.
Why it made the list: This movie is a one of a kind horror thriller. It is the first honest attempt made by an Indian director to try this genre and it is a beautiful one at that. The acting is mind-blowing and one remains hooked throughout.
Memorable moment: The most memorable moment in the movie is the retelling of the incidents that occurred in the house. The beautiful details are something everyone will notice.
Our Rating: 4/5
7.Badla
Language: Hindi
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Box Office: 138.49 crores
Release date: 8 March 2019
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, and Amrita Singh. Tony Luke, Manav Kaul, and Tanveer Ghani
Mystery: This film is an adaptation of the Spanish film ‘The Invisible Guest’. And can be found among mystery movies on Netflix. It follows the story of a smart and successful businesswoman who insists she is wrongfully framed for the murder of her boyfriend. Meanwhile, what follows is an interview between the businesswoman and a lawyer. Bollywood has been criticized pretty often about its low-quality content. However, with an IMBD rating of 7.9 and 78% Rotten Tomatoes, this new-age thriller gives hope to mystery films in India and is one of the best mystery movies on Netflix in Hindi.
Why it made the list: The story unwinds in the form of an interview giving it an extremely different movie texture from other movies that have come out in the past.
Memorable moment: The point in the movie with the greatest plot twist, the one where a different perspective is shared is my favorite scene. This scene questions the entire story that has occurred.
Our Rating: 4/5
8.Kaun?
Language: Hindi
Director: Ram Gopal Verma
Release Date: 26th February 1999
Cast: Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee and Sushant Singh
Mystery: This movie directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Anurag Kashyap is an Indian horror thriller. With an IMBD rating of 7.8 and 67% Rotten Tomatoes, this is one of those movies that keeps the person on the edge of their seats until the end. The movie revolves around a girl who is scared who is narrating her experiences. This nail biter is for sure to entertain you. Moreover, it is one of the best Hindi mystery movies.
Why it made the list: The entire movie is shown through one perspective and that is beautifully portrayed through the cinematography and lighting.
Our Rating: 3.75/5
9.Manorama Six Feet Under
Language: Hindi
Director: Navdeep Singh
Box office: 15.1 crores
Release date: 21 September 2007
Cast: Abhay Deol, Raima Sen, and Gul Panag
Mystery: The movie is an Indian neo-noir thriller film. It takes us through the story of an innocent, small-time, private detective who soon drowns in an ocean of lies and deceit. However, the movie is not original. But instead, the film is based on the movie Chinatown. With an IMBD rating of 7.7 and 83% Rotten Tomatoes, it is a must-watch for Indian Mystery film lovers as is it one of the best Hindi mystery movies.
Why it made the list: This movie with Abhay Deol in the lead brought a very new twist to the way of Indian film making in a genre of neo-noir.
Memorable moment: Manorama’s reveal is a very beautiful shot that is built up to with care.
Our Rating: 3/5
10.Aamir
Language: Hindi
Director: Raj Kumar Gupta
Release date: 6 June 2008
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal
Mystery: A Muslim man finds himself at the hands of Islamic extremists who want to bomb Mumbai. This thrilling tale inspired by ‘Cavite’ takes the audience on an absolute whirlwind. With an IMBD rating of 7.7 and 80% Rotten Tomatoes, this Hindi mystery movie is an absolute favorite and a must-watch. However, what makes it different is the subtle way in which the director has inserted mystery at different points.
Why it made the list: The movie is a perfect example of realism in the film without being dry or falling flat.
Memorable moment: The beginning of the movie where the story affects the protagonist instead of being experienced by him is a beautiful way to put that your fate isn’t in your hands.
Our Rating: 3/5
Frequently Asked Questions
Which are some of the best mystery movies?
No movie can be the best, it will always depend upon your taste. But according to both public reviews and IMBD ratings, the above list is your answer and you can check the list of top-rated Hollywood movies on our website as well.
What is a mystery movie?
A movie with the genre mystery is what we call a mystery movie. It involves a story of a detective or protagonist solving a suspicious situation by the means of clues and hints.
What city is seven filmed in?
The principal photography of seven took place in Los Angeles. However, the last scene was filmed in California.
What is the best thriller movie on Netflix?
Netflix has a large number of top-rated thrillers a few of which are: The Babysitter, Velvet Buzzsaw, Equilibrium, Hush, and Humper.
Which are some of the best mystery movies?
No movie can be the best, it will always depend upon your taste. But according to both public reviews and IMBD ratings, the above list is your answer and you can check the list of top-rated Hollywood movies on our website as well.
What is a mystery movie?
A movie with the genre mystery is what we call a mystery movie. It involves a story of a detective or protagonist solving a suspicious situation by the means of clues and hints.
What city is seven filmed in?
The principal photography of seven took place in Los Angeles. However, the last scene was filmed in California.
What is the best thriller movie on Netflix?
Netflix has a large number of top-rated thrillers a few of which are: The Babysitter, Velvet Buzzsaw, Equilibrium, Hush, and Humper.
Which is the best mystery movie on Netflix right now?
Not one but many mystery movies are a must-watch on Netflix. Here are a few that you can begin with: Brick, Burning, Fracture, Gone Baby Gone, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, The Interview, and Sherlock Holmes.
