11 Best Bollywood thriller movies that'll keep you on the edge of your seats: Drishyam, Raazi to Kahaani

From Drishyam, Raazi to Kahaani - here's a list of 11 best Bollywood thriller movies that effortlessly draw 200% attention with intriguing mystery and suspense.

By Krishma Sharma

Updated on Dec 14, 2023 | 03:50 PM IST | 814.5K

Pic Courtesy: Drishyam/Raazi/Kahaani IMDb

Are you a Bollywood buff who enjoys deciphering a mystery and suspense in a movie even before the story itself does it? Well, hands down, some of the thriller Hindi movies have succeeded in offering such a thrill in terms of storytelling, so much so that they effortlessly manage to attract 200% attention from us. While there’s a plethora of such films, we’ve curated a list of the top 11 best Bollywood thriller movies that keep one on the edge of the seat.

11 Bollywood thriller movies that you can’t tear yourself away from

1. Jaane Jaan (2023)

Running Time: 2 hours 19 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Movie Genre: Crime, Drama and Mystery
Movie Star Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Lin Laishram
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Writer: Sujoy Ghosh, Keigo Higashino and Raj Vasant
Year of release: 2023
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

The film Jaane Jaan is based on The Devotion of Suspect X authored by Keigo Higashino. The film marked Kareena Kapoor’s OTT debut, and what a debut indeed. One of the best Bollywood thriller films directed by Sujoy Ghosh revolves around a single mother who grapples with a murder case. A gifted math teacher who is her neighbor helps her get away from the case, while a persistent cop tries his level best to solve the case.

2. Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga (2023)

Running Time: 1 hours 50 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Movie Genre: Crime, drama, thriller
Movie Star Cast: Yami Gautam, Sunny Kaushal, Sharad Kelkar, Indraneil Sengupta, Barun Chanda, Krunal Pandit
Director: Ajay Singh
Writers: Siraj Ahmed, Raj Kumar Gupta and Amar Kaushik
Year of release: 2023
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

This year witnessed other best thrillers in the form of Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga. The film offers a plethora of surprises to keep one on the edge of his seat. The film is based on a midair heist planned by Ankit Sethi and Neha Grover (Sunny Kaushal and Yami Gautam). The plot revolves around what follows post heist and not to bring any spoilers but ends up in a situation no one saw coming.

3. Haseen Dillruba (2021)

Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Movie Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Movie Star Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, Harshvardhan Rane, Aditya Srivastav, Yamini Das, Dayashankar Pandey, Ashish Verma, Atul Tiwari
Director: Vinil Mathew
Writer: Kanika Dhillon
Year of release: 2021
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix

If you’re looking for a mystery Bollywood thriller movie, then this nail-biting film psychological thriller led by Taapsee Pannu will give you enough chills and thrills. The storyline revolves around a woman who is being interrogated as a suspect in her husband’s murder. However, she makes several revelations of their tempestuous marriage that further blur the truth. Both the leads have done an exceptional job in the film, and the climax truly will leave you astonished!

4. Raazi (2018)

Running Time: 2 hours 18 min
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Movie Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Movie Star Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapoor, Shishir Sharma, Jaideep Ahlawat, Soni Razdan, Amruta Khanvilkar, Kanwaljeet Singh
Director: Meghna Gulzar
Writer: Harinder S. Sikka, Meghna Gulzar and Bhavani Iyer
Year of release: 2018
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV

Looking for the best suspense thriller movies Hindi? Your wait shall end on Alia Bhatt’s acclaimed Raazi. The film is hailed for all the right reasons. Not only it has the patriotic feel, but also a very tightly written screenplay filled with anticipation that would equally make you travel with it and leave your heart pounding.

5. Andhadhun (2018)

Running Time: 2 hours 19 mins
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Movie Genre: Crime, Mystery and Thriller
Movie Star Cast: Tabu, Ayushmann Khurrana, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan, Manav Vij, Zakir Hussain, Ashwini Kalsekar
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Writer: Arijit Biswas, Yogesh Chandekar and Sriram Raghavan
Year of release: 2018
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Netflix

The excellence of the film can be ascertained from the fact that it was honored with coveted National Awards in various categories. A paramount in Bollywood thriller movies, Andhadun depicts the story of a pianist who pretends to be blind to assuage his talent. However, things take the worst turn as he witnesses a murder in front of him. Hold your horses, because the story stays with you for a long time and mystery keeps running into your mind.

6. Naam Shabana (2017)

Running Time: 2 hrs 27 mins
IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
Movie Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Movie Star Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee, Taher Shabbir, Veerendra Saxena, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Danny Denzongpa, Anupam Kher, Madhurima Tuli, Murli Sharma, Zakir Hussain, Manav Vij, Elli Avrram
Director: Shivam Nair
Writer: Neeraj Pandey and Rajshri Sudhakar
Year of release: 2017
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: MX Player, Netflix and Zee 5

One of the exceptional works of Taapsee Pannu and the team, Naam Shabana, depicts the story of a girl who works as a proficient field agent. Keeping its quintessential Bollywood style alive, the film is a decent watch. In fact, it’s a prequel to 2015 release Baby, which is equally engaging. One can stream it on YouTube, Disney+ Hotstar and Google Play Movies and TV.

7. Drishyam (2015)

Running Time: 2 hours 43 mins
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Movie Genre: Crime, Drama and Mystery
Movie Star Cast: Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Kamlesh Sawant, Prathamesh Parab, Sharad Bhutadiya
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Writer: Jeethu Joseph and Upendra Sidhaye
Year of release: 2015
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Hotstar, Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, JioCinema

Hands down, Drishyam is amongst the highly recommended Bollywood thriller movies. The film depicts a tale of a simple family, in which the daughter of Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn) accidentally kills a boy harassing her. Being a protective father, he tries his level best to keep the mystery continuing.

In addition to this, the highly anticipated sequel to the film was released last year, Drishyam 2 with the same cast. Moving ahead with the story, it managed to keep audiences glued to the screens. The film is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

8. Kahaani (2012)

Running Time: 2 hours 2 mins
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Movie Genre: Mystery and thriller
Movie Star Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Indraneil Sengupta, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Darshan Jariwala
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Writer: Sujoy Ghosh, Advaita Kala and Suresh Nair
Year of release: 2012
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Jio Cinema and Manorama Max

Are you even a Bollywood buff if you’ve not watched this best Bollywood thriller movie? The crime thriller is about a pregnant woman looking for her missing husband in Kolkata during the festival of Durga Puja, assisted by Assist Sub-Inspector Satyoki "Rana" Sinha (Parambrata Chatterjee) and Inspector General A. Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). However, the catch is that she is on a mission, which you will realize after watching the film.

The sequel to Kahaani 2 is equally interesting to watch, which you can stream on YouTube or Zee 5.

9. Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

Running Time: 2 hours 40 mins
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Movie Genre: Action, comedy, crime
Movie Star Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chadha, Reema Sen, Piyush Mishra, Huma Qureshi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Pankaj Tripathi
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Akhilesh Jaiswal, Anurag Kashyap and Sachin K. Ladia
Year of release: 2012
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Amazon Prime, Voot and Netflix

Gangs of Wasseypur is a two-part crime epic directed by Anurag Kashyap. The story revolves around the power struggle and vendetta between two families, the Khans and the Qureshis, in the coal-rich town of Wasseypur. It spans several decades, following characters like Sardar Khan played by Manoj Bajpayee and Faizal Khan played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui as they navigate through a world filled with crime, corruption, and family legacies.

Over the years, the film has acquired a cult-following for itself. The following year, a sequel to the film was release which one can stream on YouTube, Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV and Apple TV.

10. A Wednesday (2008)

Running Time: 1 hour 44 minutes
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Movie Genre: Action, crime and drama
Movie Star Cast: Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Veerendra Saxena, Jimmy Shergill, Rajendra Chawla
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Writer: Neeraj Pandey
Year of release: 2008
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Netflix

One of the realistic and best Indian thriller movies, A Wednesday is a tale narrated by a police commissioner about a peculiar case of his career. The action thriller, you’ve got to watch out for the best suspense it upholds in the storyline and how it creates havoc on a usual Wednesday in the life of politicians and the police force.

11. Baazigar (1993)

Pic Courtesy: Baazigar IMDb

Running Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Movie Genre: Crime, Drama, Musical
Movie Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Dalip Tahil, Rakhee Gulzar, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Siddharth, Johny Lever, Dinesh Hingoo
Director: Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla and Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla
Writer: Robin Bhatt, Akash Khurana and Javed Siddiqui
Year of release: 1993
Where to Watch / OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video and YouTube

This one remains classic! While the death of the protagonist in the middle of the film raised eyebrows at the time of its release, however, the story continues to have an element to keep one on the edge of their seat. Baazigar is a tale of a boy who lands with a past grudge, falls in love with the older daughter of a wealthy businessman, and murders her in a way that would make it appear as though she committed suicide. Then he makes plans to kill the rest of the family.

If you’re looking for a good watch, then here is the list that will not offer you even a single dull moment. Go ahead and give them a watch!

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