Index Of Hindi Movies 2016 | 2021
The period 2016–2021 represents a distinct, turbulent, and transformative era for Hindi-language cinema. This paper provides a deep, multi-layered index of films released during these six years, moving beyond a simple chronological list to a thematic, economic, and technological taxonomy. We index not only titles but also key trends: the rise of the "content-driven" mid-budget film, the decline of the traditional masala blockbuster, the disruptive entry of streaming platforms (OTT), the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on theatrical windows, and the shifting star hierarchy. Using a dataset of 528 commercially released Hindi films, this paper constructs a functional index for researchers, archivists, and industry analysts, while offering critical commentary on what this period signifies in the longue durée of Indian cinema.
Keywords: Hindi Cinema, Bollywood Index, 2016-2021, OTT Revolution, COVID-19 Impact, New Wave, Star Studies, Box Office Analysis.
This index categorizes films by their commercial performance, revealing a "missing middle" crisis.
| Category | Budget Range (INR Cr) | 2016-2019 Success Rate | 2020-2021 Success Rate | Notable Failure Example | |----------|----------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------| | Tentpole | 100+ | 40% (e.g., Dangal hit; Thugs of Hindostan disaster) | 0% (No theatrical tentpole in pandemic) | Kalank (2019) | | Mid-Budget | 20-80 | 65% (e.g., Stree, Badhaai Ho) | 20% (shifted to OTT) | Drive (2019) | | Low-Budget | Under 20 | 45% | 5% (theatrically) | Manto (2018) | index of hindi movies 2016 2021
Critical finding: By 2019, the mid-budget film was the only reliably profitable segment. The pandemic then forcibly migrated this segment to OTT, hollowing out theatrical exhibition.
| Year | Title | Director | Primary Genre | Theatrical / OTT | Verdict (Trade) | |------|-------|----------|---------------|------------------|----------------| | 2016 | Dangal | Nitesh Tiwari | Biopic/Sports | Theatrical | All-time Blockbuster | | 2016 | Pink | Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury | Courtroom Drama | Theatrical | Super Hit | | 2017 | Hindi Medium | Saket Chaudhary | Social Comedy | Theatrical | Hit | | 2018 | Andhadhun | Sriram Raghavan | Black Comedy Thriller | Theatrical | Hit | | 2018 | Padmaavat | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Period Drama | Theatrical | Hit | | 2019 | Article 15 | Anubhav Sinha | Crime Drama | Theatrical | Average (critically acclaimed) | | 2019 | War | Siddharth Anand | Action | Theatrical | Blockbuster | | 2020 | Gulabo Sitabo | Shoojit Sircar | Comedy-Drama | Amazon Prime (OTT) | N/A (No theatrical) | | 2021 | Sardar Udham | Shoojit Sircar | Historical Biopic | Amazon Prime (OTT) | N/A (Critical acclaim) | | 2021 | Sooryavanshi | Rohit Shetty | Action | Theatrical (post-lockdown) | Hit |
End of Paper.
The period between 2016 and 2021 was a transformative era for Hindi cinema, marked by record-breaking blockbusters, a shift toward content-driven narratives, and a fundamental change in distribution due to the rise of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms and the COVID-19 pandemic. Year-by-Year Box Office Leaders (2016–2021) Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
For those who want a quicker reference, here is a genre-based breakdown.
Before diving into the alphabetical and chronological index, it is crucial to understand the context. These five years saw: The period 2016–2021 represents a distinct, turbulent, and
This index captures that transition.
| # | Movie Title | Genre | Key Cast | Verdict | |---|-------------|-------|----------|---------| | 1 | Wazir | Thriller | Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan | Hit | | 2 | Airlift | Historical Drama | Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur | Super Hit | | 3 | Saala Khadoos | Sports Drama | R. Madhavan, Ritika Singh | Underrated | | 4 | Neerja | Biopic/Thriller | Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi | Blockbuster | | 5 | Kapoor & Sons | Family Drama | Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt | Hit | | 6 | Fan | Thriller | Shah Rukh Khan | Average | | 7 | Baaghi | Action | Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor | Hit | | 8 | Udta Punjab | Crime Drama | Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor | Cult Classic | | 9 | Sultan | Sports Drama | Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma | Blockbuster | | 10 | M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story | Biopic | Sushant Singh Rajput | Blockbuster | | 11 | Dear Zindagi | Drama | Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan | Hit | | 12 | Dangal | Sports Biopic | Aamir Khan | All-Time Blockbuster |
Key Takeaway from 2016: This was the year of the "thinking man's blockbuster." Dangal became the highest-grossing Indian film ever, while Udta Punjab sparked conversations on drug abuse. For those who want a quicker reference, here