Top 10 Indian Movies Based On Caste System

The caste system and the conversations around it are still prevalent in today's day and age in India. Like the race discrimination in the west, many Indians still face discrimination based on their caste. Indian cinema didn't appropriately portray the stories of the lower castes for many decades. It is only now that our stories include people from different spheres of life. Our representation got wider through many filmmakers’ storytelling. Here are the top 10 Indian movies based on the caste system:

1. Ankur (1974)

Directed by Shyam Benegal, this movie's plot revolves around a Dalit woman Lakshmi who serves the wealthy landlord's son, Surya, in a village in Andhra Pradesh. Lakshmi is abandoned by her alcoholic husband. Surya gets smitten by Lakshmi and begins an affair with her despite his marriage with Saro, a child bride. Lakshmi has to deal with the consequences all by herself when Surya's wife finds out about their affair. This shows the plight of people from lower-caste backgrounds. The affair was assumed to be a mistake of Lakshmi. This indicates that women have no autonomy over their bodies. Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi debuted with this film.

2. Article 15 (2019)

This film, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is set in a fictional village Lalgaon, revolves around a young IPS officer who confronts the caste system and disparities after the caste-based discrimination he saw. This movie is loosely inspired by the Badaun gangrape-murder case. Ayushmann Khurrana plays the police officer who investigates the death of two young girls and the disappearance of one more. He uncovers other crimes based on caste-based oppression in the village.

3. Aarakshan (2011)

Directed by Prakash Jha, this film features Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Prateik Babbar in lead roles. The plot revolves around Dr. Anand, the principal of STM college, who along with his supporters rises in support of the OBC reservation decision of the Supreme Court. The hurdles they have to overcome during this fight form the rest of the story’s plotline.

4. Sairat (2016)

One of the best regional films ever made, Sairat's plot revolves around the lives of Parshya, a fisherman’s son, and Aarchi, an upper-caste politician's daughter who fall in love and elope. The consequences they had to face because of their relationship against the caste hierarchical restraints form the film’s plot. Directed by Nagraj Manjule, this film stars debut actors Rinku Rajguru and Akash Thosar.

5. Jai Bhim (2021)

A brave lawyer seeks justice for a tribal woman whose husband goes missing from police custody after a false robbery accusation. This film is based on a 1993 case fought by lawyer K. Chandru to seek justice for a woman from the Irula tribe. Suriya, Lijomol Jose, and Manikandan play the lead roles in the film.

6. Masaan (2015)

Set in Varanasi, this film's plot revolves around Devi, who is struggling to get away from the consequences that resulted from her physical relationship with her student, and the couple Deepak and Shaalu, who try to bridge their caste barrier in modern day Indian society. This movie throws light on the current problems of the lower-caste people and shows that we still have a long way to go in destigmatizing many things in India. Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, debutant Vicky Kaushal, Richa Chadda, Sanjay Mishra, and Shweta Tripathi in lead roles.

7. Sadgati (1981)

Directed by Satyajit Ray, this film tells the story of an untouchable boy who attempts to turn around the injustices the lower caste people in his village go through. Starring Om Puri and Smita Patil in lead roles, this film was inspired by a short story written by Munshi Premchand.

8. Khap (2011)

Starring Om Puri and Yuvika Chaudhary in lead roles, this movie is inspired by an honor killing case in Haryana. The movie's plot revolves around Madhur Chaudhary, an HRD officer who investigates a case of a couple's suicide that looks more like a murder.

9. Fandry (2013)

From Nagral Manjule, the director of Sairat, comes the story of Jabya and Shalu, who fall in love despite their caste differences and have to deal with the consequences of wanting to continue their relationship. It stars Somnath Avghade and Rajeshwari Kharat in lead roles.

10. Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015)

Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte, the story involves a man Dashrath who sets out to destroy a mountain and build a road as a tribute to his dead wife, Faguniya, who passed away trying to cross the same mountain.