Top 10 Indian Films Based On Vigilantism

Vigilantism is one of the most under-explored genres in Indian cinema. In a system that fails them, people tend to become vigilant. They tend to take law and order into their own hands. Over the years, protagonists of movies have turned vigilantes. We saw many police officers giving up on the justice system and turning into vigilantes. This happens mostly when a person realizes that it is not possible to fight a system from within anymore. This genre was explored more during the 70s and 80s. However, it made a comeback in the past decade. Here are the top 10 Indian movies based on vigilantism

1. Anniyan (2005)

Directed by Shankar, this movie delivers action with a social message. This movie is about Ambi, a law-abiding lawyer who develops dissociative identity disorder. He creates an alter ego Anniyan, who dominates when he sees apathy and negligence. He also creates another identity called Remo, who is a fashion model. Featuring Vikram and Sadha in lead roles, this film was a commercial success and was remade in Hindi with the title Aparichit - The Stranger.

2. Shahenshah (1988)

Directed by Tinnu Anand, this movie was one of the most iconic films of the 80s. The story involves Vijay, a police officer who leads a double life as a policeman during the day and a vigilante who fights against evil and injustice during the night. This movie is known for its famous dialogues, action scenes, and comedy. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Amrish Puri, and Meenakshi Seshadri in lead roles.

3. A Wednesday (2008)

Directed by Neeraj Pandey, this movie revolves around Prakash Rathod, a police commissioner who gets information about a bomb attack in Mumbai by a common man on a particular Wednesday. He recalls the events that unfolded on that day. Starring Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher in lead roles, this movie was acclaimed for its plot, direction, and acting. It is remade into Unnaipol Oruvan in Tamil and Eenadu in Telugu.

4. Ramanaa (2002)

Directed by A. R. Murugadoss, this movie tells the story of Ramana, a professor who takes the help of his students from various government offices to fight corruption in society. They kidnap fifteen corrupt employees from various government departments and decide to kill the most immoral of them all. The film stars Vijayakanth and Simran in the lead roles.

5. Gabbar Is Back (2015)

Starring Akshay Kumar and Shruti Haasan in lead roles, this movie is a remake of the Tamil film Ramanaa directed by A. R. Murugadoss. Directed by Krish Jagarlamudi, this movie revolves around the life of Aditya. Aditya disguises himself as a vigilante named Gabbar to take revenge on corrupt officials responsible for the death of his wife. He teams up with responsible government officials to expose the system.

6. Sivaji The Boss (2007)

Directed by Shankar, this movie stars Rajinikanth and Shriya Saran in the lead roles and Vivek, Suman, Raghuvaran, and Manivannan in supporting roles. An established software engineer arrives in India to give back to his nation and helps to improve the medical and education standards. He faces many corrupt politicians and government officials in his journey and decides to fight the system.

7. Indian (1996)

Directed by Shankar, starring Kamal Haasan in a dual role playing the father and son, along with Manisha Koirala, Nedumudi, Venu, Sukanya, and Urmila Matondkar in supporting roles. This film revolves around the life of Senapathy, an ex-freedom fighter who turns into a vigilante after seeing the corruption around him. He learns a rare martial art that enables him to kill anyone with his bare hands. He doesn't even spare his corrupt son.

8. Tagore (2003)

The film’s plot involves a professor who created a vigilante group called Anti-Corruption Force (ACF) with the motive to bring down corrupt officials and police officers. The film stars Chiranjeevi in the lead role, with Jyothika, Shriya, and Prakash Raj in pivotal roles.

9. Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018)

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, this film's story revolves around Sikander, who becomes a masked vigilante to avenge his friend's murder. On the journey to take revenge, the circumstances give him the desire to end corruption and the mafia’s rule. Featuring Harshvardhan Kapoor in the lead role, this movie was a failure at the box office but gained cult status and following.

10. Satyameva Jayate (2018)

Starring John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee, and Aisha Sharma in lead roles, the plot involves Veer Rathod, who kills corrupt police officers. DCP Shivansh Rathod is given the task of hunting down the killer. He starts his search without realizing that the killer is his younger brother.