10 best Hansal Mehta movies that are proof of filmmaker’s prowess

This filmmaker worked in the TV space for years before entering Bollywood. Take a look at some of the best Hansal Mehta movies.

Updated on May 29, 2024  |  05:12 PM IST |  135.5K
Hansal Mehta
Pic courtesy: Hansal Mehta on Instagram

From starting his journey by helming a TV show to directing award-winning films like Shahid, Indian filmmaker Hansal Mehta has come a long way. As the director continues to work on impressing the audience with his content, we take a look at some of the best Hansal Mehta movies that have kept us entertained over the years.

10 Hansal Mehta movies that are worth a watch:

1. Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar

  • Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Tabu, Saurabh Shukla and Aditya Srivastava
  • IMDB Rating: 5.2/10
  • Movie Genre: Crime/Drama
  • Release year: 2000

Hansal Mehta spent seven years making TV programs before he directed the film Jayate in 1999. While it didn’t get a decent release, the movie was highly lauded by the audience who watched it at a special premiere at the Indian Film Festival. The next year, he worked with a group of talented actors for his first commercial film, Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar.

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2. Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai?

  • Cast: Prashant Chianani, Aamir Ali Malik, Vaibhav Jalani, Yash Pandit, Deepti Daryanani, Payal Rohatgi, Samita Bangargi and Punarnava Mehta
  • IMDB Rating: 4.7/10
  • Movie Genre: Comedy/Romance
  • Release year: 2002

Inspired by the American film titled American Pie, Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? revolves around four young men who meet multiple ladies during their time in a college. As they try to manage their love life while working towards getting good grades, they tickle many funny bones with their dual-meaning one-liners and straight-face comedy.

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3. Dus Kahaniyaan

  • Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Nana Patekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Manoj Bajpayee, Arbaaz Khan, Jimmy Sheirgill, Amrita Singh, Minissha Lamba, Anupam Kher, Aftab Shivdasani, Dia Mirza and others
  • IMDB Rating: 5.7/10
  • Movie Genre: Drama
  • Release year: 2007

The anthology film is helmed by a host of six directors, including Hansal Mehta. Dus Kahaniyaan is divided into ten short stories, each of which has a very different storyline, cast, and narrative, such as infidelity, companionship, lust, and other shades of human emotions.

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4. Shahid

  • Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur
  • IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
  • Movie Genre: Drama
  • Release year: 2012

Based on the life of Indian lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated for dedicating his life to seeking justice and committing to the welfare of society. One of the best Hansal Mehta and Rajkummar Rao movies, Shahid, is available on Prime Video.

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5. CityLights

  • Cast: Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha
  • IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
  • Movie Genre: Drama/Thriller
  • Release year: 2014
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In the bid to have a better life for his family, a poor farmer from Rajasthan migrates to the city of dreams, Mumbai. CityLights showcases how he deals with the challenges of big city life and manages to survive despite the hardships. This Hansal Mehta movie became a commercial success despite being released on limited screens.

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6. Aligarh

  • Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Ashish Vidyarthi
  • IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
  • Movie Genre: Crime/Drama
  • Release year: 2015

The intense and heartbreaking film is based on the life of Ramchandra Siras, a faculty member at Aligarh Muslim University. The drama unfolds when someone invades his personal life, and his sexual orientation is unveiled publicly. While he is able to get justice with the help of a journalist, he isn’t able to see the light of the day in Aligarh. It is available on Jio Cinema and Zee5.

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7. Omerta

  • Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Timothy Ryan, Rajesh Tailang, Rupinder Nagra
  • IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
  • Movie Genre: Crime/Action
  • Release year: 2017
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One of the most intriguing biographical crime drama films by Hansal Mehta, Omerta, showcases how an infamous terrorist, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, kidnapped and murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002. You can watch the movie on Jio Cinema and Prime Video.

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8. Chhalaang

  • Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nushrat Bharucha, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
  • IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
  • Movie Genre: Comedy/Drama/Sports
  • Release year: 2020

Co-produced by Ajay Devgn, Luv Ranjan, and Ankur Garg, Chhalaang tells the tale of a lazy physical training instructor who was living an easy-going life until he faced a new challenge in his professional and personal life. The movie is currently streaming on Prime Video.

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9. Faraaz

  • Cast: Juhi Babbar, Aamir Ali, Aditya Rawal, Zahan Kapoor, Jatin Sarin, Pallak Lalwani and others
  • IMDB Rating: Action/Thriller
  • Movie Genre: 5.0/10
  • Release year: 2023

With an ensemble cast of six newcomers, including Zahan Kapoor, Faraaz premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2022 and was made available for the Indian audience in February 2023. The biographical action thriller Hansal Mehta movie takes the audience through the ill-fated night when a terrorist attack happened at a Dhaka café where several people were held hostage.

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10. The Buckingham Murders

  • Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Keith Allen, Ranveer Brar
  • IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
  • Movie Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
  • Release year: 2023
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The Buckingham Murders had its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival in October last year. Co-produced by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shobha Kapoor, and Ekta Kapoor, the film narrates the life and struggle of a grieving British-Indian detective who is assigned the case of a child’s murder in Buckinghamshire. One of the best Hansal Mehta-directed movies; it is expected to be released on Netflix.

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Hansal Mehta has not just made several impressive films; he has also helmed popular web shows like Scam 2003, Scoop, Scam 1992, Modern Love: Mumbai, Gandhi, and more. Let us know which of the best Hansal Mehta movies you have watched.

ALSO READ: 10 best dialogues from Laapataa Ladies that got us thinking

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With more than five years of experience in journalism and an MA degree in Mass Communication & Journalism, Loveleen

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