India's Most Powerful Documentaries To Watch

Published: OCT 25, 2025

WRITING WITH FIRE (2021)

This Oscar-nominated gem spotlights Khabar Lahariya, India’s only women-led Dalit newsroom, reporting on caste-violence, land grabs, and corruption — often at personal risk.

ALL THAT BREATHES (2022)

This film follows two brothers who rescue injured black kites. This documentary unfolds a story about survival, faith, and the fragile ties between humans and nature in Delhi, a city collapsing under its own weight.

THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS (2022)

This Oscar-winning documentary portrays a Tamil couple caring for an orphaned elephant: reflecting community, devotion, and the possibility of harmony between man and animal.

THE HUNT FOR VEERAPPAN (2023)

This series about decades-long manhunt for the sandalwood smuggler portrays a man who became a myth, and the state machinery looking as lawless as the outlaw they pursued.

HOUSE OF SECRETS: THE BURARI DEATHS (2021)

This series portrays the Burari tragedy- 11 members of one family found dead in eerie, ritualistic fashion, revealing the web of faith, mental health and blind obedience that led to it.

BORN INTO BROTHELS (2004)

One of the rare films that doesn’t just observe poverty: it lets its subjects speak. Set in Kolkata’s red-light district, this Oscar-winning film hands cameras to the children of sex workers who capture the harsh realities of their lives.

The Best Restaurants in Delhi's Khan Market

Read Next Story