Some of the most spine-chilling crime stories did not come from a screenwriter’s imagination. They unfolded in real settings like homes, streets, courtrooms, and police stations.
From the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case to the assassination of Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila, filmmakers have repeatedly turned real cases and personalities into tense, dramatic stories.
If you have a knack for real-life crime stories and thriller movies fascinate you, here are seven crime movies on Netflix that have fictionalised real crime incidents in India, with each offering hair-raising stories.
Top 7 Best Crime Movies On Netflix
1. Talvar
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sensharma, Neeraj Kabi
Director: Meghna Gulzar
Real Incident: The 2008 Noida double-murder case of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj.
What Is It About: A teenage girl is found murdered in her bedroom, and soon the family’s domestic help is found dead as well. As the investigation unravels, the girl’s parents are suspected. Different investigative agencies examine the murder case, and competing theories about the killings emerge.
Why Watch It: Talvar has Irrfan Khan’s outstanding performance and an intelligent treatment of conflicting evidence, investigation lapses, and the difficulty of establishing what really happened. This makes it one of the strongest crime dramas based on a real case.
Talvar film poster (Image Credit: Instagram @netflix_in)
2. Bhakshak
Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, Sai Tamhankar
Director: Pulkit
Real Incident: Muzaffarpur shelter-home case in Bihar, where girls at a shelter were sexually abused.
What Is It About: Bhakshak is about a local journalist, Vaishali Singh, who recently learned about allegations of abuse at a shelter home for girls. Her investigation untangles a much wider network of influence, silence, and crime happening at the shelter.
Why Watch It: This movie is a less conventional whodunit and more investigative drama about how crime survives behind people who abuse their power. Bhumi Pednekar's understated acting provides the film with a spine, while Sanjay Mishra adds much of its emotional depth.
Bhakshak film poster (Image Credit: Instagram @netflix_in)
3. Major
Cast: Adivi Sesh, Sobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar, Prakash Raj, Revathy, Murali Sharma
Director: Sashi Kiran Tikka
Real Incident: Based on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, an NSG officer who was killed while rescuing hostages during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace.
What Is It About: Major is a biographical account of Army officer Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed during the operation at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the 26/11 terrorist attacks. The film talks about Unnikrishnan’s life before joining the Army and his life journey.
Why Watch It: Instead of attempting to recreate the disturbing 2008 Mumbai attack, Major focuses on honouring the officer who gave his life in rescuing other people. This gives the film a clear character arc rather than turning it into a generic action recreation.
Major film poster (Image Credit: Instagram @majorthefilm)
4. Sector 36
Cast: Vikrant Massey, Deepak Dobriyal, Akash Khurana
Director: Aditya Nimbalkar
Real Incident: 2005-06 Nithari killings in Noida, in which several children and women disappeared.
What Is It About: Several children disappear from Sector 36, Noida, while the police initially fail to treat the disappearances with urgency. As more missing child cases accumulate, Inspector Ram Charan Pandey begins to investigate the case.
Eventually, evidence led him to Prem Singh, a seemingly ordinary man hiding a deeply disturbing secret.
Why Watch It: If anyone loves to be hooked till the end of the movie, Sector 36 is a great choice. Vikrant Massey’s disturbing character steals the spotlight while Deepak Dobriyal’s police officer provides the film with its investigative and moral centre.
Sector 36 film (Image Credit: Instagram @netflix_in)
5. Maharaj
Cast: Junaid Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, Sharvari
Director: Siddharth P. Malhotra
Real Incident: 1862 Maharaj Libel Case, a landmark legal battle in colonial Bombay involving journalist Karsandas Mulji and religious leader Jadunath Brijratan Maharaj.
What Is It About: Karsandas Mulji is a young journalist and social reformer. His ahead-of-time thinking makes him question the worship of a religious leader like a deity.
His investigations bring allegations of exploitation by the religious leader into the public domain. As pressure builds, the dispute moves into the courts.
Why Watch It: Maharaj moves away from the usual police-investigation format and turns a historic legal case into courtroom drama. Jaideep Ahlawat's portrayal of Jadunath Maharaj gives the film much of its dramatic tension, while Junaid Khan carries the journalist's challenge to established authority.
Maharaj film poster (Image Credit: Instagram @netflix_in)
6. Amar Singh Chamkila
Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Parineeti Chopra, Anjum Batra, Anurag Arora
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Real Incident: Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila and his singing partner and wife Amarjot were assassinated in Punjab on March 8, 1988.
What Is It About: Amar Singh Chamkila follows Chamkila's journey from a working-class background to becoming one of Punjab's biggest musical stars. His songs draw huge crowds but also attract criticism for their provocative themes and language. The story eventually reaches his and his wife’s assassination.
Why Watch It: Diljit Dosanjh's performance is the centrepiece, but the film's strongest element is its portrayal of Chamkila's contradictory position - hugely popular with audiences yet criticised for the nature of his songs. His unsolved killing gives the story its crime-thriller edge.
Amar Singh Chamkila film poster (Image Credit: Instagram @netflix_in)
7. Article 15
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Nassar, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Real Incident: The film is not based on one specific real case, but several incidents from Uttar Pradesh, most notably the 2014 Badaun rape-and-murder case involving two Dalit girls. It also incorporates references to the 2016 Una flogging incident and other instances of caste discrimination.
What Is It About: In Article 15, Ayan Ranjan, an IPS officer, is posted to a remote village in Uttar Pradesh, where three young girls go missing. As Ayan starts to investigate, he finds the bodies of two girls hanging from a tree, and the local police appear reluctant to pursue the case.
The investigation of the case gradually becomes a confrontation with a social hierarchy in which caste influences how crimes are reported, investigated, and pursued.
Why Watch It: Article 15 works as a crime investigation while using the case to examine caste discrimination and institutional prejudice.
Article 15 film (Image Credit: Instagram @lettersofframe)
FAQ
Q1. Which movie is based on the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case?
A1. Talvar is based on the 2008 Noida double-murder case involving Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj.
Q2. Is Sector 36 based on a true story?
A2. Yes. Sector 36 is inspired by the Nithari killings in Noida, although the film fictionalises its characters and several events.