Must-watch Indian documentaries

Indian documentaries have captured some of the country’s most fascinating stories, from mystic poetry and environmental struggles to journalism, wildlife and life in rapidly changing cities. These films offer very different perspectives on India and showcase the range of its documentary filmmaking tradition. (unsplash)

Writing with Fire: Directed by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, Writing with Fire follows the women journalists of Khabar Lahariya, a newspaper run by Dalit women in Uttar Pradesh. As the reporters move from print to digital journalism, the film documents their work, ambitions and the challenges they encounter while reporting from the ground. It became the first Indian feature documentary to receive an Academy Award nomination. (official website)

Had Anhad, Journeys with Ram & Kabir: Shabnam Virmani’s Had Anhad takes viewers on a journey through the poetry and songs of the 15th-century mystic Kabir, travelling across India and Pakistan. The film explores Kabir’s ideas of Ram, religious identity and the boundaries between communities, bringing together singers, poets and thinkers along the way. (youtube: the kabir project)

Katiyabaaz: Directed by Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa, Katiyabaaz enters the world of electricity theft in Kanpur. The documentary follows Loha Singh, who illegally reconnects electricity for residents during power cuts, alongside KESCo managing director Ritu Maheshwari as she attempts to tackle the city's electricity crisis. (youtube)

All That Breathes: Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes follows Delhi brothers Nadeem and Saud Shehzad, who rescue and treat injured black kites at their makeshift bird hospital. Set against the polluted skies and social tensions of the capital, the film quietly explores the relationship between humans, animals and the environment. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. (prime video)

Placebo: Abhay Kumar’s Placebo follows four medical students at Delhi's Maulana Azad Medical College and examines the pressures, ambitions and psychological struggles within an intensely competitive educational environment. Rather than simply documenting medical training, the film turns inward, exploring questions of success, mental health, privilege and the pursuit of excellence. (prime video)

A Night of Knowing Nothing: Payal Kapadia’s A Night of Knowing Nothing unfolds through letters written by a student at the Film and Television Institute of India. Blending archival footage, photographs, voice-over and fragments of student life, the film moves between intimate memories and the political atmosphere surrounding campus protests and social unrest. It won the L'Œil d'Or for Best Documentary at Cannes in 2021. (payal kapadia's official website)