Film

Akira

Other titles called Akira: the 1988 film.

Akira is a stylish Indian action thriller about a young woman from Jodhpur who witnesses violence and becomes a self-taught fighter. Director Anurag Kashyap frames her vigilantism as both survival and rebellion, with Sonakshi Sinha delivering real physicality. It's for anyone hungry for female-led action cinema that refuses to apologize for its protagonist's rage.

TMDb rating2.8

If you liked this

Raees2017

Shah Rukh Khan anchors this slick crime thriller about a bootlegger navigating Mumbai's underworld. Taut plotting, moral ambiguity, and Khan's magnetic screen presence make it compulsively watchable—a sharp counterpoint to Bollywood's usual heroism.

But The second half leans heavily into romance subplots that dilute the crime narrative. Some sequences feel more interested in spectacle than character.

Raees poster

Badlapur2015

Varun Dhawan disappears into a man consumed by vengeance across two decades. It's a dark, unglamorous exploration of obsession with real brutality—Kashyap's influence is evident in every frame.

But The violence is sustained and unflinching, which some find gratuitous rather than purposeful. The pacing can feel deliberately punishing.

Badlapur poster

Ugly2013

An indie thriller that rewires the kidnapping genre through moral corruption and class conflict. Kashyap's direction finds the ugliness in ordinary people; it's visceral and deeply unsettling in the best way.

But It's deliberately slow-burn and bleak, with no cathartic release. The handheld cinematography will feel cheap to some rather than intentional.

Ugly poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Akira

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Atomic Blonde2017

Both films center women who are skilled, lethal, and emotionally intelligent in ways the plot doesn't ask them to show. They're action protagonists written as people, not symbols.

Charlize Theron as an MI6 agent during the Cold War: this is pure action cinema, with fight sequences so precise and brutal they feel like violence rather than choreography. It's American genre filmmaking at its most efficient and stylish.

But The plot is tissue-thin—a MacGuffin to string together set pieces. If you need character development, look elsewhere. It also borrows heavily from '80s action without always earning the references.

Atomic Blonde poster
More like this (8)

Drishyam2015

A masterclass in suspense about an ordinary man who commits an extraordinary act. Mohanlal's performance is restrained perfection; the twists genuinely land because the character work is so precise.

But Malayalam cinema's pacing won't suit everyone—it prioritizes mood over momentum. Subtitles required if you don't speak the language.

Drishyam poster

No One Killed Jessica2011

Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, this true-crime thriller about a murder investigation and media frenzy has real narrative drive. Vidya Balan and Rani Mukerji anchor it with competing versions of justice and complicity.

But It simplifies some real events for dramatic purposes. The preachy moments about India's legal system can feel didactic.

No One Killed Jessica poster

The Raid 22014

An Indonesian action film about an undercover cop infiltrating a crime family. It's a masterpiece of kinetic filmmaking—fight choreography so intricate it becomes dance, direction so assured it feels effortless.

But The plot is deliberately thin; if you want character nuance over action sequences, you'll be disappointed. Violence is the language here.

The Raid 2 poster

Pink2016

Amitabh Bachchan plays a retired lawyer defending three women against assault charges in a country that blames them for it. It's righteous without being preachy—Bachchan's presence gives the feminist argument unshakeable gravity.

But The courtroom scenes can feel didactic. Some character moments sacrifice realism for message-delivery.

Pink poster

A Wednesday!2008

A stripped-down thriller about a man holding the city hostage with a single phone call and no demands. Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher lock horns in real time; it's tense, clever, and moves like a bullet train.

But The twist requires suspension of disbelief that some find contrived. The politics can feel dated now.

A Wednesday! poster

Section 3752019

A legal thriller examining consent and power in a rape case where both accuser and accused are from the film industry. It avoids easy answers and lets skilled performers—Akshaye Khanna and Richa Chadha—argue in real time.

But It's deliberately ambiguous in ways some find infuriating. Stretches of dialogue-heavy exposition can feel like legal depositions.

Section 375 poster

Burning2018

Both use the genre framework of a crime thriller to explore something deeper about how society sees women's rage—as character flaw versus justified response. Both trust the audience to sit with discomfort.

Lee Chang-dong's glacial Korean thriller about jealousy and class simmers for two hours before exploding. It's a masterpiece of implication—what you don't see matters as much as what you do. Utterly hypnotic.

But It's three hours long and moves at molasses pace. Subtitles, and patience with ambiguity and no clear resolution. Many will find it pretentious or pointlessly slow.

Burning poster

The Guard2011

Like Akira, it's about someone from a small place who discovers they're sharper and braver than their circumstances suggest, and about the gulf between how people are perceived and who they actually are.

A scrappy Irish crime-comedy with Brendan Gleeson as a rural policeman helping an FBI agent. It's funny and warm while never losing its edge; Gleeson is magnificent—gruff, clever, and unexpectedly kind.

But The humor is dry and Ireland-specific; some will find it unfunny or twee. It pivots between comedy and violence in ways that jar if you're expecting consistent tone.

The Guard poster

People

Cast

Directing

Writing

Production

Recommended by