Film
Corporate
Other titles called Corporate: the 2017 film, the 2018 series (Comedy Central).
A sharp crime thriller set in Mumbai's cutthroat corporate world, where two business empires collide in a race for dominance. Corporate is taut, morally unflinching, and driven by strong performances—particularly Bipasha Basu's. It's for anyone who likes their thrillers grounded in real systemic corruption rather than spy theatrics.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like corporate thrillers that treat boardroom rivalry as a slow-building power game, with morally compromised characters and a cool, unshowy look.
Skip it if you want flashy set-pieces or quick cuts, since this is a talky, sober piece that lingers in offices and conference rooms for much of its two-hour-plus runtime.
What it asks of you: Give it a long, patient stretch of attention; scenes unfold at a measured pace, and the darkness builds gradually rather than arriving in bursts.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Chandni Bar2001
Another Indian crime thriller that unflinches from urban decay and moral compromise. Directed with visceral intensity, it shares Corporate's refusal to look away from how systems fail ordinary people.
But Darker and more harrowing than Corporate; some scenes are genuinely difficult viewing. The subject matter is deliberately grim.
Rang De Basanti2006
Released the same year, it's a political thriller with similar themes of systemic corruption and institutional rot. Excellent ensemble cast, and it builds genuine tension around characters who decide to act against the machine.
But Longer and more melodramatic in places. The tone shifts between thriller and idealistic drama can feel uneven.
A Wednesday!2008
A taut thriller about power, consequence, and one man's plan to expose institutional failure. Like Corporate, it trusts the audience and moves with real momentum. Naseeruddin Shah is magnificent.
But Relies on some coincidences that strain credibility. The climax is more conventionally satisfying than ambiguous.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Corporate
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Sarkar2005
Both are Ram Gopal Varma films made in the same period, exploring how capitalism and corruption become indistinguishable. Sarkar shows what happens when a corporate figure becomes a crime boss; Corporate shows the crime inherent in legitimate business.
Ram Gopal Varma's sprawling political thriller about a corporate kingpin who becomes a parallel authority. It shares Corporate's DNA—Varma directed both—and carries the same thesis about how wealth and power corrupt systems. But Sarkar is operatic where Corporate is clinical.
But Bloated and sometimes incoherent. Varma's maximalist style can feel excessive; the plot tangles repeatedly. Amitabh Bachchan's charisma carries it more than the script.
More like this (5)
Jai Bhim2021
A Tamil crime thriller rooted in real case law. Shares Corporate's interest in how systems protect the powerful while crushing the vulnerable. Powerful courtroom sequences and moral clarity without being preachy.
But Three and a half hours long and densely plotted. The first half moves deliberately before the case accelerates.
Natrang2010
A Marathi film about ambition, performance, and the cost of success in a ruthless system. Like Corporate, it's interested in how people rationalize corruption and the distances they travel from their principles.
But Character study more than thriller. If you want plot momentum over psychological depth, this will feel slow.
Gulaal2009
A conspiracy thriller about student politics that spirals into murder and institutional violence. Anurag Kashyap's direction is stylish, and it captures that same sense of ordinary people trapped in systems far larger than themselves.
But Deliberately fragmented narrative that can feel muddled. The style sometimes overwhelms clarity.
Ugly2013
A dark crime thriller about obsession, morality, and how far ordinary people will go when personal stakes collide with principle. Like Corporate, it's unsentimental about human nature and corruption.
But Brutal and misanthropic. There's no good person to root for, which some find exhausting rather than liberating.
The Wolf of Wall Street2013
Both show how systems reward sociopathy and how ordinary corruption metastasizes into spectacular crime. But Wolf is American spectacle and satire; Corporate is Indian realism. One makes corruption entertaining; the other makes it claustrophobic.
Scorsese's darkly comic epic about fraud, excess, and institutional collapse. Where Corporate is grim and contained, this is a carnival of corruption—but they're examining the same moral vacuum. DiCaprio gives himself over to the performance completely.
But Three hours of wealthy men behaving badly. Some find it glorifies the excess it claims to critique. The comedy can read as complicit rather than critical.
People
Cast
Bipasha BasuNishigandha Dasgupta aka Nishi
Kay Kay MenonRitesh
Minissha LambaMegha Apte
Navni PariharMrs Marwah
Rajat KapoorVinay Sehgal- Sandeep MehtaParvez Merchant
Raj BabbarDharmesh Marwah
Shweta MenonArchana
Lillete DubeyDevyani Bakshi
Harsh ChhayaNaveen Shroff
Directing
- Madhur BhandarkarDirector
Writing
- Ajay MongaScreenplay
- Madhur BhandarkarScreenplay
- Manoj TyagiScreenplay