: A wrestling drama featuring Salman Khan that dominated the domestic box office.

As theatrical hits thrived, digital platforms began releasing original Hindi films with critical acclaim.

| Thematic Cluster | Representative Films (2016-2021) | Key Characteristics | Peak Year | |----------------|-----------------------------------|---------------------|------------| | | Dangal (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Badhaai Ho (2018), Dream Girl (2019) | Family-centric, non-metropolitan, social comedies | 2018 | | The Biopic Wave | M.S. Dhoni (2016), Sanju (2018), Padmaavat (2018), Super 30 (2019) | Nationalist or heroic figures, often revisionist | 2018 | | Social Thriller / Critic of Modernity | Pink (2016), Raees (2017), Andhadhun (2018), Thappad (2020) | Noir-inflected, addressing consent, morality, class | 2019 | | The Failed Franchise | Housefull 3 (2016), Judwaa 2 (2017), Total Dhamaal (2019) | Multi-starrers, slapstick, declining returns | 2016-17 | | COVID-Era OTT Originals | Gunjan Saxena (2020), Ludo (2020), Sardar Ka Grandson (2021) | Designed for streaming, shorter runtimes (90-110 min) | 2020-21 |

It started when he tried to find an old favorite, Masaan (2015), on a streaming service and failed. He realized that the golden age of Hindi cinema—the indie boom of the late 2010s—was vanishing into the void of expired licensing rights. Driven by a manic need to organize chaos, he began to crawl the web.

These films represent the massive commercial hits of the era, many joining the "100 Crore Club" or higher Highest Grossing Hindi Movies of All Time - IMDb

In 2017, Bollywood continued to explore "issue-based" narratives even within big-budget formats. 2017 TO 2019 INDIAN MOVIE - IMDb