Bollywood has, over time, produced many cult classics which were ironically largely ignored during their release. Some of these films were considered ahead of their time or did not appeal to the sensibilities of the audience at the time of their release and hence could not make much money at the box office. However, with time, these films were better received and attained a cult following. Here, we list some of these films.
Dev D
Known for his unconventional style of filmmaking, Anurag Kashyap made a dark romantic comedy Dev D with Abhay Deol. It was a modern-day take on the story of Devdas and thus, perhaps kept away the more conservative audience. The film is now considered a classic and one of Kashyap’s best works.
Delhi Belly
Delhi Belly is one film that you just cannot watch with your family. An adult comedy directed by Abhinav Deo and produced by Aamir Khan, the film has double-meaning jokes, crass language and all one can hope from an adult comedy. This may have kept away the family audience but the film is now considered a great satire.
Lakshya
When Farhan Akhtar directed Lakshya starring Hrithik Roshan, he wanted to narrate the tale of a carefree and irresponsible young man’s journey to being a hardened and dedicated soldier in the Indian Army. Regrettably, the film could not do much at the box office but is now held in high regard.
Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
It is hard to believe that a film, the dialogues, scenes and music of which have been part of popular culture over the last two decades did not do well at the box office. Perhaps it was because Madhavan lacked star power in Bollywood at that time and Dia Mirza was a new actress. The movie is now considered one of the best romantic films of the 2000s.
Khosla Ka Ghosla
A perfect satire on the problems faced by landlords evicting tenants, the lack of big stars may have caused the film to bomb at the box office, although stalwarts like Anupam Kher and Boman Irani were present in the film.
DIl Chahta Hai
With this movie, Farhan Akhtar motivated the youth of the 90s and early 2000s to follow their dreams. However, the movie that had stars like Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna did not make much money at the box office although it is considered a classic now