Dark truths on silver screen: Real crimes that inspired Indian thrillers

From ‘Special 26’ to ‘Shootout at Wadala’, 5 films based on real-life crimes

From Bollywood to the South Indian film industry, most Indian films are loved for their feel-good stories, romance, dramatic heroes and villains and their iconic soundtracks. But every now and then, the filmmakers step away from the usual formula to tell a crime story, one that holds up a mirror to the rot and twisted minds that exist around us. Here are five Indian films based on real-life crime stories.

Crime, no matter where people go, tends to follow like a shadow. In India, it remains an unsettling constant that cuts across every layer of society. While many cases fade into the background of daily headlines, some are so chilling they continue to grip the nation’s conscience and echo through time like the Burari incident, where 11 members of a family were found hanging under mysterious circumstances; the Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj case, which drew years of intense media and public scrutiny and the Koodathayi killings, where Jolly Joseph allegedly murdered six members of her family using cyanide.

To explore such cases through new perspectives, many Indian filmmakers have drawn inspiration from these haunting incidents, bringing them to the screen and rekindling memories people once followed through relentless media coverage.

However, there are also films that many viewers do not realise are based on real-life crimes. Here are five such movies that draw from true events.

Special 26, 2013

In 2013, the director of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, which starred the late Sushant Singh Rajput as the cricketer, made a fast-paced thriller with a strong soundtrack titled Special 26, featuring Manoj Bajpayee and Akshay Kumar in lead roles.

The film unfolds around a daring crew of conmen, led by Akshay Kumar, who pose as CBI officers to execute high-stakes raids. Their targets? Corrupt politicians and wealthy businessmen hoarding black money. Fuelled by the sting of rejection after being denied a real position in the CBI, Kumar’s character turns the tables, using the system’s own authority to outsmart it in a thrilling game of deception and justice.

Backed by the strong soundtrack and thrilling twist, which cannot be mentioned here, shockingly this film was based on a real-life event.

With a gripping soundtrack and a shocking twist, the film amazed audiences, not just for the story, but because it was based on a real event.

On November 19, 1987, a group of conmen pretending to be CBI officers carried out a fake raid at the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri, one of the biggest jewellers in Mumbai. Unlike most heists that happen at night, this one took place in broad daylight. The gang walked in, showed fake papers, and calmly walked out with jewellery worth lakhs of rupees.

The man leading the operation, calling himself Mon Singh or Mohan Singh, had planned it all carefully. On March 17, 1987, he placed a classified ad in a leading daily asking for “Dynamic Graduates for Intelligence Officers Post and Security Officers Post.” Applicants were told to come to the Taj Intercontinental Hotel the next day between 10:00 and 17:00. He even rented an office at Mittal Towers in Nariman Point, to interview them.

Later from this interview, he chose at least 26 people and told them to report to the hotel again the next day. There, he briefed them about a ‘mock raid.’ On the day of the heist, the group arrived at the jewellery store around 14:00. Singh introduced himself to the owner, Pratap Zaveri and showed a fake search warrant.

No major consequences were reported after the incident. But the film, inspired by this daring heist, became a commercial success earning around INR 1.03 billion worldwide.

Posham Pa, 2019

If Special 26 kept audiences hooked with its clever con, the 2019 film Posham Pa took a darker turn, diving deep into the disturbing psychology behind a real-life crime.

Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay and streaming on Zee5, the film stars Mahie Gill and Sayani Gupta in haunting performances. At the heart of the story is Prajakta, a deeply troubled mother who manipulates her daughters, Regha and Shikha, into a life of crime. The coercion runs so deep that the sisters go on to murder five children, acts that eventually lead to their arrest for mass murder.

Told through a tense narrative structure, the film unfolds as the two sisters recount their horrific crimes in interviews with documentary filmmakers Gundeep and Nikhat.  As the story unravels, so does the chilling influence of a mother whose twisted sense of control led to one of the most shocking cases in India’s criminal history.

Titled after a harmless children’s rhyme, Posham Pa is based on the horrifying true story of sisters Seema Gavit and Renuka Shinde, who, between 1990 and 1996, kidnapped 40 children and murdered five across cities like Pune, Thane, Kalyan, Kolhapur and Nashik.

Their method was simple and cruel, first, the kidnapped children were taken to crowded areas, who were used as props during thefts. If caught, the women either used the child to gain sympathy or injured them to cause a distraction. Shockingly, children were later killed often for crying and as revealed by post-mortems, some were thrown down stairs or beaten.

Shockingly, the trio showed no remorse. And in a final twist, after years of legal delay, the Bombay High Court in 2022 commuted their death sentence to life imprisonment.

Disturbing viewers by the sheer magnitude of the crime, the film’s trailer alone received 3.5 million views on YouTube, reflecting the strong impact it had on audiences.

Anjaam Pathiraa, 2020

Meanwhile it is not just Bollywood that finds inspiration in real-life crime, the South Indian film industry has its own chilling contributions. Midnight Murders,   2020 a Malayalam psychological thriller by Midhun Manuel Thomas, explores a series of murders targeting Kochi police officers.

Unlike films like Posham Pa or Special 26, which focus on clever or psychotic criminals, this film delves into the psychological impact of trauma and injustice, revealing how past wounds can fuel violent retribution.

The character “Psycho Simon” is partly inspired by the 2017 Nanthancode massacre, where 26-year-old undertrial Caddell Jeansen Raja killed his parents, sister, and aunt. The film also references Kerala’s infamous serial killer Muthukutty Chandran, known as Ripper Chandran, who was hanged in 1991 for murdering fourteen people during robberies, becoming the last person to be executed in the state.

Its partial basis in real-life events struck a chord with audiences and critics alike, earning the film widespread acclaim. It went on to become the highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2020, so much so, that it was later remade in Bengali in 2021 under the title Mukhosh.

Shootout at Wadala, 2013

For some Mumbai is also all about mafia and there have been many films on the mafia. One of them, Shootout at Wadala, released in 2013 and directed by Sanjay Gupta, tells the story of a young man named Manya. He was a hardworking student who landed in prison after killing a gangster who had attacked his brother, Bhargav. Sadly, Bhargav later died. Filled with anger and a desire for revenge, Manya escapes from jail, starts his own gang, and begins his journey into the world of crime.

This movie is based on a real person Manya Surve, one of Mumbai’s most feared gangsters and was the first to be killed in a police encounter. This happened on January 11, 1982, and it marked a major moment in Mumbai’s history. After this, the police began cracking down on the underworld, which had been growing strong since India’s independence.

The film shows the event in great detail. In the final scenes, police officers Inspector Isaque Bagwan and Raja Tambat are seen taking down Manya in a dramatic shootout. With its intense story and gritty visuals, Shootout at Wadala shows how deep the crime world had gone, and how far the police were willing to go to stop it.

The film was a box office success in its time, earning over USD 9.6 million worldwide against a production budget of USD 7.6 million.

Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru, 2017

 Ending the list with another gripping encounter-based film, Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru, a 2017 Tamil-language action drama, stands out for its rooted storytelling and realistic portrayal of law enforcement. Directed by H. Vinoth and starring Karthi and Rakul Preet Singh, the film follows the journey of a sincere and determined police officer who, despite being constantly transferred, stumbles upon a case file involving a violent gang of highway robbers.

As he delves deeper, he uncovers a trail of gruesome lootings and murders committed by a well-organised criminal network operating across state borders.

The film is inspired by real events from Operation Bawaria, a major crackdown launched in 2005 by the Tamil Nadu Police against the Bawaria gang, a group of lorry drivers turned dacoits known for targetting affluent homes along highways in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

The character of Theeran is based on the real-life officer DGP S R Jangid, who led the operation. Due to its gripping narrative and authentic representation of police procedures, the film emerged as a commercial success, grossing over INR 960 million and earning critical praise for its direction, performances, and stark realism.

While fiction often stretches the boundaries of imagination, these films serve as stark reminders that truth can be far more unsettling and fascinating. By drawing from real-life crimes, they do not just entertain. They force audiences to confront the darker side of society that often hides behind headlines and hurried news cycles. Whether it is a cunning con, a mother’s twisted influence, systemic rot, or the brutal reign of organised crime, these stories show that reality, when translated to screen with care, can leave an impact long after the credits roll.