One of 2024’s earliest action flicks, Fighter, stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone as an elite Indian Air Force pilots who embark on a deadly mission against a neighbouring nation. The movie is directed by Siddharth Anand (War, Pathaan) and adds to Roshan and Padukone’s action star legacy.
If you too enjoyed the high-altitude aerial fights and thrills of Fighter, here are ten more thrillers and pilot-centric dramas that you can watch and where to stream them online.
1. Lakshya
The Farhan Akhtar-directed cult classic stars Hrithik Roshan as an aimless slacker who finds his life’s purpose after joining the Indian Army. As the Kargil War completes his coming-of-age arc, the hero realises that war isn’t always about glory and jingoism. The way it humanizes soldiers makes Lakshya an interesting contrast to Fighter.
2. Top Gun: Maverick
Almost every movie on fighter pilots is reminiscent of Top Gun. While the 1986 Tom Cruise original will always be a classic, it’s the bigger and better 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick that might appeal more to younger audiences of Fighter.
3. Pathaan
Just a year before Fighter, Siddharth Anand helmed the Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster Pathaan. A high-octane action thriller and mass entertainer, Pathan offered quotable one-liners and impressive action with a well-cast trio of Khan, John Abraham and Fighter star Deepika Padukone.
4. Operation Valentine
Fighter isn’t the only Air Force film of 2024. The Telugu war thriller is based on real-life incidents like the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attacks and the resulting Balakot Air Strikes.
5. Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl
Janhvi Kapoor plays the titular real-life pilot who became a source of inspiration for many female aviators in the country. The Netflix India original received eight Filmfare nominations including one for Kapoor and one for Pankaj Tripathi (who played her supportive father).
6. Rang De Basanti
Representing the youthful angst of a changing India, Rang De Basanti is often considered a cult classic of modern Bollywood. While the movie touches upon a lot of issues, a significant plot detail reveals bureaucratic corruption and the usage of faulty, outdated jets within the Indian Air Force. The accidental deaths caused by the failure of many Mig jets in India only make the film all the more realistic.
7. Bang Bang
Siddharth Anand started out with romantic dramas but it was with Bang Bang that he could prove his action genre credentials. The fast-paced remake of Tom Cruise-starrer Knight and Day also revamped Hrithik Roshan’s status as an action star.
8. Uri: The Surgical Strike
Recreating real-life counter-terrorism operations, Uri: The Surgical Strike made Vicky Kaushal a bankable hero while boasting some impressive combat sequences. When it comes to logical war thrillers in Bollywood, Uri: The Surgical Strike often tops the list.
9. Yodha
Siddharth Malhotra’s nail-biting action thriller is mostly set within the confines of a hijacked passenger jet, But when the engine fails, an off-duty soldier seeks to make things right his own way.
10. War
War is one of the many collaborations between Siddharth Anand and Hrithik Roshan. A stylish spy thriller pairing Roshan opposite Tiger Shroff, War finds the two playing RAW agents at odds with each other. But as a terrorist conspiracy unravels, the disgraced mentor (Roshan) and his protege (Shroff) join forces for a spectacle of ambitious stunts and unpredictable thrills.
