Are you not stepping out of home over fears of contracting COVID-19? Do you miss going to cinema-halls, closed in several cities in India, over coronavirus scare, and seeing the new films? Tired of watching the same stuff on Netflix, Prime Video and other OTT platforms and want to sample something less-tested and discussed, but really delectable when it comes to cinema? Why not use this opportunity of 'Quarantine and Chill' to discover and watch some very underrated films that went under the box office-radar? You know, instead of the usual superstar flicks... Quarantine Binge: Star Wars, The Godfather, Indiana Jones - 7 Franchise Movie Marathons You Can Stream While You Sit Indoors Amid Coronavirus Outbreak.

In this special feature, we have curated a list of Bollywood films of this century that were ignored at the box office, or failed to generate any buzz, but had better content than many of its 'hit' competitors. We have also tried our best to look for where you can get to watch these films on various platforms.

Tumbbad

Sohum Shah in Tumbbad

Perhaps the most prolific of the lot here (because it's more recent), there aren't enough adjectives to describe the best fantasy-horror movie made in India this century. For a movie that is made on a low budget, Tumbbad is technically proficient than most of the Bollywood blockbusters, be it the production and art design, as well as the cinematography, editing and background score. There are some very amazing detailing, intense suspense and drama, and chilling horror. You can catch the film on Prime Video.

1971

Promotional Still of 1971 featuring Manoj Bajpayee, Ravi Kishen, Kumud Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal and Manav Kaul

Recently, Manoj Bajpayee brought this criminally underrated film back to conversation by revealing how he had nearly lost his life shot for the film. 1971, directed by Amrit Sagar, is about a bunch of Indian POWs in a Pakistan jail who hatch an elaborate escape plan and goes with it, only for the circumstances to fall against them. Gripping and intricately crafted, this movie is our answer to Hollywood's The Great Escape, only we were too blinded to gauge its value during its release. Apart from Bajpai, 1971 also stars Ravi Kishan, Deepak Dobriyal, Manav Kaul, Chittaranjan Giri and a lankier Kumud Mishra. While the movie is not available on OTT platforms, a copy of the film is available on YouTube. Manoj Bajpayee Reveals He Almost Lost His Life Twice While Filming for His National Award-Winning Film 1971 in Manali.

99

Promotional Still of 99 featuring Kunal Kemmu, Boman Irani, Soha Ali Khan, Cyrus Broacha, Vinod Khanna and Mahesh Manjrekar

In my humble opinion, Raj and DK's first foray into Bollywood, 99, continues to be their best work to date. The filmmakers, earlier known for their Hinglish indie flicks, uses the then controversial topic of match-fixing and betting scandals to make an engaging black comedy with top-notch performances from Kunal Kemmu and Boman Irani. 99 also stars Soha Ali Khan, Cyrus Broacha, Mahesh Manjrekar and the late Vinod Khanna. You can catch 99 on YouTube and Google Play on pay-and-view basis.

Bubble Gum

Poster of Bubble Gum

A sweet coming-of-age drama, Bubble Gum is set in the '80s and deals with a teenager, who is going through a rebellious phase in his life. He is in love with a fellow student, has to compete with his biggest enemy for her affections and now has to be a bodyguard for his deaf elder brother. The 2011 film is directed by Sanjivan Lal and stars Delzad Sanjay Hiwale, Tanvi Azmi, Sachin Khedekar, Sohail Lakhani and Apoorva Arora. You can catch Bubble Gum on YouTube and Google Play on pay-and-view basis.

Sehar

Arshad Warsi in Sehar

Arshad Warsi, who you should check on Asur, Voot Select's new show, is still trying to get hard out of the Circuit mode. A couple of such attempts like the Ishqiya series or Jolly LLB have gone in his favour, while the rest have either been bad or went under the radar. In the case of the latter category, add this gripping cop drama, Sehar. Directed by Kabeer Kaushik, this 2005 film has Arshad plays a cop based in UP who is assigned to tackle the organized crime there. Warsi is topnotch in the serious lead role, with fantastic supporting turns from Pankaj Kapur and Sushant Singh. Also, has one of the most riveting finales, set inside a train, seen in a Hindi thriller this side of 2000 AD. You can watch Sehar on Zee5.

Firaaq

Poster of Firaaq

Nandita Das' directorial debut is set during the aftermath of the horrible 2002 Gujarat Riots and deals with how it impacted the different strata of the society through the lives of several individuals. Firaaq test friendships, identity crisis, dehumanisation, gender politics, and ultimately, humanity, at a time when people couldn't trust each other. The movie features an ensemble cast in Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, Paresh Rawal, Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Raghubir Yadav, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. You can watch Firaaq on Prime Video and on YouTube and Google Play on pay-and-view basis.

Miss Lovely

Poster of Miss Lovely

After Firaaq, Nawazuddin Siddiqui returns to this list with this neo-noir take on sleazy-horror movies that once used to be rampantly made in Bollywood. Directed by Ashim Ahluwalia, Miss Lovely is about two brothers (played by Siddiqui and Anil George), who are involved in making these films, and what happens when one of them falls for a young woman, played by Niharika Singh. The films deals with sexuality, female exploitation and censorship in some very intense dramatic storytelling. You can watch Miss Lovely on YouTube and Google Play on pay-and-view basis.

Striker

Siddharth in Striker

In his second Bollywood appearance (after Rang De Basanti), Tamil actor Siddharth plays a carrom player from the slums of Malwani in this Chandan Arora film. Striker is about his various attempts to escape his present life, which get him entangled with the local don, played by Aditya Pancholi. Striker, also starring Anupam Kher, Padmapriya and Anup Soni, is an effective blend of genres, a coming-of-age drama set in a crime world that revolves around a game, with some fine performances. The movie also features a highly underrated score from Vishal Bhardwaj. While the movie is not available on OTT platforms, 'unofficial' copies of the film are available on YouTube and DailyMotion.

Chittagong

A Still from Chittagong

Everyone remembers (or hardly remembers) Ashutosh Gowariker's attempt to recreate the Chittagong uprising - an important chapter in India's freedom struggle - with Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se. But in the (misguided) starry projection of this film, another better attempt that pays ode to Surya Sen, Pritilata Waddedar, Nirmal Sen, and others who took on the British might. Directed by  Bedabrata Pain who also produced the film, Chittagong benefits a lot from its talented roster of cast, which includes the likes of Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vega Tamotia, Rajkummar Rao, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma. Its song, "Bolo Na", composed and sung by Shankar Mahadevan (who also won a National Award for it) is one of this writer's favourite tracks. You can watch Chittagong on YouTube and Google Play on pay-and-view basis.

Loins of Punjab Presents

A Still from Loins of Punjab Presents

A Hinglish comedy, Loins on Punjab Presents is set around a Indian Idol-inspired Hindi singing reality contest in New Jersey, and its crazy, assorted contestants. There is a vain socialite who wants to win the contest anyhow, a Gujarati teenager who is pressured to be a part of it by a family, a gay rapper with a huge ego, an American who can belt good Hindi songs, and two youngsters who are bad at singing but find a connection. Loins of Punjab Presents is directed by Manish Acharya (who also plays a character in the film), who tragically passed away shortly following an accident in Matheran. Apart from Acharya, the movie also stars Shabana Azmi, Ayesha Dharker, Ajay Naidu, Ishita Sharma, Darshan Jariwala, Jameel Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Samrat Chakrabarti and Seema Rahmani. You can watch Loins on Punjab Presents on YouTube and Google Play on pay-and-view basis.

Honorable Mention:

Paanch

Tejaswini Kolhapure and Kay Kay Menon in Paanch

Anurag Kashyap's directorial debut, Paanch, sadly, never made it to Indian theatres due to Censorship troubles, thus beginning the avant-garde filmmaker's love-hate relationship with the Board. So how are we recommending a film that never released in theatres? Because somehow a copy of Paanch made it to YouTube and torrent sites. The dark thriller, featuring a band involved in a crime, starred Kay Kay Menon, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Aditya Shrivastav, Vijay Maurya and Joy Fernandes, is contentiously debated if it remains Kashyap's best directed film. Kashyap later worked themes of this film into Bejoy Nambiar's Shaitan, which GOT a theatrical release and was a hit. While videos of Paanch have disappeared from YouTube (hence, it is here in the 'Honorable Mention' section), this writer does wish that Kashyap does release his maiden effort on Netflix or Prime Video someday.

We will curate more such lists for you, readers in the days ahead! Let's use this time to expand our love for cinema to some less-explored corners.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 17, 2020 01:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).