Indian actress Shweta Basu Prasad is most well known for playing twin girls, Chunni and Munni in her debut film, Makdee. A powerhouse performer who started young, Shweta Basu Prasad has been able to make her own way in Indian cinema. Although she has performed exceptionally well in various genres, there’s a distinct pulse pounding effect she injects into thrillers. We have curated a list of her best suspenseful and thrilling movies. It is time to brace yourself for a suspenseful roller coaster ride that includes mystery and action movies all starring the phenomenal Shweta Basu Prasad!
Let us dive into the Top 10 Suspense Thriller movies of Shweta Basu Prasad!
1. Makdee (2002)
- Genre: Horror/Thriller
- Run Time: 90 minutes
- Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
- Cast: Shabana Azmi, Makrand Deshpande, Shweta Basu Prasad
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Makdee is a 2002 suspense horror movie directed by Vishal Bhardwaj that tells the story of twin sisters, Chunni and Munni, who are brilliantly portrayed by Shweta Basu Prasad. When a supposed witch named Makdee (Shabana Azmi) turns Munni into a hen, Chunni strikes a deal with the witch that she will bring her 100 chickens to turn her sister back into a human. Shweta Basu Prasad shows her amazing talent through her character portrayal as both Chunni and Munni at such an early age. We see her demonstrate courage, intelligence, and determination in playing Chuni while portraying innocence and vulnerability in Munni, making viewers sympathetic towards the latter. This actress brings out each character’s emotional depth with an ease that is astonishing for someone so young.
2. The Tashkent Files (2019)
- Genre: Mystery/Thriller
- Run Time: 144 minutes
- Director: Vivek Agnihotri
- Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty, Shweta Basu Prasad, Pankaj Tripathi
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
The Tashkent Files is a 2019 political thriller movie directed by Vivek Agnihotri that revolves around the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, former Indian Prime Minister. This movie investigates various conspiracy theories about how Shastri died during his trip to Tashkent in 1966, thereby raising some thought-provoking concerns about his demise. Shweta Basu Prasad takes on the role of Raagini Phule, an investigative reporter determined to uncover the truth behind Shastri’s death. Prasad plays Ragini’s character excellently, depicting her as tenacious and unwavering in her commitment to fight for justice. She nails her role as Ragini, and her performance makes the audience glued to the screen.
Also read: Top 10 Bollywood Movies Portraying the Pain of Husbands
3. Darna Zaroori Hai (2006)
- Genre: Horror/Thriller
- Run Time: 108 minutes
- Director: Various
- Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Anil Kapoor, Shweta Basu Prasad, Sunil Shetty, Bipasha Basu
- IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
Directed by Ram Gopal Varma and Sajid Khan, among others, “Darna Zaroori Hai” is a 2006 horror anthology, telling a series of interlocking tales that are creepy. Every part tells its own terrifying story, captivating viewers with its suspenseful plot twists and frightening ambiance. When a group of five kids stumbles upon a deserted house, they meet an old woman who tells them six scary stories. The children decide that the one who listens to all the stories bravely will be the winner. Here, Shweta Basu Prasad plays the role of a little boy named Ashu, who listened to the stories till the end. This spooky horror, with its creepy and chilling stories, is a must-watch.
Also read: Top 10 Paranormal Movies on Netflix
4. Gunehgaar (2018)
- Genre: Thriller/Drama
- Run Time: 54 minutes
- Director: Akarsh Khurana
- Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Gajraj Rao, Sumeet Vyas
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Gunehgaar is a 2018 thriller drama teleplay directed by Akarsh Khurana. The story revolves around three individuals in a gripping drama that dives into mind games and revenge. Mr. Bansal (Gajraj Rao) invites a well-known journalist, Mrinalini (Shweta Basu Prasad), to his flat, promising secret breaking news. Things take a turn when Mrinalini’s partner, Om, also arrives there. Mr. Bansal’s unclear motives lead to confrontations over a long-forgotten incident.
5. Yatri Kripya Dhyan De (2022)
- Genre: Suspense/Mystery
- Run Time: 16 minutes
- Director: Abhinav Singh
- Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Shaheed Sheikh, Pankaj Avadhesh Shukhla
- IMDb Rating: 6/10
“Yatri Kripya Dhyan De” is a short 15-minute movie directed by Abhinav Singh, starring Shweta Basu Prasad and Shaheer Sheikh. It’s a thrilling and suspenseful short with a twist at the end. The story follows a young man named Sumit (Shaheer Sheikh), who meets a woman named Nandita (Shweta Basu Prasad) on his way. He gives her a lift, as her car has broken down. They talk and get to know each other, then she starts talking about a scary story. Shweta Basu Prasad takes on an absorbing and beguiling role, which gives the plot some mystery, making you wonder what she really wants or whether she’s trustworthy.
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6. Chubhan (2014)
- Genre: Suspense/Drama
- Run Time: 27 minutes
- Director: Sachin Arun Gokhale
- Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Manoj Kolhatkar, Aarti Wadagbalkar, Paresh Dekhmukh
- IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
Chubhan is a 27-minute drama short revolving around themes of stalking and harassment, directed by Sachin Arun Gokhale. Starring Shweta Basu Prasad and Manoj Kolhatkar, this suspense drama short follows a girl, Meghna, who is stalked and feels uneasy when she’s out. This short thriller dives into the societal theme of mental harassment faced by women through stalking. This short is available on YouTube!
Also read: Top 10 Romantic Hindi Movies to Watch Under 15 Minutes
7. Megalopolis (2018)
- Genre: Drama/Thriller
- Run Time: 55 minutes
- Director: Rohit Mittal
- Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Rohit Mittal, Naina Sareen Arjun Radhakrishanan
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
“Megalopolis” is a 2019 neo-noir film directed by Rohit Mittal. A young boy named Maaran goes to the city to find his parents’ killer, Kamal. There, he finds many odd people who help him find Kamal. He also finds out about a group of radicals who want to blow up the city. Their leader is also named Kamal. This is an excellent small-budget movie where Shweta plays a small part. This movie is recommended for its sound design, set, cinematography, and direction. You can watch this on Mubi!
8. Visa 2017
- Genre: Drama/Thriller
- Run Time : 15 minutes
- Director: Manish Rahatkar
- Cast: Ishaan Anuradha Khan, Sweta Basu Prasad
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Visa is a short drama thriller directed by Manish Rahatkar. Starring Shweta Basu Prasad and Ishaan Anuradha Khanna, this short film revolves around Salim and Tejasvi who would do anything to leave their country with their small daughter, Jasmin. Shweta Basu Prasad does a great job in playing a nervous mother living in a turmoil ridden region. This film reflects on people’s struggles with displacement from their country due to communal issues.
Also read: Top 10 Hollywood Movies that Portray Indians in Negative Light
9. India Lockdown (2022)
- Genre: Action/Drama
- Run Time: 112 minutes
- Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
- Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Prateik Babbar, Sai Tamhankar, Aahana Kumara
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, India Lockdown recounts the experiences of people when lockdown was issued due to COVID-19. Through its plot, it tells four stories of individuals whose lives suddenly came to a halt. In the movie, Shweta Basu Prasad remarkably plays Mehrunissa, who is a prostitute suffering from the devastating effects of the lockdown. She loses her livelihood suddenly and finds herself exposed and not certain about what her future holds. The movies deal with some challenges sex workers were going through at that time, thus showing their struggle for survival and lack of social support.
10. Flip, Episode 2 (2019)
- Genre: Anthology/Thriller
- Episodes: 45 minutes (Each episode)
- Director: Bejoy Nambiar
- Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Pallavi Batra, Shweta Gulati, Arjun Mathur
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
Directed by Bejoy Nambiar, “Flip” is a 2019 thriller web series containing four chilling stories. All the stories give a 180° turn to the events or occurrences than they seem in the beginning. It explores different tales with mind bending twists in each of its four episodes, which makes it look like Black Mirror. In Episode 2 of the series (“Happy Birthday”), we see Shweta Basu Prasad’s role as the aunt of the friend of the protagonist, Shiv, who is running from a family curse. This story is a great one with a twist in the end. Shweta’s role as a chill hippie aunt really makes this dark thriller even more entertaining!
We hope you liked this list of movies. Grab your popcorn and start binging on these movies if you’re a fan of the versatile Shweta Basu Prasad!
