Where to watch Indian films

Almost every popular Indian film is showing somewhere, often for free. Here's how to find it.

Show timing board at the Alankar single-screen cinema in Pune

In the cinema

New releases go to multiplexes and single-screen cinemas first. In India, booking apps and the cinema chains' own websites show what is playing in which language. Big Indian films also open in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Nepal and in many countries with large Indian communities.

On streaming services

Most films reach a streaming service four to eight weeks after the cinema release. Services that carry many Indian films include Netflix, Prime Video, JioHotstar, ZEE5 and SonyLIV, plus language-focused services such as Sun NXT (South Indian), aha (Telugu and Tamil) and hoichoi (Bengali). Which film is on which service changes often and differs by country.

Tip: search the film's name together with "where to watch", or use a streaming search site such as JustWatch, and set it to your country. It lists every service that has the film, including rentals.

Free options

  • Official YouTube channels of studios and music labels upload many older films in full, including Hindi-dubbed South Indian films. The studio's own channel usually has the best picture and sound.
  • Ad-supported tiers of some streaming services show a selection of films free with adverts.
  • TV movie channels in Hindi and regional languages show several films a day.

Language and subtitles

On streaming services, films made in several languages usually have all the audio tracks in one listing: open the audio/subtitles menu in the player. Subtitles in English, and often Hindi, are standard.

Questions

A film isn't on any service in my country. What can I do?

Check rental and purchase stores (Apple TV, Google TV, Prime Video store), and the studio's own YouTube channel. Some films reach other countries later than India.

Which service has the most Indian films?

It depends on the language. Netflix, Prime Video and JioHotstar carry a broad mix; ZEE5 and SonyLIV are strong on Hindi; Sun NXT and aha on South Indian films; hoichoi on Bengali.