15 Bollywood Movies That Had The Least Characters In Their Stories
Posted On: 25 Oct 2021 | Last Updated : 21 Mar 2024 | Views : 2.8k
In over a hundred years of Indian cinema, the Bollywood industry has gone through many changes. Earlier, filmmakers usually preferred to feature a cast of thousands that meant a movie with a huge crowd of extras. A big cast usually promises a big movie that includes a lot of famous actors, a dramatic plot, a bunch of action scenes, musical numbers and it will be done. This is good enough to get the attention of the audience. However, a change in the pattern of making movies was seen when filmmakers tried to experiment with fewer characters in the movies. When there are few actors on screen, they are expected to give their best performances to keep the audience interested till the end and the expectations from the script go high as well. As there is nothing else to rely on. Let’s check these top Bollywood movies with few characters.
1. Yaadein (1964)
The 1964 black and white film Yaadein was one of its kind. The movie was directed, produced, and starred Sunil Dutt, and the only other actor in the film was his real-life wife Nargis that too is a silhouette in the final scene. The film showcases the deep thoughts of a man who comes to find that his wife and son have left him, and is scared to live life alone. He regrets his past actions and decisions for his situation. In the two-hour duration film, the protagonist is seen talking to himself and his imaginary personalities. To give an artistic feel to the movie, Sunil Dutt has used background music, different voices, cartoon images, and photographs. With only a single actor, the film found its entry in the Guinness Book of World Records in the category of fewest actors in a narrative film.
2. Kaun? (1999)
Ram Gopal Verma’s psychological suspense Kaun? is a movie with clever twists and a remake of Yash Chopra’s 1969 classic Ittefaq. The film opens up with an announcement on the television about a serial killer at large. A young scared woman (Urmila Matondkar) talks to her parents on the telephone and while she watches the news of the killer, the doorbell rings. The stranger (Manoj Bajpayee) outside pleads to enter the house, claiming that he is the business partner of the owner of the house. There’s another man (Sushant Singh) in the house who identifies himself as Inspector Qureshi. Doubtful about the true identity of these two men, the woman is suspicious that one of these two men is a serial killer. The cast of three people in the movie doesn’t fail to keep up the tension till the end.
3. Ek Chhotisi Love Story (2002)
Teenage is the most confusing stage of any person’s life. You are confused about your changing body and emotions, where people often fail to make a wise choice due to a lack of experience and proper guidance. The coming-of-age movie, Ek Chhotisi Love Story, portrays such problems of a teenage boy Aditya (Aditya Seal), who is sexually attracted to a 26-year-old woman (Manisha Koirala). The attraction soon becomes an obsession and he spends most of his day spying on her. The woman soon discovers Aditya’s obsession, and she takes the help of her boyfriend (Ranvir Shorey) and decides to teach Aditya a lesson for a lifetime. The movie has a cast of less than five people, however, the strong performances of the main characters, keep you gripped till the end.
4. Saaya (2003)
Anurag Basu’s Saaya, a supernatural fantasy film, is a story of two married daughters Akash (John Abraham) and Maya (Tara Sharma). The two are really happy with the news of Maya’s pregnancy. Maya needs to go to the Burmese border to help the tribes when Malaria strikes there. However, things take a turn when Akash learns about Maya’s death caused by a bus crash. Akash is devastated by the news and cannot accept Maya’s death. Akash is often contacted by Maya’s spirit that makes him realize that there is something really important that Maya wants to tell him. Akash decides to go to the place of the accident to find out the truth. The movie has aesthetic vibes with a small cast, suspense, and a happy ending.
5. Murder (2004)
Murder, the erotic romantic thriller film, helped actress Mallika Sherawat to establish her career in Bollywood. A young woman, Simran (Mallika Sherawat), marries her deceased sister’s husband, Sudhir (Ashmit Patel), to give motherly love to their son. The marriage was loveless thus Simran leads a lonely life. One day, Simran accidentally meets her ex-lover Sunny (Emraan Hashmi) and she engages in an affair with him. However, trouble ensues when Sudhir finds out about this relationship and decides to end it. The movie reveals how misunderstandings and lack of affection can pull down any relationship. It is full of suspense and unexpected plot twists and adding more cast might have decreased the suspense in the movie and have made the plot twists obvious.
6. Raincoat (2004)
One of Rituparno Ghosh’s masterpieces, Raincoat, is undoubtedly the best film of its time. The movie is based on the Bengali short story Pratihingsha by Manoj Basu. The movie has a small cast but doesn’t fail to showcase the best performances of its leading actors. Manoj (Ajay Devgn) is in desperate need of money to secure funds for his sister’s wedding. He sets out to collect the money from his old friends. He also visits his ex-fiancée, Neerja (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), who left him to marry a rich man. The two meet after six long years and have no idea about each other’s life. They pretend to be leading successful lives, which is far from true. Their different temperaments and pretentious lies keep the conversation going, but it gives the hint that the two still love and care for each other.
7. Rab Ne Bana di Jodi (2008)
Aditya Chopra’s romantic drama Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi certainly falls on the list. Even though there are many people on the screen, this Bollywood movie has less actors in the lead and supporting roles. Surinder (Shah Rukh Khan), a simple kind-hearted man, is in love with a bubbly girl, Taani (Anushka Sharma). Taani’s dying father requests Surinder to marry his daughter. Taani, unaware of Surinder’s feelings for her, has no feelings for him, but she still wants to fulfill her dying father’s wish. After marriage, Surinder is afraid to profess his love but takes good care of Taani in hopes of making her fall in love with him. Surinder decides to take the help of his best friend Bobby (Vinay Pathak), to undergo a complete makeover and become Raj to get Taani’s attention. With a small cast, the movie doesn’t fail to charm the audience with its awe-inspiring love story.
8. Aamir (2008)
The critically acclaimed action thriller film, Aamir was inspired by the Post 9/11 era. Dr. Aamir Ali (Rajeev Khandelwal), an NRI doctor, returns to India to visit his family. However, his life takes a turn when he receives a call from an unknown caller. He learns that a terrorist group wants him to plant a bomb and his refusal would mean the death of his family members who are abducted by the terrorists. The storyline is simple but thought-provoking and offers a lot of excitement seeing Dr. Aamir Ali choose between his family and the lives of innocent people. The approach is strong, suggesting that, when given a chance, basic human decency can overpower the fear of death and make you do what’s right.
9. Ragini MMS (2011)
Ragini MMS is inspired by the 2007 American supernatural horror film Paranormal Activity. The movie was shot as a homemade movie. It is revealed that Uday (Rajkummar Rao) is involved in the hideous business of making sex tapes of innocent girls and he wants to do the same with Ragini (Kainaz Motivala), who thinks he loves her so she trusts him. Uday takes Ragini to an old abandoned house that is rumoured to be haunted. Uday is warned by Pia, Ragini’s friend, and her boyfriend Vishal, about the hauntings but he doesn’t believe them. Things take a turn when they experience a series of paranormal events. Ragini discovers that Uday wanted to record a sex tape, however, the main concern of the two is to stay alive.
10. Jism 2 (2012)
Jism 2, the erotic thriller film, marks the debut of former pornographic actress Sunny Leone in Bollywood. The movie revolves around an adult film star, Izna (Sunny Leone), who is hired by intelligence officer Aayan Thakur (Arunoday Singh) to spy on her ex-lover, Kabir Wilson (Randeep Hooda), to retrieve critical information from him as he is considered to be a dreaded assassin. Izna agrees to the mission and goes undercover in search of Kabir. Kabir still trusts Izna and informs her that Aayan and father are frauds and they are after some important information. Izna is in a dilemma about whether or not to trust Kabir. The Toss of several loose ends and sudden twists in the plot make this thriller film with a rather small cast much more interesting.
11. The Lunchbox (2013)
We’ve seen several movies where the protagonists develop unusual friendships because of unlikely situations. The Lunchbox is the story of one such friendship. Ila (Nimrat Kaur) seeks to gain the attention of her husband and looks for ways to bring back the romance in their marriage. She cooks delicious lunches for her husband at work and sends the lunchbox through a tiffin carrier service. Due to the mix-up, the lunchbox prepared by Ila is delivered to Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan), a widower. When Ila realizes the mistake, she sends a letter to Saajan informing the same. The exchange of messages back and forth with the lunches develops a friendship between the two. You utterly forget how few characters are in the movie because what you’re watching is so engrossing.
12. Waiting (2015)
If you’ve ever waited for a loved one in the corridors of a hospital, then this movie will surely resonate with you. Considering the serious topic, Waiting is rather a positive and happy movie, which is all about love and its complexities. An elderly professor, Shiv (Naseeruddin Shah) comes to visit his comatose wife and accidentally meets a young advertising agent, Tara (Kalki Koechlin), who arrives at the same hospital after receiving the news of her husband’s accident. While waiting for their comatose spouses, the two bond over similar situations and develop an unusual friendship. With a small cast, the movie doesn’t fail to overwhelm you.
13. Trapped (2016)
Rajkummar Rao, one of the most promising actors of Bollywood, is known for his versatile roles in out-of-the-box movies. His one such movies include the 2016 survival drama Trapped. Rajkummar Rao plays a role of a call center employee who wishes to elope with his girlfriend and makes plans to move to a flat that will accommodate him and his bride. However, he accidentally locks himself inside the apartment and his phone’s battery dies when he tries to call for help. The movie captures his struggles to escape and how he manages to survive without any food and water for a week. The movie has few dialogues but has a strong plot that only gets better as it progresses.
14. Pihu (2017)
Pihu, the 2017 thriller drama, features Myra Vishwakarma in the role of 2-year-old Pihu and Prerna Vishwakarma as the dead body of Pooja (Pihu’s mother). The director of the movie, Vinod Kapri, said that the idea behind the movie was to capture the behaviour of a toddler when left alone. Hard to believe, but the movie was based on a real-life incident dated in 2014 when a four-year-old girl was left alone at home. The movie keeps you on the edge of the seat when you see the 2-year-old surrounded by all possible things that could kill her and every time misses the death by inches.
15. Chhipkali (2023)
Chhipkali is a mystery thriller that revolves around only three characters including a novelist (played by Yashpal Sharma) who stays with his wife and is known for writing novels based on his understanding of the world he lives in. In comes a young man who has an interesting interrogative session making the novelist a suspect in a murder case.
