2024 has been packed with powerful films and series based on real lives and events, from spiritual and political struggles in India to music legends, fashion icons, and fearless whistleblowers. This guide for Cinema Awards Archive spotlights some of the most inspiring true‑story releases you can add to your watchlist and awards tracking.
695 is an Indian Hindi‑language adventure film
based on the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple and portrays the struggle of the Ram
Janmabhoomi Movement.
The Ram Mandir (lit. “Rama Temple”) is a partially
constructed Hindu temple complex in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Many Hindus
believe that it is located at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, the mythical
birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism. The temple was inaugurated
on 22 January 2024 after a prana pratishtha (consecration) ceremony.
On the first day of its opening, following the consecration,
the temple received a rush of over half a million visitors, and after a month,
the average number of visitors was reported to be “1 to 1.5 lakh (100,000 to
150,000) on a daily basis”.
The site of the temple has been the subject of communal
tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India, as it is the former location of
the Babri Masjid mosque, which was built between 1528 and 1529. The idols of
Rama and Sita were placed in the mosque in 1949, before it was attacked and
demolished in 1992.
In 2019, the Supreme Court of India delivered the verdict to give the disputed land to Hindus for construction of a temple, while Muslims were given land nearby in Dhannipur in Ayodhya to construct a mosque. The court referenced a report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as evidence suggesting the presence of a structure beneath the demolished Babri Masjid, that was found to be non‑Islamic.
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2. Amar Singh Chamkila (2024)
Amar Singh Chamkila is an Indian Hindi‑language
biographical drama film based on the life of musician Amar Singh Chamkila and
was released on Netflix on 12 April 2024.
Amar Singh Chamkila (21 July 1960 – 8 March 1988) was born
as Dhani Ram into a Dalit Sikh family in the village of Dugri near Ludhiana,
Punjab, India. He was an Indian singer and musician of Punjabi music.
Chamkila's vivid language, high‑pitched vocals, and novel
compositions accompanied by tumbi made him popular. His music was influenced by
the Punjabi village life in which he grew up. Chamkila was an influential
Punjabi artist and live stage performer, often called the “Elvis of Punjab”.
On 8 March 1988 at approximately 2 PM, having arrived to
perform in Mehsampur, Punjab, both Chamkila and his wife Amarjot were gunned
down as they exited their vehicle. A gang of motorcyclists fired several
rounds, fatally wounding the couple and other members of the entourage.
However, no arrests were ever made in connection with the shooting, and the
case was never solved. It has been alleged that Sikh militants were
responsible.
This theory was refuted by Chamkila's close friend and
lyricist Swarn Sivia, who investigated the murder independently. Sivia revealed
that three Khalistani militant organisations targeted Chamkila due to his
controversial songs. Acting as a mediator, Sivia facilitated a meeting between
Chamkila and a delegation of five Khalistani leaders at Darbar Sahib Amritsar
where Chamkila apologised and vowed to change the themes of his songs.
Following that, Chamkila performed some timeless songs on Sikh history. Sivia
remained skeptical that Khalistan militants were responsible for his murder,
saying, “Throughout my life, I have continued to investigate who was behind his
killing.”
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3. Arthur the King (2024)
Arthur the King is an adventure film where the
captain of an adventure racing team befriends a wounded stray dog named Arthur,
who accompanies the team on a grueling 435‑mile (700‑km) endurance race through
the Dominican Republic.
Arthur (2007(?) – 8 December 2020) was an Ecuadorian dog who
attached himself to a Swedish adventure racing team when they were competing in
the Adventure Racing World Championship in 2014, and was then brought to
Sweden.
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4. Baby Reindeer (2024)
Baby Reindeer is a British thriller drama
miniseries following the writer and performer Richard Gadd's warped
relationship with his female stalker and the impact it has on him as he is
ultimately forced to face a deep, dark buried trauma.
Richard Craig Steven Gadd (born 1989/1990) is a Scottish
writer, actor and comedian. He was born in the village of Wormit, Scotland.
Gadd's early Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows Cheese & Crack Whores (2013), Breaking
Gadd (2014) and Waiting for Gaddot (2015) all debuted
at the festival and went on to have runs at London's Soho Theatre. Waiting
for Gaddot won an Amused Moose Comedy Award in 2015.
Gadd's 2016 Fringe show Monkey See Monkey Do won
the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Comedy Show and was also nominated for a
Total Theatre Award for Innovation. Gadd's next show, Baby Reindeer,
about his experiences with being stalked, premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh
Festival Fringe. It won two awards: the Scotsman Fringe First Award for New
Writing and a Stage Award for Acting Excellence. The show then went on to a
five‑week run at The Bush Theatre in London where it won an Off West End
Theatre Award for Best Video Design, as well as receiving a nomination in the
Best Performer category.
As a screenwriter, Gadd worked for Netflix's Sex
Education, and has written episodes of Ultimate Worrier for
Dave and The Last Leg for Channel 4, where he was also a
correspondent. He's also had several projects aired on BBC Radio 4 and BBC
Radio Scotland.
Gadd identifies as bisexual. He is an ambassador for We Are
Survivors, a UK charity dedicated to helping male survivors of sexual abuse.
Gadd himself is a survivor of sexual abuse by a manipulative older man he met
earlier in his career. Gadd asserts that, from 2015 to 2017, he was stalked and
sexually assaulted by an older woman. These events were dramatized in his 2019
Edinburgh show and the Netflix series Baby Reindeer. The accused
woman adamantly denies these accusations.
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5. Back to Black (2024)
Back to Black is a British biographical musical
drama film based on the life of British singer‑songwriter Amy Winehouse.
Following the death of Winehouse in July 2011, several filmmakers attempted to
create biopic projects but none of them progressed. In 2018, Winehouse's estate
announced they had signed a deal for a film about her life and career. By July
2022, StudioCanal moved forward with production, and filming took place in
London from January to April 2023.
The film was released theatrically by StudioCanal in
Australia on 11 April 2024, and was released in the United Kingdom on 12 April
2024. Focus Features released the film in the United States on 17 May 2024. It
received mixed reviews from critics. As of 19 May 2024, Back to Black has
grossed $2.9 million in the United States and Canada and $36.6 million in other
territories, for a worldwide total of $39.4 million. Back to Black debuted
at number one in the UK and Ireland with £2.77 million ($3.4 million), ahead
of Civil War.
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an
English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto
vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and
blues, reggae and jazz.
A member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra during her
youth, Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management in 2002 and soon
recorded a number of songs before signing a publishing deal with EMI. She also
formed a working relationship with producer Salaam Remi through these record
publishers. Winehouse's debut album, Frank, was released in 2003.
Many of the album's songs were influenced by jazz and, apart from two covers,
were co‑written by Winehouse. Frank was a critical success in
the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The song “Stronger Than Me” won
her the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song.
Winehouse released her follow‑up album, Back to
Black, in 2006, which went on to become an international success and one of
the best‑selling albums in UK history. At the 2007 Brit Awards, it was
nominated for British Album of the Year and Winehouse received the award for
British Female Solo Artist. The song “Rehab” won her a second Ivor Novello
Award. At the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, she won five awards, including Best
New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year (for “Rehab”), and Best Pop
Vocal Album.
Winehouse struggled with substance abuse, mental illness and
addiction. She died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011, at the age of 27.
After her death, Back to Black briefly became the UK's best‑selling
album of the 21st century. VH1 ranked Winehouse 26th on their list of the 100
Greatest Women in Music. Her life and career was dramatised in the 2024
biopic Back to Black, directed by Sam Taylor‑Johnson.
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6. Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
Bob Marley: One Love is a biographical musical
drama film based on the life of Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter Bob
Marley, from his rise to fame up until his death in the early 1980s. This film
premiered at the Carib 5 in Kingston, Jamaica on January 23, 2024, and was released
in the United States by Paramount Pictures on February 14, 2024. It received
mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $177 million worldwide, making it
the tenth‑highest‑grossing film of 2024.
Robert Nesta Marley OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a
Jamaican reggae singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Considered one of the
pioneers of the genre, Marley fused elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady in
his music and was renowned for his distinctive vocal and songwriting style.
Marley's contribution to music increased the visibility of
Jamaican music worldwide and made him a global figure in popular culture. Over
the course of his career, Marley became known as a Rastafarian icon, and he
infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is also considered a global
symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity, and was controversial in his
outspoken support for democratic social reforms. He also supported legalisation
of cannabis, and advocated for Pan‑Africanism.
In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt in his
home, which was believed to be politically motivated.
Born in Nine Mile, Jamaica, Marley began his professional
musical career in 1963, after forming the group Teenagers with Peter Tosh and
Bunny Wailer, which, after several name changes, would become the Wailers.
The greatest hits album Legend was released
in 1984, and became the best‑selling reggae album of all time. Marley also
ranks as one of the best‑selling music artists of all time, with estimated
sales of more than 75 million records worldwide. He was posthumously honoured
by Jamaica with the Order of Merit.
In 1994, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest
Artists of All Time and No. 98 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All
Time. His other achievements include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Black Music &
Entertainment Walk of Fame.
After months of alternative treatment failing to stop his
advancing cancer, Marley travelled back towards Jamaica but his health worsened
en route. After landing in Miami, Florida, he was taken to Cedars of Lebanon
Hospital (later University of Miami Hospital), where he died on 11 May 1981,
aged 36, due to the spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain. His final words
to his son Ziggy were: “On your way up, take me up. On your way down, don't let
me down.”
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7. Cabrini (2024)
Cabrini is a biographical drama film depicting
the life of Catholic missionary Francesca Cabrini as she encounters resistance
to her charity and business efforts in New York City. Cabrini explores
the sexism and anti‑Italian bigotry faced by Cabrini and others in New York
City in the late 19th century. Cabrini was released in the United States on
March 8, 2024, by Angel Studios. The film received positive reviews and grossed
$20 million worldwide.
Frances Xavier Cabrini MSC (July 15, 1850 – December 22,
1917), also known as Mother Cabrini, was an Italian‑American Catholic religious
sister. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a
religious institute that was a major support to her fellow Italian immigrants
to the United States. Cabrini was the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a
saint by the Catholic Church, on July 7, 1946.
In September 1887, Cabrini went to seek the pope's approval
to establish missions in China. Instead, he urged that she go to the United
States to help the Italian immigrants who were flooding to that nation, mostly
in great poverty. “Not to the East, but to the West” was his advice.
Cabrini left for the United States, arriving in New York
City on March 31, 1889, along with six other sisters. Cabrini organized
catechism and education classes for the Italian immigrants and provided for
many orphans' needs. She established schools and orphanages despite tremendous
odds. She was as resourceful as she was prayerful, finding people who would
donate what she needed in money, time, labor, and support.
She founded 67 missionary institutions to serve the sick and
poor, long before government agencies provided extensive social services – in
New York; Chicago and Des Plaines, Illinois; Seattle; New Orleans; Denver and
Golden, Colorado; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; and in countries throughout Latin
America and Europe. In 1926, nine years after her death, the Missionary Sisters
achieved Cabrini's original goal of becoming missionaries to China.
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8. Cristóbal Balenciaga (2024)
Cristóbal Balenciaga is a Spanish biographical
miniseries about Spanish fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga. The series
premiered on Disney+ on 19 January 2024.
Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre (21 January 1895 – 23 March
1972) was a Spanish fashion designer, and the founder of the Balenciaga
clothing brand. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards
and was referred to as “the master of us all” by Christian Dior and as “the
only couturier in the truest sense of the word” by Coco Chanel, who continued,
“The others are simply fashion designers”. On the day of his death in
1972, Women's Wear Daily ran the headline “The King is Dead”.
Since 2011 the purpose‑built Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum has
exhibited examples of his work in his birth town Getaria. Many of the 1,200
pieces in the collection were supplied by his pupil Hubert de Givenchy and
clients such as Grace Kelly.
Balenciaga was gay, although he kept his sexuality private
throughout his life. The love of his life and his long‑time partner was Franco‑Polish
millionaire Władzio Jaworowski d’Attainville, who had helped set him up and
fund him. When d'Attainville died in 1948, Balenciaga was so broken he
considered closing the business. His next collection after d'Attainville's
death was designed entirely in black to mourn his loss.
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9. The Devil's Bath (2024)
The Devil's Bath (German: Des Teufels
Bad) is a 2024 German‑Austrian historical horror film based on historical
records and a real, unknown story of European (women's) history. The film is a
deep portrait of a person who is hopeful, desperate, seeking and finally runs
away from her inner prison. An international co‑production between Austria and
Germany, the film tells the story of Agnes, a young married woman, who does not
feel at home in her husband's world.
The Devil's Bath premiered on 20 February 2024
at Berlinale Palast and was selected in the Competition section at the 74th
Berlin International Film Festival where it competed for the Golden Bear. The
film was released in Austria on 8 March 2024 and received positive reviews from
critics.
10. Disco, Ibiza, Locomía (2024)
Disco, Ibiza, Locomía is a 2024 Spanish‑Mexican
biographical musical drama film based on the musical ensemble Locomía. The film
was presented at the 27th Málaga Film Festival on 8 March 2024. Distributed by
DeAPlaneta, it was released theatrically in Spain on 17 May 2024. In 1980s
Spain, a group of friends interested in fashion and new to Ibiza develop a
musical career upon coming across music producer José Luis Gil.
Locomía (also known as Loco Mía) was a Spanish pop group
popular in the 1980s. They combined elements of tropical with British music of
the new wave and New Romantics. Their first hit was the eponymous song
“Locomia”.
The original members were Xavier Font, Manuel Arjona, Gard
Passchier, and Luis Font. In 1982, the latter two were replaced by Juan Antonio
Fuentes (later replaced by Santos Blanco) and Carlos Armas, and later Francesc
Picas replaced Xavier Font. They often appeared in extravagant outfits that
combined Spanish matador pants with frilly jackets done in eighteenth‑century
style. Fan‑twirling was an important part of both their stage performance and
their music videos. Both their outfits and their fan‑twirling became trademarks
of the group and contributed to their popularity.
On June 15, 2018, their singer Santos Blanco died at the age
of 46, from natural causes. On July 16, 2018, another ex‑member, Frank Romero,
died at the age of 46, in Huelva (Spain) from bacterial infection. On November
18, 2023, another ex‑member, Francesc Picas, died at the age of 53.
11. Franklin (2024)
Franklin is a biographical historical drama
miniseries about the United States Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, based on
Stacy Schiff's 2005 book A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and
the Birth of America. It was released on Apple TV+ on April 12, 2024. The
series depicts the eight years Benjamin Franklin spent in France to convince
King Louis XVI to support the burgeoning United States in the American
Revolutionary War.
Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE (January 17, 1706 – April
17, 1790) was an American polymath, a leading writer, scientist, inventor,
statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Among the
most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding
Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of
Independence; and the first postmaster general.
Franklin became a successful newspaper editor and printer in
Philadelphia, publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette at age 23,
and later Poor Richard's Almanack, which he wrote under the
pseudonym “Richard Saunders”. He was associated with the Pennsylvania
Chronicle, known for its revolutionary sentiments and criticisms of British
policies.
From 1785 to 1788, he served as President of Pennsylvania.
At some points in his life, he owned slaves and ran “for sale” ads in his
newspaper, but by the late 1750s he began arguing against slavery, became an
active abolitionist, and promoted the education and integration of African
Americans into U.S. society.
He founded many civic organizations, including the Library
Company, Philadelphia's first fire department, and the University of
Pennsylvania. Franklin earned the title of “The First American” for his
campaigning for colonial unity. His life and legacy have been honored for more
than two centuries, including appearing on the $100 bill and in numerous
cultural references.
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12. From Hilde, with Love (2024)
From Hilde, with Love (German: In Liebe,
Eure Hilde) is a 2024 German biographical drama film about Hilde Coppi, who
along with her husband Hans Coppi belonged to Red Orchestra, a German
resistance group to Nazism. The film was selected in the Competition at the
74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear
with its first screening on 17 February at Berlinale Palast.
Betti Gertrud Käthe Hilda Coppi (née Rake; 30 May 1909 – 5
August 1943), known as Hilde Coppi, was a German communist and resistance
fighter against the Nazi regime. She was a member of the anti‑fascist
resistance group that was later called the Red Orchestra by the Abwehr.
Together, Hilde and Hans Coppi hid persecution victims of
the Nazi régime. During the war, Hilde Coppi listened to “Voice of Russia”
(Radio Moscow) and shared the information broadcast over the radio with the Red
Orchestra and other resistance groups. She also relayed greetings and any other
signs of continued life heard on Radio Moscow from German prisoners of war to
their kin.
Coppi and her husband were both arrested on 12 September
1942, along with Hans' parents and brother, and Hilde's mother. Hilde was
pregnant by this time, later giving birth to the couple's son at the
Barnimstrasse women's prison on 27 November. On 22 December 1942, her husband
was put to death, and Hilde, too, was sentenced to death on 20 January. A
petition for clemency was made in her case in July, but Hitler refused to grant
it. The execution was delayed until August, so that she could nurse her child,
Hans. On 5 August 1943, Hilde Coppi was beheaded at Plötzensee Prison in
Berlin.
After the end of the war, her son was raised by her
husband's parents, Freda and Robert Coppi.
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13. The Goat Life (2024)
The Goat Life (Aadujeevitham) is a 2024
Indian Malayalam‑language survival drama film based on the real‑life story of
Najeeb, a Malayali immigrant laborer, one among thousands of Indians who were
forced into slavery in Saudi Arabia as goatherds on secluded farms in the
deserts by the native Arabs.
Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life is written,
directed, and co‑produced by Blessy and is an international co‑production
involving companies in India and the United States. It adapts the 2008 best‑selling
Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham by Benyamin.
The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Jimmy Jean‑Louis and K.
R. Gokul, with Talib Al Balushi, Rik Aby, Amala Paul and Shobha Mohan in
supporting roles. The film and novel are banned in Khaleeji nations other than
UAE.
Blessy had wanted to adapt Aadujeevitham ever
since he read the novel in 2008 and cast Prithviraj as the lead. He bought the
rights in 2009 but budget constraints delayed production for years. The project
gained momentum in 2015 when producers came on board. A. R. Rahman composed the
original score and songs.
Principal photography took place between March 2018 and July
2022 across deserts in Wadi Rum (Jordan), the Algerian Sahara, and Kerala. The
crew was stranded in Jordan for 70 days during COVID‑19 lockdowns and later
repatriated via the Vande Bharat Mission. Filming concluded on 14 July 2022.
The film was released worldwide on 28 March 2024 and grossed
over ₹158 crore (US$20 million). The Goat Life is the 3rd
highest‑grossing Malayalam film of all time and one of the highest‑grossing
Indian films of 2024.
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14. The Good Teacher (2024)
The Good Teacher (French: Pas de Vagues)
is a 2024 French drama film about a high school teacher who is wrongfully
accused of sexual harassment by one of his students, a teenage girl, and must
fight to prove his innocence, inspired by a true story that happened to Teddy
Lussi‑Modeste in 2020. It was released theatrically in France by Ad Vitam on 27
March 2024, and in Belgium by Cinéart on 3 April 2024.
The screenplay was co‑written by Teddy Lussi‑Modeste and
Audrey Diwan, inspired by Lussi‑Modeste's own experience when he was a French
teacher at a school in Aubervilliers and was wrongfully accused of harassing a
13‑year‑old female student. “All the teachers then went on strike, there were
death threats, complaints to the police station...” explained producer Jean‑Christophe
Reymond.
The film is part of the movement for teachers' freedom of
speech in the face of the feeling of abandonment by their hierarchy.
Teddy Lussi‑Modeste (born 25 March 1978) is a French Romani
film director, screenwriter and literature teacher. He wrote and directed Jimmy
Rivière (2011), The Price of Success (2017),
and The Good Teacher (2024), and has co‑written other notable
French films.
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15. Griselda (2024)
Griselda is a biographical crime miniseries
about Griselda Blanco, the notorious Colombian drug lord. The miniseries
premiered on Netflix on January 25, 2024, and consists of six hour‑long
episodes.
The miniseries received generally positive reviews from
critics, with praise going towards Sofia Vergara's performance. In the first
week after its release, it debuted at number one in 90 countries and topped
Netflix's Global Weekly Top 10 TV (English).
Griselda Blanco Restrepo (February 15, 1943 – September 3,
2012) was a Colombian drug lord who was prominent in the cocaine‑based drug
trade and underworld of Miami from the 1970s through the early 2000s and has
been claimed by some to have been part of the Medellín Cartel.
On September 3, 2012, Blanco and her pregnant daughter‑in‑law
went to the Cardiso butcher shop on the corner of 29th Street in Medellín. As
she exited, an assassin on a motorcycle shot her twice in the head, killing
her. The act mimicked the assassination style that Blanco practised during the
Miami drug war.
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- Prefer
recent titles? Pair these 2024 releases with my 2025 ‘28
Incredible True Story Movies’ breakdown, where I highlight which films
stay closest to the real events:
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/28-incredible-true-story-movies-2025.html
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16. Kasoombo (2024)
Kasoombo is an Indian Gujarati‑language
historical drama film about Alauddin Khilji's invasion of Gujarat. The film is
adapted from Vimalkumar Dhami's novel Amar Balidan. It is produced
at the cost of approximately ₹15 crore (US$1.9 million). A set spread over an
area of 16 acres (6.5 ha) was created for the shooting.
Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316), born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler
from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian
subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative
changes in India, related to revenues, price controls, and society. He also
successfully fended off several Mongol invasions of India.
Alauddin was a nephew and a son‑in‑law of his predecessor
Jalaluddin. When Jalaluddin became the Sultan of Delhi after deposing the
Mamluks, Alauddin was given the position of Amir‑i‑Tuzuk (equivalent to master
of ceremonies). After suppressing a revolt against Jalaluddin, Alauddin
obtained the governorship of Kara in 1291, and the governorship of Awadh in
1296, after a profitable raid on Bhilsa. In 1296, Alauddin raided Devagiri, and
acquired loot to stage a successful revolt against Jalaluddin. After killing
Jalaluddin, he consolidated his power in Delhi, and subjugated Jalaluddin's
sons in Multan.
Over the next few years, Alauddin successfully fended off
the Mongol invasions from the Chagatai Khanate at Jaran‑Manjur (1297–1298),
Sivistan (1298), Kili (1299), Delhi (1303), and Amroha (1305). In 1306, his
forces achieved a decisive victory against the Mongols near the Ravi riverbank,
and later ransacked the Mongol territories in present‑day Afghanistan. The
military commanders that successfully led his army against the Mongols include
Zafar Khan, Ulugh Khan, and his slave‑general Malik Kafur.
Alauddin conquered the kingdoms of Gujarat (raided in 1299
and annexed in 1304). His slave‑general Malik Kafur led multiple campaigns to
the south of the Vindhyas, obtaining wealth from Devagiri (1308), Warangal
(1310) and Dwarasamudra (1311). These victories forced the Yadava king
Ramachandra, the Kakatiya king Prataparudra, and the Hoysala king Ballala III
to become Alauddin's tributaries. Kafur also raided the Pandya kingdom (1311),
obtaining treasure, elephants, and horses.
During the last years of his life, Alauddin had an illness
and relied on Malik Kafur to handle the administration. After his death in
1316, Malik Kafur appointed Shihabuddin, son of Alauddin and his Hindu wife
Jhatyapali, as a puppet monarch. His elder son Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah seized
power shortly after his death.
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17. Maidaan (2024)
Maidaan is an Indian Hindi‑language biographical
sports drama film telling the story of Syed Abdul Rahim, a pioneering football
coach in India between 1952 and 1962. The film's preview shows were released on
10 April 2024. Theatrically the film was released worldwide on 11 April 2024,
coinciding with Eid. Despite a positive critical reception, the film bombed at
the box office, grossing ₹67 crore worldwide.
Syed Abdul Rahim (17 August 1909 – 11 June 1963), popularly
known as Rahim Saab, was an Indian football coach and manager of the India
national team from 1950 until his death in 1963, and a former player. He is
regarded as the architect of modern Indian football. A teacher by profession,
he was a strong motivator and his tenure as a coach is regarded as the “golden
age” of football in India.
Under his stewardship, the India national team earned
superiority in both technical qualities and tactical innovations, and got the
nickname “Brazil of Asia”. They went on to win gold medals in the Asian Games
of 1951 (Delhi) and 1962 (Jakarta), play the semi‑finals of the 1956 Melbourne
Summer Olympics—making India the first ever Asian country to achieve this
place—win the titles of the Colombo Cup for the years 1952 (Colombo) and 1954
(Calcutta), and come runners‑up in the 1959 Pestabola Merdeka (Kuala Lumpur).
Rahim died from cancer on 12 June 1963 after being bed‑ridden for six months.
In memory of Rahim, the I‑League “Best Coach Award” is
renamed as the “Syed Abdul Rahim Award”, given to the best coach in each season
by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
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18. Main Atal Hoon (2024)
Main Atal Hoon is an Indian Hindi‑language
biographical drama film following the life and political career of India's
leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It highlights Vajpayee's role in leading India
during challenging times, including the Kargil War with Pakistan and the
Pokhran nuclear tests. It also explores the man behind the politician,
revealing his personal struggles and relationships with family and friends, as
well as his love for poetry and literature.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was
an Indian politician and poet who served three terms as the 10th Prime Minister
of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months
from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004. He was the first
non‑Indian National Congress prime minister to serve a full term in office.
Vajpayee was one of the co‑founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata
Party. He was a member of the RSS, a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation,
and also a Hindi poet and writer.
He was a member of the Indian Parliament for over five
decades, elected ten times to the Lok Sabha and twice to the Rajya Sabha. He
served as the Member of Parliament from the Lucknow constituency, retiring from
active politics in 2009 due to health concerns. He was among the founding
members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, of which he was president from 1968 to
1972. The BJS later merged into the Janata Party, which won the 1977 general
election. In March 1977, Vajpayee became the Minister of External Affairs in
Prime Minister Morarji Desai’s cabinet. After the Janata alliance collapsed,
former BJS members formed the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980, with Vajpayee as
its first president.
During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the
Pokhran‑II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic
relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War, he sought to restore
relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to
India for a summit at Agra. Vajpayee's government introduced many domestic
economic and infrastructural reforms, encouraged the private sector and foreign
investments, and pursued privatisation.
His tenure also saw serious challenges, including the 2001
Indian Parliament attack and the 2002 Gujarat riots, which contributed to his
defeat in the 2004 general election. In 2014, the administration of Narendra
Modi declared Vajpayee's birthday, 25 December, as Good Governance Day. In
2015, he was conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. He
died in 2018 of age‑related illness.
His life has been the subject of documentary films such
as Pride of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998) and Know
Your Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee (2003), and later dramatic
biopics based on The Untold Vajpayee.
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19. Masters of the Air (2024)
Masters of the Air is a war drama miniseries
following the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a B‑17 Flying Fortress unit in
the Eighth Air Force during World War II. The unit was nicknamed the “Bloody
Hundredth” due to the heavy losses it suffered in combat missions. The series
serves as a companion to Band of Brothers (2001) and The
Pacific (2010).
It is the first series to be produced by Apple Studios in
cooperation with Playtone and Amblin Television and stars Austin Butler, Callum
Turner and Anthony Boyle as part of an ensemble cast. Masters of the
Air recounts the story of the 100th Bomb Group during World War II and
follows bomber crews on dangerous missions to destroy targets inside German‑occupied
Europe, portraying the intensity of war, the dangers the airmen face, and the
friendships that develop.
The 100th Air Refueling Wing (100th ARW), nicknamed the
Bloody Hundredth, is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air
Force. During World War II, its predecessor, the 100th Bombardment Group
(Heavy), flew over 300 combat missions in B‑17s from RAF Thorpe Abbotts,
earning two Distinguished Unit Citations while losing 177 aircraft missing in
action.
The Boeing B‑17 Flying Fortress is an American four‑engined
heavy bomber developed in the 1930s. A fast and high‑flying bomber of its era,
the B‑17 was used primarily in the European Theater and dropped more bombs than
any other aircraft during World War II. It was also used as a transport,
antisubmarine aircraft, drone controller, and search‑and‑rescue platform.
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2023's Greatest True Story Movies You Missed
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20. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a
British‑American spy action comedy film. Based on the 2014 book Churchill's
Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of
WWII by Damien Lewis, the film portrays a heavily fictionalised
version of Operation Postmaster.
Operation Postmaster was a British special operation
conducted on the Spanish island of Fernando Po (now Bioko) off West Africa in
the Gulf of Guinea during the Second World War. The mission was carried out by
the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF) and the Special Operations Executive (SOE)
in January 1942. Their objective was to board Italian and German ships in the
harbour and sail them to Lagos.
The SSRF under Major Gus March‑Phillipps sailed the
trawler Maid of Honour to the Spanish colony. Local British
authorities opposed the raid as a breach of Spanish neutrality, but permission
eventually came from London. On 14 January 1942, while the ships' officers
attended a party arranged by an SOE agent, commandos entered the port aboard
two tugs, overpowered the crews and sailed off with the ships, including the
Italian merchant vessel Duchessa d'Aosta.
The raid boosted SOE's reputation and demonstrated its
ability to plan and conduct secret operations despite political risks. The 2024
film presents a stylised and action‑heavy version of this mission.
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21. Mr Bates vs The Post Office (2024)
Mr Bates vs The Post Office is a British
biographical drama miniseries for ITV. The series dramatises the British Post
Office scandal, a miscarriage of justice in which hundreds of subpostmasters
were wrongly prosecuted for theft, false accounting or fraud due to a faulty
computer system called Horizon. It was broadcast on four consecutive days from
1 January 2024.
The scandal involved Post Office Limited pursuing thousands
of innocent subpostmasters for shortfalls in their accounts, which had actually
been caused by faults in Horizon, software developed by Fujitsu. Between 1999
and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were convicted, with about 700
prosecutions carried out by the Post Office itself. Others were prosecuted but
not convicted, forced to cover shortfalls with their own money, or had their
contracts terminated, leading to debt, bankruptcy, family breakdown and at
least four suicides.
In 2009, Computer Weekly broke the story
and subpostmaster Alan Bates launched the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance
(JFSA). The Post Office commissioned forensic accountants Second Sight and
briefly set up a mediation scheme before terminating it. In 2017, 555 subpostmasters
led by Bates brought a group action in the High Court. In 2019, the judge ruled
the contracts unfair and Horizon “contained bugs, errors and defects”, leading
to a £58 million settlement and paving the way for convictions to be
challenged.
An independent inquiry was set up in 2020 and upgraded to a
statutory public inquiry the following year. By February 2024, 100 convictions
had been overturned and thousands of subpostmasters were eligible for
compensation, with total costs expected to exceed £1 billion. Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak described it as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in
British history. The ITV drama turned the scandal into a major political issue
and helped push through the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to
provide blanket exoneration.
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22. The Night They Came Home (2024)
The Night They Came Home is an American Western
thriller about a US Marshall who partners with Native Americans to hunt down
the Rufus Buck Gang in the Indian Territory, inspired by true events.
The Rufus Buck Gang was an outlaw Native American gang whose
members were Creek Indian and African American. Their crime spree took place in
the Indian Territory of the Arkansas‑Oklahoma area from July 30, 1895, through
August 4, 1895.
Formed by Rufus Buck, the gang also included Lewis Davis,
Sam Sampson, Maoma July, and Lucky Davis. After killing U.S. deputy marshal
John Garrett on July 30, 1895, the gang robbed stores and ranches near Fort
Smith, committed murders, and carried out brutal assaults. Several women who
were raped by the gang died of their injuries.
Continuing attacks on settlers and Creek people led to their
capture outside Muskogee by a combined force of lawmen and Creek Light Horse
police on 10 August 1895. Tried before Judge Isaac Parker, they were hanged on
July 1, 1896, at Fort Smith. The gang’s story has inspired several Westerns,
including Hell on the Border (2019) and The Harder
They Fall (2021).
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23. Ordinary Angels (2024)
Ordinary Angels is a biographical drama film
based on true events that transpired during the 1994 North American cold wave.
The film tells the true story of Louisville residents teaming up to shovel a
path for Ed Schmitt so that he could drive his ill daughter, Michelle, to the
hospital for a liver transplant.
The 1994 North American cold wave occurred over the
midwestern and eastern United States and southern Canada in January 1994. The
cold wave caused over 100 deaths in the United States. Two notable cold air
events took place from January 18–19 and January 21–22, and 67 minimum
temperature records were set that month.
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24. Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia (2024)
Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia is a British‑Italian
sports thriller film depicting the rivalry between Roland Gumpert's team
driving the Audi Quattro and Cesare Fiorio's team with the Lancia 037 rally car
at the 1983 World Rally Championship.
Roland Gumpert (born 10 December 1944) is a German engineer
and founder of sports car manufacturer Apollo Automobil, later managing Gumpert
Aiways Automobile.
Cesare Fiorio (born 26 May 1939) is a former Formula One
sporting director for Ferrari, Ligier and Minardi, and former team manager of
Lancia's factory World Rally Championship team. His son Alessandro “Alex”
Fiorio became a professional rally driver.
The 1983 World Rally Championship was the 11th season of the
WRC and consisted of 12 rallies. Audi's Hannu Mikkola won the drivers' title,
while Lancia captured the manufacturers' title by just two points, making the
season one of the most hotly contested in rally history.
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25. Reagan (2024)
Reagan is a biographical historical drama film
that follows Ronald Reagan's life from his childhood to his years as president
of the United States, told by a former KGB agent.
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was
an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United
States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party, his presidency is
known as the Reagan era, and he is considered one of the most prominent
conservative figures in American history.
Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932, worked as a
sports broadcaster, then moved to California and became a film actor. He served
as president of the Screen Actors Guild, hosted television programs, and became
a spokesman for General Electric. His 1964 speech “A Time for Choosing”
launched his national political profile. He became governor of California in
1966, implementing budget reforms and taking a hard line on campus protests.
After an unsuccessful bid for the 1976 Republican
nomination, Reagan won the presidency in 1980. His administration implemented
“Reaganomics”—tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced domestic spending—while
increasing military spending and intensifying the Cold War before later
pursuing arms‑reduction talks. His tenure included the 1981 assassination
attempt, the invasion of Grenada, the escalation of the war on drugs, and
controversy over the Iran‑Contra affair.
Reagan left office in 1989 after a prolonged economic
expansion, but with a greatly increased national debt. His policies and
diplomacy are widely credited with helping bring about the end of the Cold War
and the collapse of Soviet communism. He died of pneumonia, complicated by
Alzheimer's disease, on June 5, 2004.
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26. Rob Peace (2024)
Rob Peace is a biographical drama film about an
intellectually brilliant young African‑American man, Robert DeShaun Peace, who
left Newark, New Jersey to attend Yale University, but fell back into the
streets when he returned home and was murdered at 30 in a drug‑related
shooting. The film is based on the biography The Short and Tragic Life
of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs.
Robert DeShaun Peace (June 25, 1980 – May 18, 2011) grew up
in East Orange, New Jersey. His mother worked long hours in low‑paying jobs to
send him to St. Benedict's Preparatory School, while his father, who sold
drugs, was arrested for murder and died in prison.
Peace received sponsorship to attend Yale University, where
he majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry and worked in a cancer and
infectious‑disease lab. He also earned over $100,000 selling marijuana while at
Yale and graduated with honours in 2002.
After graduation, he taught biology at his former high
school and won a Teacher of the Year award, but continued to expand his
marijuana business and substance use. Later, he left teaching, worked as an
airline baggage handler and invested with friends in a large marijuana
operation. He was murdered in a drug‑related shooting in his basement at age
30.
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27. Satyashodhak (2024)
Satyashodhak is an Indian Marathi‑language
biographical film depicting the life of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. The film has
been praised as a good attempt to show how every good thought and movement
takes root in society, reflecting Phule’s belief that people die but thoughts
do not.
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890)
was an Indian social activist, businessman, anti‑caste social reformer and
writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including the
eradication of untouchability and the caste system and the education of women
and oppressed castes.
With his wife Savitribai Phule, he pioneered women's
education in India, starting a school for girls in Pune in 1848. He founded the
Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth Seekers) to attain equal rights for people
from lower castes; people of all religions and castes could join. Phule became
an important figure in the social‑reform movement in Maharashtra. The
honorific Mahatma (“great‑souled”) was first applied to him in
1888. A postage stamp in his honour was issued in 1977.
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28. Scoop (2024)
Scoop is a British biographical drama film that
offers a dramatic retelling of the process of securing the 2019 BBC television
interview of Prince Andrew by presenter Emily Maitlis and the Newsnight team.
The film is a behind‑the‑scenes story of the women who
negotiated with Buckingham Palace to secure the “scoop of the decade”, which
became the public catalyst for the downfall of the Duke of York. The televised
interview focused on Andrew's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey
Epstein and allegations of Andrew's sexual assault of a minor. The interview
was later described as less a car crash than “a plane crashing into an oil
tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion.”
The film was released on 5 April 2024 on Netflix.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (born 19 February 1960) is a
member of the British royal family, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and
Prince Philip and younger brother of King Charles III. Emily Maitlis (born 6
September 1970) is a British journalist and former BBC newsreader best known
internationally for conducting that 2019 interview.
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29. See You in Another Life (2024)
See You in Another Life is a Spanish crime drama
miniseries set against the backdrop of the procurement of explosives for the
11M Madrid train bombings. The plot focuses on Gabriel Montoya Vidal “Baby”, a
16‑year‑old petty criminal who in 2004 worked with retired miner Emilio
Trashorras to move explosives from Asturias to Madrid and became the first
person convicted for the attacks.
The 2004 Madrid train bombings (11M) were a series of
coordinated bombings against the Cercanías commuter‑train system on 11 March
2004. The explosions killed 193 people and injured around 2,050, making it the
deadliest terrorist attack in Spain’s history and the deadliest in Europe since
1988.
The attacks occurred three days before Spain's general
elections and triggered intense political controversy over their handling, with
the ruling Partido Popular initially attributing them to ETA while evidence
pointed to Islamist extremists angered by Spain's role in the Iraq War. After
investigations, 21 individuals were convicted, though links to al‑Qaeda
leadership were not proven. The bombings profoundly reshaped Spanish politics
and public opinion.
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30. Shirley (2024)
Shirley is a biographical drama film that
depicts the failed 1972 presidential run of Shirley Chisholm, who was already
the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. Shirley had
a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 15, 2024, before its
streaming debut on Netflix on March 22, 2024.
Shirley Anita Chisholm (November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005)
was an American politician who in 1968 became the first Black woman elected to
the United States Congress, representing New York's 12th congressional district
for seven terms from 1969 to 1983.
In 1972, she became the first Black candidate for a major‑party
nomination for President of the United States and the first woman to run for
the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Throughout her career she was
known for taking a resolute stand against economic, social and political
injustices and was a strong supporter of Black civil rights and women's rights.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
31. Shivrayancha Chhava (2024)
Shivrayancha Chhava is an Indian Marathi‑language
historical drama film about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the second
Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, who ruled from 1681 to 1689. Shivrayancha
Chhava was theatrically released on 16 February 2024, opening with a positive
response. Grossing over ₹11.2 crore in ten days of release, it emerged as the
second highest‑grossing Marathi film of 2024.
Sambhaji (c. 14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689), also known as
Shambhuraje, was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire.
Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by ongoing wars between the Maratha Empire
and the Mughal Empire, as well as other neighbouring powers such as the
Abyssinians of Janjira, the Wadiyars of Mysore and the Portuguese Empire in
Goa. After Sambhaji's execution by Aurangzeb, his brother Rajaram I succeeded
him as the next Chhatrapati and continued the Mughal–Maratha Wars.
Sambhaji composed several books during his lifetime. The
most notable is Budhbhushanam, written in Marathi and Sanskrit, and
three other books—Nayikabhed, Saatsatak and Nakhshikha—which
are written in the Hindustani language.
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32. Unfrosted (2024)
Unfrosted is a comedy film loosely based on the
true story of the creation of Pop‑Tarts toaster pastries. It was released in
the United States by Netflix on May 4, 2024, and received mixed reviews from
critics.
In the early 1960s, Kellogg's biggest competitor, Post,
invented a process for dehydrating food and enclosing it in foil to keep it
fresh. Originally used for dog food, they adapted the process to a new toaster‑prepared
breakfast pastry called “Country Squares” and announced it to the press in 1964
before it was ready for market.
Because Post revealed Country Squares early, Kellogg's
rushed to develop their own version. They hired Bill Post, a former Keebler
employee, and created their own breakfast pastry in just four months. Initially
called Fruit Scones, the name was soon changed to Pop‑Tarts as a pun on the Pop
Art movement. The first shipment sold out in two weeks and Kellogg’s even ran
apology ads for empty shelves, which only increased demand.
The first Pop‑Tarts came in four flavors: strawberry,
blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon, and apple currant (soon renamed apple‑berry).
Originally unfrosted in 1964, Kellogg's developed a frosting that could
withstand the toaster and released frosted Pop‑Tarts in 1967, adding sprinkles
in 1968.
As of 2024, there are over 24 standard Pop‑Tart flavors, and
the brand has had decades of strong sales, major UK marketing in the 1990s, a
Times Square “Pop‑Tarts World” pop‑up in 2010, and even 2.4 million Pop‑Tarts
airdropped by the U.S. military in Afghanistan in 2001.
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33. Vindication Swim (2024)
Vindication Swim is a British biographical drama
film about swimmer Mercedes Gleitze, who in 1927 became the first British woman
to swim the English Channel. The film portrays Gleitze’s upstream struggle in
overcoming both the cold waters of the Channel and the oppressive society of
1920s Britain. When a rival claims to have completed the swim faster, Mercedes
is forced into a fight to retain her record and legacy.
Mercedes Gleitze (18 November 1900 – 9 February 1981) was a
British professional swimmer and the first known person to swim the Straits of
Gibraltar as well as the first British woman to swim the English Channel. Her
name was used to market Rolex's new waterproof “Oyster” case, and she set
endurance records including a 46‑hour swim in 1932. Sponsorship money helped
her found Mercedes Gleitze Homes in Leicester, now linked to the Family Action
charity.
Her eighth attempt at the Channel on 7 October 1927 finally
succeeded, but Dr. Dorothy Cochrane Logan (Mona McLennan) soon claimed a faster
crossing. When Logan’s story was exposed as a hoax, public doubt still pushed
Gleitze into a “vindication swim” in much colder water. She did not finish, but
her endurance convinced observers her original achievement was genuine. Rolex
capitalised on her attempt to launch the Oyster watch.
Gleitze later travelled to Australia, New Zealand and South
Africa, swam the 100 miles around the Isle of Man, became the first person to
swim to and from Robben Island, and continually extended the women’s endurance
record from 26 to 46 hours before retiring.
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34. We Were the Lucky Ones (2024)
We Were the Lucky Ones is a historical drama
miniseries depicting the Holocaust from the perspective of the Kurc family,
Polish Jews, based on the 2017 book of the same name by Georgia Hunter,
inspired by her own family’s story.
The Holocaust was the genocide of European Jews during World
War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and collaborators murdered about
six million Jews across German‑occupied Europe, roughly two‑thirds of Europe’s
Jewish population, primarily through mass shootings and extermination camps
such as Auschwitz‑Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor and Chełmno. Separate
Nazi persecutions killed millions of non‑Jewish civilians and POWs.
The Nazis built their ideology on racism and expansionism,
seizing power in 1933 and passing anti‑Jewish laws, orchestrating pogroms like
Kristallnacht, and forcing Jews into ghettos. After the invasion of the Soviet
Union, Einsatzgruppen and collaborators shot 1.5–2 million Jews. By late 1941
or early 1942, the regime decided to murder all European Jews, deporting them
by rail to extermination or forced‑labour camps.
Many Jews attempted to hide, but survival was difficult due
to lack of money, the risk of denunciation and collaboration. Jewish property
and jobs were redistributed to non‑Jews. Although most victims died in 1942,
killings continued until the war’s end in 1945. After the war, survivors often
emigrated, a few perpetrators were tried, and partial reparations were paid.
The Holocaust has since become a central symbol of absolute evil in modern
historical consciousness.
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35. Winner (2024)
Winner is an American‑Canadian black comedy film
based on the life of Reality Winner, who leaked an intelligence report about
Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
Reality Leigh Winner (born December 4, 1991) is a U.S. Air
Force veteran and former NSA translator. In 2018, she received the longest
prison sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized release of government
information to the media after leaking an intelligence report on Russian
election interference.
On June 3, 2017, while working for contractor Pluribus
International Corporation, Winner was arrested for sending an NSA report
to The Intercept. The report showed Russian hackers accessing U.S.
voter‑registration systems through a phishing operation, though it was unclear
whether data was changed. The Intercept’s handling of the document is widely
believed to have exposed her as the source.
Denied bail twice, Winner was held in jail in Georgia. On
August 23, 2018, she pleaded guilty to removing classified material from a
government facility and mailing it to a news outlet, receiving a sentence of
five years and three months. She served time at Federal Medical Center,
Carswell, and was released to a transitional facility on June 2, 2021.
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36. Yatra 2 (2024)
Yatra 2 is an Indian Telugu‑language
biographical political drama film based on the padayatra of
Jagan Mohan Reddy from 6 November 2017 to 9 January 2019, representing the YSR
Congress Party in the run‑up to the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly
election.
Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy (born 21 December 1972),
also known mononymously as Jagan, is an Indian politician currently serving as
the 17th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and president of the YSR Congress
Party. He is the son of former chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
Jagan started his political career in the Indian National
Congress and was elected as the Member of Parliament for Kadapa in 2009. After
his father’s death in a helicopter crash, he embarked on the Odarpu
Yatra (consoling tour) across the state, later leaving the Congress to
found the YSR Congress Party, named to echo his father’s initials.
In the 2014 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, YSRCP won 67
seats and Jagan became Leader of the Opposition. Five years later, in the 2019
elections, he led the party to a landslide victory with 151 of 175 seats,
becoming Chief Minister and cementing the party as a dominant regional force.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- To
see how this trend started, revisit the standout true story movies
from 2023 in this companion article:
https://www.cinemaawardsarchive.com/2025/12/2023s-greatest-true-story-movies-you.html
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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