Best historical movies to watch on OTT to witness the past and hidden truths
From Oppenheimer to Dunkirk, have a look at award winning historical movies listed below.
Posters of a few movies.
Last Updated: 07.35 PM, May 27, 2025
There's something about historical mvoies that is intriguing. Somehow, a story becomes much more compelling and engaging when it is based on real events, or is at least somewhat true to life. If such movies interest you or you are looking to explore the genre, then this article is for you. Check out a list of some of the best historical movies that are stremaing on various platforms, including OTTplay Premium.
Historical movies based on real events, characters, hidden truths, and more..
Schindler's List
Steven Spielberg's epic historical drama is based on Australian novelist Thomas Keneally's 1982 book Schindler's Ark. The movie centres on Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who, during World War II, employed over a thousand primarily Polish-Jewish refugees in his factories, thereby saving them from the Holocaust. Liam Neeson plays Schindler, Ben Kingsley plays Schindler's Jewish accountant, Itzhak Stern, and Ralph Fiennes plays SS officer Amon Göth,. The movie won 7 trophies at the 66th Academy Awards; it had 12 nominations.
OTT Platform: Prime Video
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan is the writer, director, and producer of the epic biographical thriller drama Oppenheimer, which released in 2023. The life of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who contributed to the creation of the first nuclear weapons during World War II, is chronicled in this film. The movie recounts Oppenheimer's academic pursuits, his leadership of the Los Alamos Laboratory, and his 1954 security hearing. While Cillian Murphy plays Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission. Oppenheimer took home 7 Academy Awards in 2024, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.
OTT Platform: Netflix
During the disparate times of India, three police officers stumble upon a shocking plot of right-wing nationalists plan to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation. As the officers scramble to verify the intelligence, they realise the gravity of the threat and the urgent need to prevent a national tragedy.
OTT platform: ZEE5
Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan wrote, directed, and co-produced the 2017 epic historical war thriller film Dunkirk, which is the story of the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II. Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles (in his first feature film role), Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy are among the ensemble cast members. Nolan used music and cinematography to create suspense. The movie won Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing Oscars.
OTT Platform: Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video
Apollo 13
Ron Howard's 1995 docudrama stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan about the Apollo 13 lunar mission's abortive 1970 mission. The movie follows 3 astronauts as they travel on Apollo 13, the fifth crewed mission to the moon by the United States. The spacecraft suffered from reduced oxygen supply and power loss due to an on-board explosion while in transit. As a result, NASA's flight controllers were forced to abandon the moon landing and devise creative mechanical and scientific solutions to safely return the astronauts to Earth.
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
In the 16th century Kerala, a fierce warrior, named Kelu, is driven by vengeance after his father death in the hands of the brutal hands of Vasco da Gama, and his men. Determined to avenge his family's honor, Kelu joins forces with the cunning Vavvali and the fearless warrior princess Ayesha, together plotting a deadly retribution against their Portuguese soldiers.
OTT platform: ZEE5
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Chicago Seven refers to a group of anti-Vietnam War demonstrators accused of conspiracy and of crossing state lines to incite riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The ensemble cast includes Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Ben Shenkman, Michael Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Jeremy Strong. The movie received six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Baron Cohen.
OTT Platform: Netflix
The Last of the Mohicans
Michael Mann's 1992 American historical action film, The Last of the Mohicans, is based on James Fenimore Cooper's 1826 novel of the same name. The movie shows the French and Indian War that took place in 1757. Jodhi May, Madeleine Stowe, and Daniel Day-Lewis star in the film that was well-received by critics and enjoyed commercial success. The film transports viewers to Albany, New York, in 1757, during the French and Indian War, and introduces Major Duncan Heyward of the British Army. He reports to the commander of Fort William Henry in the Adirondack Mountains, Colonel Edmund Munro. Cora and Alice, Munro's two daughters, need to be escorted to their father by Heyward.
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The heinous 2002 Gujarat riots left an indelible mark on the lives of those who suffered, those who perpetrated violence, and those who stood by in silence in the nation. The aftermath saw individuals from all sides struggling with the consequences, their lives forever altered by the trauma and repercussions of the chaos.
OTT platform: ZEE5
Titanic
James Cameron's epic romantic disaster movie was released in 1997. It is based on stories of the RMS Titanic sinking in 1912 and combines elements of fiction and history. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet play members of different social classes who fall in love during the ship's maiden voyage. The movie also stars Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bernard Hill, Jonathan Hyde, Danny Nucci, David Warner, and Bill Paxton. It was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won 11, including Best Picture and Best Director.
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+
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