Did you watch Alpha, hoping for all the double-crosses and edge-of-your-seat goosebumps a proper spy thriller should deliver, only to walk out disappointed? No problem, because we have a list of underrated, genuinely excellent Indian spy web series and movies that will keep you on the edge of your seat instead. Some are pure fiction, others inspired by true events, but every single one delivers the tense, twisty stuff you’re actually after.

1. Bard of Blood

A disgraced former Indian intelligence agent, now living a quiet life as a schoolteacher, is dragged back into the field when four operatives are taken hostage in Balochistan. What starts as a rescue mission turns into him having to face the past mission that ruined his career. Emraan Hashmi leads this tight, seven-episode show full of double-crosses that will demand 100 per cent of your attention.

Where to watch: Netflix

2. CAT

Based on real events, this one follows a small-time police informant forced back into the game. This time, he’s sent undercover to infiltrate a drug empire, only to discover the whole operation is tangled up with the darkest chapter of his own past. It’s less gadgets-and-embassies and more grimy, small-town infiltration thriller, and Randeep Hooda is superb as a man permanently trapped between loyalties. CAT is one of the best Indian spy web series.

Where to watch: Netflix

3. 16 December

Four Indian Revenue Service officers are pulled together to investigate a money laundering case. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the money trail leads somewhere far worse. All of it is a plot to smuggle a nuclear device into the heart of Delhi. Released back in 2002, this was one of the earliest Bollywood attempts at a proper globe-trotting spy thriller, and it’s aged into a cult favourite for people who like their conspiracies ticking-clock urgent. 

Where to watch: Prime Video

4. Berlin

Set in the politically charged winter of 1993, authorities arrest a deaf-mute man on suspicion of being a foreign spy involved in a plot to assassinate a visiting head of state. They bring in a sign language expert to interrogate him, and he slowly gets pulled into a web where nobody, on either side of the interrogation table, is quite what they seem. Berlin is restrained, atmospheric, and one of the cleverest spy films Bollywood has produced in years.

Where to watch: ZEE5

5. Khufiya

A RAW agent is investigating a botched assassination in Dhaka and starts to believe there’s a mole inside her own agency, possibly the same person responsible for her lover’s death. What follows is a less action-heavy and more emotional yet gripping story. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and led by Tabu, it trades gunfights for something deeper and considerably more devastating. 

Where to watch: Netflix

6. Mukhbir – The Story of a Spy

After the war with China, and with tensions rising with Pakistan, Indian intelligence takes a big risk. They plant an ordinary man deep inside Pakistani society, hoping he can send back information that could stop another war. The series is based on a real intelligence officer’s memoir, and it’s a solid, slow-burn period drama that will keep you hooked till the very last second. 

Where to watch: ZEE5

7. The Freelancer

When his late friend’s daughter goes missing in ISIS-controlled Syria right after her wedding, a former Mumbai cop turned mercenary is pulled back into action. What follows is a race against time through hostile territory. He assembles a crack team to pull off an extraction that could easily get everyone killed. Real events inspired the story, and Mohit Raina brings genuine grit to the role, with the Syria-set tension rarely letting up.

Where to watch: JioHotstar

8. Ranneeti: Balakot and Beyond

Based on real events, this show picks up right after the Pulwama attack. It follows a RAW agent and his team as they plan India’s response, the Balakot strike, and then race to bring home a captured pilot. On top of that, they’re fighting a separate battle over how the media tells the story. Equal parts war room drama and espionage thriller, it takes a solid look at how news media fights modern conflict.

Where to watch: JioHotstar

9. Salakaar

Spanning two eras, this one follows an Indian agent operating deep undercover in Pakistan. He is working to uncover the secrets of the country’s nuclear programme during the volatile years of General Zia-ul-Haq’s regime. It’s an ambitious, high-stakes premise that builds nail-biting tension and then delivers.

Where to watch: JioHotstar

So, which of these Indian spy web series are you streaming tonight?

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