India, July 7 -- When it comes to movies based on gangsters, Indian cinema doesn't play coy. Across languages and decades, Indian filmmakers have been obsessed with the figure of the gangster, that morally grey anti-hero who commands both fear and sympathy. From the chawls of Mumbai to the dusty badlands of Uttar Pradesh, the best Indian gangster movies are as much about ambition and downfall as they are about style and swagger. Here are the best Indian gangster movies you should watch, including the South Indian movies.

Consider the simmering tension and operatic ambition of Satya (1998). That film practically reinvented gangster movies Bollywood style, or at least its modern, grittier form. Then there was Company (2002). Also directed ...