This research delves into the empirical performance of deterministic option pricing models in the dynamic financial landscape of India. The primary focus is on uncovering pricing discrepancies and discerning whether these disparities arise from inherent limitations in the theoretical foundations of the models or are influenced by the trading behaviors of market participants. The investigation centers on the analysis of call and put option contracts for the Nifty Index and Bank Nifty Index, both extensively traded on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India. The study’s findings highlight that models developed to address the theoretical constraints of the benchmark Black–Scholes model demonstrate noteworthy performance. However, the complexity of these models does not consistently translate into enhanced pricing efficiency. Notably, the Black–Scholes and Practitioner Black–Scholes models exhibit superior performance across various moneyness-maturity categories. Furthermore, the research underscores the substantial impact of option contract liquidity on the efficiency of the pricing models. Specifically, highly traded at-the-money and out-of-the-money option contracts exhibit a higher level of pricing accuracy.