We’ve compiled a list of 40 of the all-time best Bollywood movies that can act as a starting point to navigate the booming industry. While this isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, the movies listed here both play into and shatter the stereotypes of what the industry is and span every genre to suit your every mood.
40 Best Bollywood Movies of All Time
Andhadhun (Translation: “Blindly”): 2018
In this black comedy/thriller, a piano player pretending to be blind ends up entangled in a crime when he happens to witness a murder. Will he step in and turn in the perpetrator, or will he continue with his game to further his career? Starring Anshumann Khurrana and Tabu, this film will keep you guessing until the very end.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Translation: “Something Happens”): 1998
A love triangle spanning decades, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is the easiest introduction into Bollywood. The film is one of the most popular Hindi movies ever, and follows best friends Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) and Anjali (Kajol) through college where Rahul is the campus womanizer and Anjali is the school’s tomboy. After Anjali realizes her feelings for Rahul aren’t reciprocated, she flees. Years later, the two are reunited by Rahul’s daughter (also named Anjali) and have to face what’s been under the surface of their friendship. Featuring classic songs, iconic choreography, and performances that will make you cry, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is a must-see ’90s Bollywood primer. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (transl: “Sometimes Happiness Sometimes Sadness”) - 2001 Director Karan Johar’s follow-up to the smash hit Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (commonly referred to as K3G) is a family drama backed by Bollywood’s biggest superstars. Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) is adopted into an extremely wealthy family and is his parents’ favorite son set to take over the family business until he falls in love with a common villager Anjali (Kajol). Rahul’s parents disown him and his brother (Hrithik Roshan) spends his adult years trying to bring his family back together. A tear-jerker, the film is another classic with timeless songs.
Lagaan (Translation: “Taxation”): 2001
India’s last film to receive an Oscar nomination, the Aamir Khan-led period sports drama told the story of poor villagers who rise up against their ever-increasing taxes under colonial rule (Lagaan translates to “Taxation.”) While lengthy, the film is entirely engrossing as we watch a rag-tag group of villagers learn the English game of cricket and play the game of their lives for salvation.
Devdas: 2002
The story of Devdas dates back to a 1917 Bengali novel of the same name. Remade multiple times throughout Indian cinema and theater and across many languages, it’s a timeless and tragic tale about a love triangle between Devdas, his childhood flame Paro and a former courtesan Chandramukhi. As Devdas descends into alcoholism and depression, he only longs for one thing: his true love. Remade last in 2002 by Sanjay Leela Bansali, this version boasts three of the most iconic Bollywood actors in starring roles with Shah Rukh Khan as Devdas, Aishwarya Rai as Paro and Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi.
The Lunchbox: 2013
In an effort to get closer to her husband, a young wife Ila (Nimrat Kaur) begins putting love letters in her husband’s tiffin, which is a sterling silver lunchbox that is delivered through an intricate system of delivery men. Though typically extremely accurate, Ila’s tiffin keeps getting delivered to a single man named Saajan (Irrfan Khan), who one day decides to write back. The two begin a pen pal relationship and eventually decide to meet up in real life. An offbeat drama about two lonely souls who are connected through words will win you over with its subtle truths about human connection.
Saathiya (Translation: “Companion”): 2002
After defying their parents with a young marriage, newlyweds Suhani (Rani Mukerji) and Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) deal with all of the ups and downs that come with both marriage and their middle-class status — including a traumatic event that could change everything. The chemistry between Oberoi and Mukerji is palpable and the story is a believable love story aided by fantastic songs.
Dil To Pagal Hai (Translation: “The Heart Is Crazy”): 1997
Bollywood loves its love triangles, and Dil To Pagal Hai’s focuses on two dance troupe members (Karishma Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit) who fall in love with their choreographer (Shah Rukh Khan) and must compete for both his love and their place in the troupe’s musical. It’s perfect for nostalgic ‘90s viewers and fans of zany love stories.
Sholay (Translation: “Embers”): 1975
Sholay is regarded as one of the all-time best Hindi films. An action/crime drama, the film follows two petty criminals who are enlisted by a policeman to capture a notorious bandit Gabbar Singh. The film boasts legendary performances from iconic Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra, and cemented Amjad Khan as one of the industry’s go-to villainous actors. Despite premiering in 1975 the film is a timeless classic and is still often referenced in Bollywood discourse today.
Don: 1978, 2006
Don, an Indian crime franchise, has spawned three films including a 2006 reboot of the original 1978 film and many South Indian-language remakes. The original film stars Amitabh Bachchan in a dual role: Don, the underworld crime boss, dies from injuries sustained during a police chase but is subsequently replaced by a villager lookalike who goes undercover to glean information for the police. The original is the one to start with, though the 2000s Don and Don 2 are also well-regarded.
Amar Akbar Anthony: 1977
A comedy, Amar Akbar Anthony follows the lives of three brothers separated in childhood and raised in families of different faiths: respectively, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Many years later they are reunited and come together for a specific cause: to rescue Anthony’s girlfriend. Releasing in 1977, the film was lauded for its religious secularism as it showcases men of three of the most prominent faiths in India working together.
Dil Chahta Hai (Translation: “The Heart Desires”): 2001
The film that put writer/director Farhan Akhtar on the map, Dil Chahta Hai is about three friends and their trials and tribulations in love, career, and life in general after graduating from college. The film was groundbreaking at the time of its release in 2001 due to its offbeat nature and its focus on nontraditional love stories. It’s held up over time as a film that captures what it’s like to feel lost in an adulthood that’s thrust upon you.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Translation: “The Big-Hearted Will Take the Bride”): 1995
A story about star-crossed lovers, this film is one of the seminal Bollywood films loving referred to as DDLJ. It’s so important to Indian culture, it’s been playing in one Mumbai theater for over 26 years. Starring Bollywood’s premier heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan and his primary leading lady Kajol, the romantic drama about lovers trying to win over their traditional families features some of the most iconic lines and songs of all time.
Dangal (Translation: “Wrestling Competition”): 2016
In a career reinvention in the 2000s, Aamir Khan began focusing more energy on producing unique stories. Dangal, a female-centric sports story, is one such film. Based on a true story, Dangal is about a former boxing champ who begins training his daughters in the sport to enact revenge on his last loss. While there are some melodramatic moments that steer away from the overall story, Dangal tells both an uplifting and brutal tale about sexism, sports, and achievement in Indian society.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Translation: “You Only Live Once”): 2011
With similar vibes to Dil Chahta Hai, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar star as three childhood friends searching for life’s meaning on a European road trip. The friends are all dealing with different issues — love, career, and family — and find that with the support of one another they can overcome anything. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a great meditation on the importance of friendship and living each day to its fullest; after all, the title translates to “you only live once.”
Gully Boy (Translation: “Street Boy”): 2019
Lauded as India’s version of 8 Mile, Gully Boy was India’s submission to the Oscars in 2019. Helmed by superstar director Zoya Akhtar and starring Ranveer Singh, the film follows a lower-class boy who falls in love with hip-hop and enters the underground Mumbai rap scene to make a name for himself. The film excels in its portrayal of class dynamics and conservative family expectations, and in its depiction of a burgeoning underground rap scene.
Kahaani (Translation: “Story”): 2012
Translating to “story,” this thriller follows a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband. Vidya (Vidya Balan) is aided in her search by a compassionate police officer. But as the story unfolds, everyone’s motivations and truths are in question. A film that keeps you on the edge of your seat and might produce an audible gasp at the final reveal, this one is worth a stream.
Omkara: 2006
Based on Othello, Omkara is part of Vishal Bhardwaj’s trio of Shakespeare adaptations. In the film, Omkara (Ajay Devgn) abducts his lover Dolly (Kareena Kapoor). But when he denies his most loyal supporter Langda (Saif Ali Khan) a promotion, Langda comes for blood. A thrilling epic, Omkara is one of the most well-regarded films in recent Bollywood history.
Andaz Apna Apna (Translation: “Everyone Has Their Own Style”): 1994
A cult comedy starring Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, and Shakti Kapoor, Andaz Apna Apna follows two middle-class boys who long for a millionaire’s daughter and get caught up with a local gangster in the midst of their pursuit. Slapstick and with iconic dialogue, this film is a great nostalgic watch.
Dear Zindagi (Translation: “Dear Life”): 2016
Part of a more recent trend of Bollywood movies tackling serious and prescient subject matter, Dear Zindagi talks about mental health head-on. Kaira (Alia Bhatt) seeks out therapy after a string of failed relationships. When she meets Dr. Jehangir (Shah Rukh Khan), he helps her see life through a new, more spontaneous lens. Dear Zindagi is uplifting and Bhatt and Khan have chemistry on screen even though this film steers clear of turning their connection into a romance.
The Sky Is Pink: 2019
Produced by and starring Priyanka Chopra, The Sky is Pink tells the true story of Aisha Chaudhary, a motivational speaker and author who suffered from an immunodeficiency. Chopra and Farhan Akhtar play her parents, from whose point of view the story is told, as they navigate their daughter’s illness and the effects it has on their lives moving forward. It’s one of the sadder stories on the list as the parents’ and family’s pain is visceral.
Om Shanti Om: 2007
It’s masala, but masala done well. The film begins in the 1970s where an aspiring actor named Om (Shah Rukh Khan) falls in love with the established lead actress Shanti (Deepika Padukone). Om witnesses Shanti’s husband, an evil producer, murder her in a fire and in trying to save her Om also dies. Om is reborn as a successful actor who avenges Shanti’s life when he meets Shanti’s doppelganger and remembers his previous life. It’s a wild premise, but an extremely fun ride.
Jab We Met (Translation: “When We Met”): 2007
Two opposite souls—Aditya, a businessman on the verge of suicide, and Geet, an upbeat woman about to elope with her boyfriend—meet on a train in India and test each other, ultimately falling in love. Fueled by a real life romance at the time between co-leads Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, the film’s energy is contagious.
Queen: 2013
A uniquely feminist film by Bollywood standards, Queen follows a traditional young woman whose fiance leaves her a day before their wedding and decides to cope with the breakup by going on their European honeymoon. Having never been out of the country, the newfound freedom allows her to find herself and open her eyes to new experiences. The film stars Kangana Ranaut (who, it should be noted, is a right-wing political extremist) in a career-making performance that is appropriately cringe and uplifting in different ways.
Jodhaa Akbar: 2008
Jodhaa Akbar tells the true story of the marriage between Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) and Princess Jodhaa Bai (Aishwarya Rai). Akbar, a Muslim, and Jodhaa, a Hindu, enter into a marriage of convenience for stability of power between the two families, and the two slowly fall for each other through external forces try to intercede in the relationship. It’s a great historical drama with period splendor and great performances from both Roshan and Rai.
Bajirao Mastani: 2015
Bajirao Mastani tells the true story of the 1700s-era leader of the Maratha Empire, Bajirao (Ranveer Singh), and his courtship with his second wife Mastani (Deepika Padukone). Mastani is a Muslim warrior princess and Baji is still married to his first wife Kishibai (Priyanka Chopra), causing problems for Baji’s new love affair. Visually spectacular and opulent, the film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali also features stunning performances by the main cast.
Kal Ho Naa Ho (Translation: “Tomorrow May Never Come”): 2003
Part of a Karan Johar trifecta (along with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham), the New York City-based Kal Ho Naa Ho is another heartfelt love story, this time complicated by a secret illness. Rohit (Saif Ali Khan) loves his MBA classmate Naina (Preity Zinta) who in turn has feelings for her new neighbor Aman (Shah Rukh Khan). Some aspects of the film haven’t aged well (like the homophobic housekeeper) but the love triangle is equal parts fun and melancholic.
Bobby: 1973
From 1973, Bobby tells the tale of a wealthy man who falls in love with a lower-class woman. Both their positions in society and their parents oppose their union, but they are determined to find a way to be together. Bobby was one of the first films to introduce this trope to Bollywood audiences and has been copied many times over — but as always, the first iteration is the best.
Taal (Translation: “Rhythm”): 1999
A dance drama, Taal is yet another love triangle with thorns of class discrimination. Mansi, the daughter of an acclaimed though poor singer, falls in love with Manav, who comes from a rich family that doesn’t completely accept her humble roots. Scorned, she soon meets a famous music producer and becomes his muse, eventually accepting a marriage proposal from him despite her true feelings for Manav. Taal has some of the most classic and haunting songs from composer A.R. Rahman’s illustrious career, and was a widely seen and revered film of 1990s Bollywood.
Maqbool: 2004
Another of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare adaptations, Maqbool is loosely based on Macbeth. Taking place in Mumbai’s criminal underworld, the film centers on Maqbool’s (Irrfan Khan) betrayal of his boss Jahangir Khan (Pankaj Kapoor), and how the betrayal haunts him forever.
3 Idiots: 2009
Loosely based on the Chetan Bhagat novel “Five Point Someone,” Farhan, Raju, and Rancho are thick as thieves in college, occasionally getting in trouble and outsmarting their teachers. But when Rancho leaves school and no one hears from him for years, Farhan and Raju take up an opportunity to find their long lost friend. A coming of age and touching film about friendship, 3 Idiots spans the spectrum of emotions in the almost three-hour runtime.
Drishyam (Translation: “Visual”): 2015
Adapted from a Malayalam film, Drishyam stars Ajay Devgn as Vijay, a police officer who covers up a crime that his daughter committed accidentally. Anju, Vijay’s daughter, is being harassed by a boy in her class. When the boy comes to her home to demand sexual favors, Anju strikes him with a pipe and kills him. Vijay jumps into action and stays one step ahead of the police investigating the boy’s disappearance. Drishyam is fast-paced and expertly plotted, with an ending that will make you want to press play all over again.
Haider: 2014
The last of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespeare adaptations, Haider takes its inspiration from Hamlet. Starring Shahid Kapoor in an off-type role, Haider follows a young man’s quest for vengeance after he discovers that his uncle may be responsible for the death of his father.
Mother India: 1957
Known as the first Indian film to ever be nominated for an Academy Award, the 1957 film centers on a couple who take out a loan to finance their wedding. As interest rates begin to pile up and their ability to pay them lessens, Radha and Shamu are forced to give up their property and take low-wage jobs. When Shamu’s arm is crushed in a farming accident, they find themselves at their wit’s end and Radha must find a way to keep her family afloat. Emotional and inspiring, the film shows how to stick to your values even in the worst circumstances.
Pad Man: 2018
Akshay Kumar stars as a man dedicated to expanding access to sanitary products in rural India after witnessing his wife using a dirty rag as a pad. Based on a true story and life of Tamil activist Arunachalam Muruganantham, Pad Manis a social values film that is quite moving, even if it reinforces the fact that women’s liberation is often impossible without the support and funding of men.
Veer Zaara: 2004
Religion, and disagreements based on it due to the 1947 Partition between India and Pakistan, permeate South Asian relationships to this day — particularly for Hindus and Muslims. Veer Zaara stars Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan as star-crossed lovers who are separated for 22 years after Veer (Khan) is captured and imprisoned on false charges by Zaara’s (Zinta) politician father. The film was hailed for its sensitive portrayal of the tender relationship between the two countries.
The Dirty Picture: 2011
For a society that is still largely conservative when it comes to sexuality, The Dirty Picture traversed a unique part of Indian culture: the erotic Indian film star. Inspired by the lives of Silk Smitha and Disco Shanti, the film features Vidya Balan in the lead role as a woman who runs away from home to start a career as an actress. However, her sensual dance moves catapult her into a different type of acting career. Balan was praised for her performance and the film was a critical and commercial hit when it was released in 2011.
Sir: 2018
A young maid and her wealthy employer in Bombay begin a relationship—both friendly and then romantic—which is misunderstood by everyone in their lives. The film explores gender and class dynamics and surprises audiences in who has more to lose from the situation. Premiering at Cannes in 2018, this Rohena Gera film is not your typical Bollywood masala flick and instead focuses on a humanistic story of two souls drawn to each other despite society trying to keep them apart.
Taare Zameen Par (Translation: “Like Stars on Earth”): 2007
Tackling learning disabilities and the Indian mentality around academic achievement, Taare Zameen Par is a tale about a young boy who is forced to attend a boarding school and finds solace in a bond with a teacher who is attuned to his specific learning needs. As the boy has to adjust to a life away from home, the story is both tear-jerking and heartwarming at the same time.
Dil Se… (Translation: “From the Heart”): 1998
A romance film with a twist, 1998’s Dil Se… is set against the backdrop of separatist movements and violence in the Indian state of Assam. Shah Rukh Khan stars opposite Manisha Koirala as star-crossed and ideologically opposite lovers. The film is riveting and tragic, and features one of the all-time great Bollywood music sequences in Chaiyya Chaiyya," where SRK dances atop a moving train singing along to the A.R. Rahman classic. Next, check out the 20 best Jennifer Aniston movies, ranked!
