Background: Bollywood, the epicenter of India's film industry, has been enchanting viewers for over a century. Its journey began in 1913 with "Raja Harishchandra," a silent movie by Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema. Today, Bollywood shines as a vibrant tapestry of music, dance, and drama, famed for storytelling rich with colorful aesthetics. Noteworthy are its elaborate song and dance routines, integral to the cinematic experience. Over time, the industry has adapted, incorporating new technologies and exploring varied genres. From Raj Kapoor's timeless romances to Amitabh Bachchan's thrilling action flicks, and Shah Rukh Khan's and Deepika Padukone's blockbuster hits, Bollywood perpetually delights a global audience. As a Hindi-language film industry, based in Mumbai, these movies transcend language with a unique blend of tradition and contemporary flair.
Also see below the list:
"Tollywood" Movies (Bengali Language films) and
"Kollywood" Movies (Tamil Language films)
Criteria: These Greatest Bollywood Movies were chosen and ranked considering their Influence and Impact on Indian Cinema, Popularity, Originality, and Acclaim from both critics and the public.
Edited By: Lew
List Begun: 2026-09-08
Rank: Title Title in hindi (English translation) (Year first released, genre/keywords) (Director:) Actors:
Sholay अंगारा (Eng. Embers) (1975, Crime drama, action) (Director: Ramesh Sippy)
Actors: Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Amjad Khan, Hema Malini
Pyaasa प्यासा (Eng. Thirst) (1957, Drama, struggling poet) (Director: Guru Dutt)
Actors: Guru Dutt, Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman Khan
Mughal-e-Azam मुग़ल-ए-आज़म (Eng. The Great Mughal) (1960, 16th century drama, romance) (Director: K Asif)
Actors: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Durga Khote, Nigar Sultana
Gangs of Wasseypur वासेपुर के गिरोह (Hindi. Wasseypur Ke Giroh) (2012, Crime, action, coal mafia) (Director: Anurag Kashyap)
Actors: Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Richa Chadda, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Reema Sen
Anand आनंद (Eng. Joy) (1971, Drama, terminally ill man) (Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee)
Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo
Do Bigha Zamin दो बीघा ज़मीन (Eng. Two areas of land) (1953, poor farmer, drama) (Director: Bimal Roy)
Actors: Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy, Nana Palsikar, Ratan Kumar, Nasir Hussain
Kaagaz Ke Phool कागज़ के फूल (Eng. Paper Flowers) (1959, Love relationship, stardom) (Director: Guru Dutt)
Actors: Waheeda Rehman, Guru Dutt, Kumari Naaz, Johnny Walker, Veena
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge दिलवाले दुल्हनिया ले जायेंगे (Eng. (The Brave Heart Will Take the Bride) (1995, romantic comedy) (Director: Aditya Chopra)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Parmeet Sethi
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India लगान (Eng. tax) (2001, game of cricket, 1890s) (Director: Ashutosh Gowariker)
Actors: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Raghubir Yadav, Paul Blackthorne, Rachel Shelley
Gol Maal गोल माल (Eng. Twisty-Turvy) (1979, Comedy, romance) (Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee)
Actors: Amol Palekar, Utpal Dutt, Bindiya Goswami, Deven Verma, Manju Singh
Madhumati मधुमती (Eng. Full of Honey) (1958, Previous birth, romance) (Director: Bimal Roy)
Actors: Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Johnny Walker, Pran Sikand, Jayant
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam साहिब बीबी और गुलाम (Eng. The Master, the Wife, the Servant) (1962, dysfunctional marriage, drama) (Director: Abrar Alvi)
Actors: Meena Kumari, Guru Dutt, Rehman Khan, Waheeda Rehman, Nasir Hussain
Dangal दंगल (Eng. Wrestling competition) (2016, Female wrestling) (Director: Nitesh Tiwari)
Actors: Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sakshi Tanwar, Sanya Malhotra
Mr & Mrs '55 मिस्टर एंड मिसेज '55 (hindi. Mistar End Mises '55) (1955, Marriage of convenience) (Director: Guru Dutt)
Actors: Madhubala, Guru Dutt, Lalita Pawar, Johnny Walker, Tun Tun
Dosti दोस्ती (Eng. Friendship) (1964, Orphan, blind, handicapped) (Director: Satyen Bose)
Actors: Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Sanjay Khan, Nana Palsikar
Taare Zameen Par تारे ज़मीन पर (Eng. Like Stars on Earth) (2007, Coming-of-age, school) (Director: Aamir Khan)
Actors: Darsheel Safary, Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma, Tanay Chheda
Gunga Jumna गंगा जमना (Eng. Mixed) (1961, police, outlaw, action) (Director: Nitin Bose)
Actors: Dilip Kumar, Nasir Khan, Vyjayanthimala, Kanhaiyalal Chaturvedi, Anwar Hussain
The Lunchbox खाने का डिब्बा (hindi: Khane ka dibba) (2013, Drama, romance) (Director: Ritesh Batra)
Actors: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Lillete Dubey, Nakul Vaid
Pink पिंक (Eng. Pink) (2016, Legal thriller, prove innocence) (Director: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury)
Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… कभी खुशी कभी ग़म (Eng. Sometimes happiness, sometimes sadness) (2001, Family reunion, drama) (Director: Karan Johar)
Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol Devgn, Kareena Kapoor
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai कुछ कुछ होता है (Eng. Something Happens) (1998, Drama, romance) (Director: Karan Johar)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerj, Salman Khan, Sana Saeed, Farida Jalal
Black Friday ब्लैक फ्राइडे (hindi: Kala Shukravaar) (2004, Docudrama, bombing, police) (Director: Anurag Kashyap)
Actors: Aditya Srivastava, Kay Kay Menon, Pavan Malhotra
Mr India श्री भारत (hindi: Shri Bharat) (1987, Superhero, comedy, scientist) (Director: Shekhar Kapur)
Actors: Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Amrish Puri, Satish Kaushik, Annu Kapoor
Dil Chahta Hai दिल चाहता है (Eng. What the Heart Wants) (2001, Coming-of-age comedy, drama) (Director: Farhan Akhtar)
Actors: Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Saif Ali Khan, Preity G Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni
Chak De! India चक दे! इंडिया (Eng. Let's go! India) (2007, Women's National Hockey Team) (Director: Shimit Amin)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Sagarika Ghatge, Shilpa Shukl, Chitrashi Rawat
Andhadhun अंधाधुन (Eng. Indiscriminate) (2018, Thriller, dark comedy) (Director: Sriram Raghavan)
Actors: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Darr डर (Eng. Fear) (1993, Thriller, stalker, obsession) (Director: Yash Chopra)
Actors: Sunny Deol, Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh Khan, Anupam Kher, Tanvi Azmi
Hum Aapke Hain Koun…! हम आपके हैं कौन (Eng. Who am I to you) (1994, Romantic comedy, baby) (Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya)
Actors: Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan, Mohnish Behl, Renuka Shahane, Alok Nath
Devdas देवदास (Eng. Servant of God) (2002, Epic tragic romance) (Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher
Rang De Basanti रंग दे बसंती (Eng. Paint Me In The Color of Spring) (2006, Crime drama, political) (Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra)
Actors: Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi
Bajrao Mastani (Eng. Bajirao and Mastani) (2015, Romantic historical drama) (Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali)
Actors: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Jagte Raho जागते रहो (Eng. Stay awake) (1956, Dark comedy) (Directors: Amit Maitra, Sombhu Mitra)
Actors: Pradeep Kumar, Sumitra Devi, Smriti Biswas, Pahadi Sanyal
Andaz Apna Apna अंदाज़ अपना अपना (Eng. Everyone has their own style) (1994, Comedy, romantic rivalry) (Director: Rajkumar Santoshi)
Actors: Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor
Ardh Satya अर्ध सत्य (Eng. Half-truth) (1983, police, corruption, romance) (Director: Govind Nihalani)
Actors: Om Puri, Smita Patil, Amrish Puri, Shafi Inamdar, Sadashiv Amrapurkar
Chhoti Si Baat छोटी सी बात (Eng. A Small Matter) (1976, Romantic comedy) (Director: Basu Chatterjee)
Actors: Ashok Kumar, Vidya Sinha, Amol Palekar, Govardhan Asrani
Veer-Zaara वीर-ज़ारा (Eng. Hero's Lover) (2004, Romantic drama) (Director: Yash Chopra)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Preity G Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kirron Kher
Jab We Met जब हम मिले (Eng. When We Met) (2007, Romantic comedy) (Director: Imtiaz Ali)
Actors: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Tarun Arora, Dara Singh Randhawa
Gully Boy गली का लड़का (Eng. Boy from the street) (2019, Street rappers in Mumbai) (Director: Zoya Akhtar)
Actors: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz
Om Shanti Om ॐ शान्ति ॐ (Eng. Om, Peace, Om) (2007, fantasy, comedy-drama) (Director: Farah Khan)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal
A Wednesday अ वेडनेसडे (Eng. A Wednesday) (2008, Mystery, thriller, police officer) (Director: Neeraj Pandey)
Actors: Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Virendra Saxena, Gaurav Kapoor
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar जो जीता वही सिकंदर (Eng. The one who wins is the king) (1992, school drama, cycling race) (Director: Mansoor Khan)
Actors: Aamir Khan, Ayesha Jhulka, Deepak Tijori, Pooja Bedi
Mera Naam Joker मेरा नाम जोकर (Eng. My Name Is Joker) (1970, Coming of age drama) (Director: Raj Kapoor)
Actors: Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Simi Garewal, Achala Sachdev
Shershaah शेरशाह (Eng. Lion-king) (2021, Kargil War in 1999, action) (Director: Vishnuvardhan)
Actors: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Shiv Panditt, Sahil Vaid
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara जिंदगी ना मिलेगी दोबारा (Eng. You Won't Get Your Life Twice) (2011, Road trip, buddy comedy) (Director: Zoya Akhtar)
Actors: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin
Prem Rog प्रेम रोग (Eng. Ailment of Love) (1982, Family relationships, drama) (Director: Raj Kapoor)
Actors: Shammi Kapoor, Nanda Karnataki, Tanuja Samarth, Vijayendra Ghatge
Ankur अंकुर (Eng. The Seedling) (1974, Drama, class differences) (Director: Shyam Benegal)
Actors: Shabana Azmi, Sadhu Meher, Anant Nag, Priya Tendulkar
Dil To Pagal Hai दिल तो पागल है (Eng. The Heart Is Crazy) (1997, Romantic comedy, musical) (Director: Yash Chopra)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoo, Akshay Kumar
Dil Se.. दिल से (Eng. From the heart..) (1998, Romantic thriller) (Director: Mani Ratnam)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity G Zinta, Raghubir Yadav
Swades स्वदेश (Eng. Homeland) (2004, Quest back home) (Director: Ashutosh Gowariker)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Smith Seth
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha ग़दर: एक प्रेम कथा (Eng. Rebellion: A Love Story) (2001, Period drama, romance in 1947) (Director: Anil Sharma)
Actors: Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, Amrish Puri, Lillete Dubey
Omkara ओमकारा (Character's name) (2006, Adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Othello') (Director: Vishal Bhardwaj)
Actors: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma
Udaan उड़ान (Eng. Flight) (2010, Coming of age drama) (Director: Vikramaditya Motwane)
Actors: Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Manjot Singh, Ram Kapoor
Jodhaa Akbar जोधा अकबर (Character's names) (2008, Sixteenth century love story) (Director: Ashutosh Gowariker)
Actors: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Poonam Sinha
Main Hoon Na मैं हूँ ना (Eng. I'm Here) (2004, Romantic comedy, college) (Director: Farah Khan)
Actors: Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Suniel Shetty, Zayed Khan
20 Greatest "Tollywood" Movies
(Bengali Language films)
Background: The Bengali cinema industry in India is centered in a neighbourhood in the city of Kolkata named "Tollygunge" in the state of West Bengal. Thus the nickname "Tollywood".
Pather Panchali পথের পাঁচালী (Song Of The Little Road) (1955) Director: Satyajit Ray
Apur Sansar অপুর সংসার (The World of Apu) (1959) Director: Satyajit Ray
Aparajito অপরাজিত (The Unvanquished) (1956) Director: Satyajit Ray
Agantuk আগন্তুক (The Stranger) (1991) Director: Satyajit Ray
Unishe April উনিশে এপ্রিল (19th April) (1994) Director: Rituparno Ghosh
20 Greatest "Kollywood" Movies
(Tamil Language films)
Background: The Tamil cinema industry is centered in a neighbourhood in the city of Chennai named "Kodambakkam" in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Thus the "K" merged with "Hollywood" forms the nickname "Kollywood".
