Hello readers! Through this blog, I am sharing with you the list of the Top 11 Best Bollywood Movies of All Time!
Bollywood is known to be the 2nd largest and most famous film industry after Hollywood, worldwide. There are various film industries worldwide, and they produce a variety of films of different genres too, but the names which are commonly heard and known are Hollywood and Bollywood.
Hollywood is superior for its CGI effects and incredible action scenes but what even Hollywood enjoys from Bollywood is their storytelling pattern, the masala they got in their films, and of course the dancing numbers.
Top 11 Bollywood Movies Of All Time
We made is a list with the help of IMDB And Rotten Tomatoes
Bollywood came into existence around the 1960s to ’70s, before that it was either Hindi Cinema or Bombay Cinema.
But after the 60’s era, it named itself Bollywood. Bollywood consists of many genres of films; action, comedy, romance, thriller, horror, etc. but it has one unique genre that no other film industry has and that is Masala.
Masala is that genre that is the summation of drama, action, romance, comedy, etc. No wonder Bollywood movies have their crazy fan base around the globe.
There are so many movies that are remarkable and a treat to watch with full-on entertainment and some are even so liberating in terms of sensitive matters too. So, here I am listing out 11 of Bollywood’s best movies of all time.
1. Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
One of the very first grandeur period drama films of the era. The magnificent scenes, grand setups, stunning costumes, and the beauty of the romantic scenes are astonishing! Released in 1960, directed by K. Asif and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji, it is one of the biggest hits, until now.
It was the first Hindi film that got digitally converted from black and white to color film. The majestic cast; Prithviraj Kapoor, Madhubala, Dilip Kumar, and Durga Khote made the film even more glorious.
The highlights of the film are the awesome choreographies of the exquisite songs are a treat to watch. The movie elaborates on “an incomplete but famous love story of all time; the love story of Prince Salim and court dancer Anarkali.
The film is about the historical love story of Salim, the royal prince, and Anarkali, the court dancer; the struggles and tortures they face by the emperor Akbar, father of Salim, and parted away forever.”
There are around 12 amazing songs and the dialogues are epic! But above all, the beauty of Madhubala as Anarkali will make you fall in love with her.
2. Anand (1971)
This movie will burst you in tears and also will fill you with several inspirational one-liners like, ‘Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi’ (life should be fulfilling, not just long).
“Anand, the male protagonist dealing with cancer, has limited days to live and he decides to live his numbered life to its fullest by spreading love and laughter in everyone’s life.
His nonchalant attitude and positive outlook toward life inspire everyone around him.
Bhaskar, the oncologist who used to be a pessimist had a change of attitude because of him and he becomes his best friend, who writes a book on Anand after his death to spread his message to the world that we must live our life at its fullest by helping, inspiring and spreading love into the world.”
The role of Anand was played by the veteran Rajesh Khanna, while the role of the oncologist is played by Big B aka Amitabh Bachchan. The movie won many accolades including the Filmfare for best film.
The exceptional dialogues and the depth of the acting skill will engross you in the story. This film was one more addition to the 17 consecutive box office hits of Rajesh Khanna.
3. Sholay (1975)
Another iconic movie that is a must-watch amongst the list of the best Bollywood movies of all time!
The fiery dialogues, the intense drama, and the comic elements are phenomenal. This movie is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. This multi-starrer film was a blockbuster and is worshiped even now.
Bollywood is a trendsetter when it comes to delivering iconic dialogue with swag and style, and this movie is a heap of iconic dialogues. This film has it all; brotherhood, friendship, revenge, forbidden love, romance, a nasty villain, item numbers, comedy, drama, and whatnot.
This can be tagged as a complete Bollywood Masala movie. The star cast includes a group of Bollywood biggies; Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, Amjad Khan, etc.
The Ramesh Sippy directorial film has spotlighted every big and small character equally. The R.D.Burman composed songs for this movie are top rated. Overall, as we say in terms of appreciation for the Indian film, the movie is ‘total paisawasool’(value for money)!
4. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) (1995)
This movie is the most lovable and valued romantic-musical movie in the history of Indian cinema and it is continued to be so. This movie was considered the bible for lovers. DDLJ has become the brand of love.
The audience nowadays also goes gaga over this movie. The chemistry between Shahrukh Khan and Kajol in this movie had set a bar for every other romantic chemistry.
The movie bagged over $60 million worldwide in 1995; won numerous accolades including an addition in the reference book, ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ and placed 12th in the list of top Indian films of all time under the British Film Institute.
It is the longest-running film in the history of the Indian film industry and is treated as a heritage of Indian cinema still showing the movie in Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir theatre after over 25 years of its release.
The soundtracks of this movie are melodious and mesmerizing. The tracks were super hit in the 90s and still sweep you off your feet. This movie was a Yash Raj Films production and the debut directorial movie of Aditya Chopra.
The quintessential love story of Raj and Simran will give you warm and fuzzy feelings; set your romance bar high, and gives you the entertainment of an awesome script.
5. Hum Aapke Hai Kaun (1995)
Sooraj Barjatiya’s directorial masterpiece, this film is also a romantic musical that shows the budding love story of Prem and Nisha the main leads, amidst an arranged marriage of their elder sibling.
This movie has showcased a series of Indian ceremonies related to marriage, after marriage, baby showers, etc.
The vibrant picturization of ever small details in the movie will capture your attention and make you envy the fashionable attires, and larger-than-life-size happy family functions. Handsome hunk Salman Khan is playing the male lead and the female protagonist is played by the gorgeous Madhuri Dixit.
The beauty of Madhuri, her style in the film had set a trend following her style and dressing like her. Even the attires worn by Salman were highly trending in the 90s era.
The naughty lovey-dovey interactions between Prem and Nisha, have made a trademark of filmy romance in Bollywood.
Without any streamy scenes, this film has left its mark on the Indian film Industry. The songs are groovy, and catchy and will make you dance to their beat.
6. Lagaan (2001)
This is a colonial, Ashutosh Gowarikar directorial movie, which revolves around the British Raj times, and the merciless tax burden on the Indian villagers.
The story’s main plot is the cricket match that the Britishers are a pro at, and the Indian villagers are unaware of.
The British tyrant mocks the villagers and offers them a one-sided deal which was either they win in cricket against them or they pay triple tax as a penalty.
The story is about the struggles of the poor farmers due to the lack of rain and the pressure of paying Lagaan (Tax) to the British colonials who were ruling them and exploiting them.
Amidst this tragedy, there is love, pain, struggle, and focus to win; these aspects are beautifully portrayed.
Lagaan received worldwide acclamation and several accolades; it was the third Indian film that was nominated for the Academy Awards list of Best Foreign Language Film.
Aamir Khan’s leading film was on a budget of Rs.25 crores and collected almost Rs.68 crores during that time of inflation.
7. Devdas (2002)
This movie is an adaptation of a similarly named novel of 1917 by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, a renowned Bengali novelist.
This romantic tragic story is represented as a big banner film by one of the finest directors of the Indian Film Industry, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Shahrukh Khan as Devdas, Aishwarya Rai as his beloved Paro, and Madhuri as a courtesan, are the main focus of the story.
The story shows the pathetic caste system and family’s hollow beliefs in hampering a long love connection of two innocent lovers, resulting in the ultimate demise of the lovers.
The story points out the shallow cultural foundations, beliefs, the pain that the people have to suffer in those days for having a love connection, and also the ill-treating status of the courtesans despite their good intentions. This movie is the highest budgeted movie of the era with Rs.500 million.
Devdas received a bitter-sweet review from the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2002 but was widely appreciated in the theatres and bagged loads of accolades for various categories including a nomination in the BAFTA Awards.
This Bengali culture-based story is one of the masterpieces of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and is a must-watch.
8. 3 Idiots (2009)
One of the worldwide famous movies starring Aamir Khan as the lead, 3 Idiots is about the struggle of the engineering students studying in the leading engineering college of India, the stress they have to bear throughout the semesters, and also their boisterous joviality of them.
This movie shows you the college vibe, the fun, the naughtiness, the pressure, the tragic experience, the love, the friendship, the promise, and a strong message.
It was the first movie to enter the Rs.200 crores club at the box office collection. Worldwide collected around Rs.395 crores, in China it was a mega-hit and they wanted to remake it.
Rajkumar Hirani’s directorial masterpiece won the hearts of many by the story of three friends, their love for each other, and how they are inspired.
It is a portrayal of the Indian novelist Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘Five Point Someone. This movie will give you a solid laughter dose along with heartfelt emotions.
9. Queen (2013)
It is the super hit Hindi Drama showing the empowerment of women. The interesting and entertaining journey of a mediocre shy girl who was ditched by his modern fiancé, and went on her pre-planned honeymoon in Paris and Amsterdam, all by herself, and returned as a strong and independent girl.
The acting skills of Kangana Ranaut the leading lady in the film are exceptional. The movie has fun-coated all the harsh realities which make the movie light weighted and highly enjoyable.
The movie won many critical acclamations and praises worldwide. It was an Rs.12 crores budgeted movie which made a collection of over Rs.97 crores at the box office.
It was the highest-earning film of a female protagonist. The movie won six prestigious awards including Best Film, Best Actress, Best Director, etc. The movie is very entertaining and the soundtracks are superb with some catchy dance moves.
10. Kahani (2012)
Sujoy Ghosh’s directorial movie Kahani is a Mysterious Thriller story, starring Vidya Balan as the female protagonist, Parambrata Chattopadhyay as the Kolkata Police cop, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the intelligence officer.
The movie is about a pregnant wife coming to Kolkata looking for her missing husband and denying giving up on the search; while moving on with her quest she becomes a target of a killer, that made her realize that there is something big going on and to find her husband she has to solve the puzzle.
With the help of the cop, she finally finds her husband, and then a shocking revelation is made. The movie made a huge success and was praised by many critics as well as loved by the audience.
A good thriller mystery that makes you wonder, challenges your conclusion at every corner of the movie, and finally blows your mind! The scenic beauty of Kolkata, the rawness of the characters, and the famous visual treat of Durga Puja will give you a full dose of satisfaction and worth your time.
11. Dangal (2016)
This movie is another gem from the Aamir Khan’s perfect film treasury. This film is a portrayal of the life story of the famous freestyle wrestler and Gold medal winner in the Commonwealth Games 2010, Geeta Phogat, Babita Phogat her sister, and the role of her dad in their career.
The movie is a kind of Biography of the Phogat family’s wrestling origin. The strictness of their father and their childish problems are fun to watch. The movie shows a rollercoaster of emotions and changes in attitude with age.
And of course, power pact representation of wrestling matches that are very finely skilled. This Nitesh Tiwari directorial film was a mega-hit and the hustle/ hard work of the actors is applaudable.
The film made its way to many prestigious events like Beijing International Film Festival 2017, and BRICS.
It is the 18th highest-grossing sport in the world. China has this movie named it the highest-grossing foreign film. The film received many prestigious accolades and praises.
This film is a raw representation of the journey of a sportswoman and her father and also promotes female empowerment.
Conclusion of Best Bollywood Movies Of All Time
The above movies are the best among the best movies in Bollywood. These movies are recognized and appreciated for their uniqueness and powerful portrayal.
These movies will make their place in your all-time favorite movie list. Each movie in this list is the most outstanding movie in Bollywood.
The various genres will not only entertain you but also add more to your knowledge. These films give a clear idea of the story-telling ability of our finest artists, writers, and directors.
Why Bollywood is the most famous film industry after Hollywood? The answer lies in these epic and all-time best movies. So, start binging, explore the various genres of Bollywood, fill your best watch list with these awesome movies and enjoy!
Here is a quick list of 11 Best Bollywood Movies Of All Time
- Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
- Anand (1971)
- Sholay (1975)
- Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) (1995)
- Hum Aapke Hai Kaun (1995)
- Lagaan (2001)
- Devdas (2002)
- 3 Idiots (2009)
- Queen (2013)
- Kahani (2012)
- Dangal (2016)
Please comments here, which one is your favorite movie?