Top 10 Bollywood Iconic Movies

Top 10 Bollywood Iconic Movies: Bollywood, India’s biggest filmmaking sector, love it or hates it but one simply can’t resist it. Bollywood is the world’s largest film production center in the world, with an average production of 1500-2000 movies per year. Even with the evolution concerning globalization and western trends, Bollywood has always had that Indian touch in its projects.

A film industry that depicts not only talent, creativity, revenues, growth over the years but also the right set of emotions one needs in life. Over the years, Bollywood has aced the art of being iconic in every respect, talk about setting trends for fashion, celebrations, approaches, or on the other hand inculcating the right set of thoughts and family values in the minds of the audience. Bollywood has evolved to be a complete package. What else makes Bollywood iconic is the perfect mix of awe and inspiring musical masala to the hard-hitting realities. Bollywood never fails to amaze us with its charms making all the time invested worth it.

No. 1 Dil Wale Dulhania Le Jayenge

This Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer classic make it impossible to talk about Bollywood without mentioning it. A movie cannot just be on the big screen for 23 years straight without being iconic. This rom-com is about a young man and woman who fell in love while on a trip to Europe. For a 90s kid, it would have been a highlight of teenage where he or she would learn and repeat the dialogues for this movie. The dialogues, scenes, and romantic musicals of the film can never get old. Even Obama could not resist using the ‘Senorita’ dialogue.

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Mandira Bedi, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal
Release Date: 20^th October 1995
Genres: Romance
IMDb Ratings:1/ 10
Duration: 192 minutes

No. 2 Dil Chahta Hai

With the relatable screenplay, Dil Chahta Hai has a special place in our hearts. This Farhan Akhtar-directed drama-comedy has it all. It is the movie for coming- ages in a true sense as it aptly reflects the choices which the modern youth has to make on different life-changing instances of career, young age love, and friendship. This movie is somewhat responsible for giving us the modern-day slang of #friendshipgoals in real situations. And is there any group of friends who have never made a successful/ unsuccessful plan to Goa inspired by the movie? There is no way one can stop grooving on the soundtracks of this ahead of its movie.

Cast: Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, Dimple Kapadia
Release Date: 10^th August 2001
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
IMDb Ratings: 1/10
Duration: 185 minutes

No.3 Lagaan

The movie was Oscar-nominated for best foreign-language film in the year 2002. The film is based on the overtaxed debt of villagers under British rule. The villagers end up playing a cricket match against the British officers to get the right to not pay taxes. Politics, romance, comedy, and drama combined make it an iconic Bollywood film of all times.

Cast: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne
Release Date: 15^th June 2001
Genres: Romance, history, drama, comedy
IMDb Ratings:1/10
Duration: 225 minutes

No. 4 Thappad

Being one of the most powerful films, Thappad is a big slap on the face of patriarchy. The movie is not just a movie but a confession. Amidst an argument between Vikram and his boss, Vikram accidentally slaps his wife Amrita. This makes her realize the kind of micro- sexism she was facing all these years in her marriage leading to her filing a divorce. ‘Ek thappad hi toh tha’ was what constantly society told her and this can’t be a reason for the divorce. But the question here is that was it equally alright if Amrita would have slapped Vikram.

Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Diya Mirza.
Release Date: 28^th February 2020
Genres: Drama
IMDb Ratings:8/10
Duration: 142 minutes

No. 5 Jab we met

Even after so many years of the release, Jab We Met remains one of the most loved Bollywood rom coms. Bold, extrovert, phataka Geet, and a heartbroken introvert, angry young boy Aditya met on a train journey, which changed their life forever. Eventually while helping her elope with her secret boyfriend, Aditya falls in love with her. With all the sizzling tracks and sparkling chemistry, it’s a complete entertainer. Even with nothing new with the storyline, the movie guarantees a smile on your face throughout.

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Dara Singh, Saumya Tondon, Tarun Arora.
Release Date: 26^th October 2007
Genres: Romantic comedy, Drama
IMDb Ratings:9/10
Duration: 155 minutes

No. 6 Swades

Swades is a movie that proves that Bollywood is not just about those clichés. The movie is more like a tale of homecoming, creates a sense of patriotism within the audience, raising various issues like education, women empowerment, poverty, casteism, and inequality. The storyline revolves around Mohan Bhargava, played by Shah Rukh Khan, who is a project manager at NASA coming back to his native country in search of his nanny. With the homecoming, he gains a sense of belongingness with the people here and he decided to stay in his village to give upliftment to his village.

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal
Release Date: 17^th December 2004
Genres: Musical drama
IMDb Ratings:2/10
Duration: 210 minutes

No. 7 – 3 idiots

Inspired by Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone, 3 idiots is a drama-comedy questioning the education system in the right ways. The movie in its storyline portrays a bond of friendship between 3 boys and takes us back to the days of our college. The film flawlessly depicts the parental expectations and peer pressure we all go through. Without losing the sense of humor, the movie has so much to say. The accurate mix of performance, story, comedy, and music will leave you saying “Aal Izz Well” at the end.

Cast: Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Omi Vaidya
Release Date: 25^th December 2009
Genres: Drama, comedy, romance
IMDb Ratings:4/10
Duration: 171 minutes

No. 8 Queen

A girl going on her honeymoon all by herself breaking all stereotypes can be seen only in Bollywood. This movie gives us all a lesson to live our life on our terms and happiness. A classic example of how one can convert his tragedy into celebration. Rani, played on screen by Kangana Ranaut, goes on a solo honeymoon after her fiancé ditched her right before their marriage. Rani set free in Paris and Amsterdam, even living her life to the fullest.

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Rajkumar Rao, Lisa Hayden
Release Date: 7^th March 2014
Genres: Comedy-drama, adventure
IMDb Ratings:2/10
Duration: 146 minutes

No. 9 Rang de Basanti (Top 10 Bollywood Iconic Movies)

This epitome of modern patriotism features a storyline of five friends fighting for justice for their pilot friend who died due to the shortcomings of the political system. The movie is a continuous reminder for us to never stop fighting for our beliefs. The iconic candle march was a reminder to demand justice and not sit back being ok with what is wrong. The iconic dialogue stands true in all situations in our life” Zindagi jeene ke do hi tarike hote hai … ek jo ho raha hai hone do, bardaasht karte jao … ya phir zimmedari uthao usse badalne ki”

Cast: Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, Kunal Kapoor, Alice Patten, Soha Ali Khan, Waheeda Rehman
Release Date: 26^th January 2006
Genres: Comedy, drama, historical fiction
IMDb Ratings:1/10
Duration: 171 minutes

No. 10 Article 15 (Top 10 Bollywood Iconic Movies)

The crime thriller is a thought-proving film that everyone in India has to watch. It’s a mirror for our society for the still prevailing caste system. The storyline is inspired by a real-life story, and revolves around an honest police officer investigating the disappearance of three Dalit girls from a village and was later found dead. The title is inspired by the article of the Indian constitution prohibiting discrimination on any grounds. Ayushmann Khurrana, thus, in the movie being from a city and having a mindset above these traditions, portray an officer concerned for the prevailing situation. There are a lot of disturbing scenes in the movie reflecting the practices which still exist somewhere in society.

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Nassar, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
Release Date: 28^th Jun2 2019
Genres: Action, drama, crime, thriller
IMDb Ratings:2/1
Duration: 140 minutes