Top 50 Hindi Movies of all time
by TheOriginalCinephile | created - 22 Oct 2017 | updated - 2 weeks ago | PublicA list comprising of the greatest Hindi films in terms of cinematic excellence.
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1. Awaara (1951)
193 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A poor young man named Raj joins a criminal gang to feed his mother. But when he falls in love with Rita, he decides to reform himself for her.
Director: Raj Kapoor | Stars: Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Prithviraj Kapoor, K.N. Singh
Votes: 3,688
2. Shree 420 (1955)
168 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When a young man from a small town decides to make it big in a city, he faces several challenges.
Director: Raj Kapoor | Stars: Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Nadira, Nemo
Votes: 2,536
3. Pyaasa (1957)
Not Rated | 146 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A talented but indigent poet Vijay struggles for love and recognition in this selfish world.
Director: Guru Dutt | Stars: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Rehman
Votes: 5,579
4. Madhumati (1958)
110 min | Fantasy, Musical, Mystery
A young man takes shelter in a mansion when a landslide blocks his route to the railway station. Then, he finds the mansion familiar and soon learns about the story of his previous birth.
Director: Bimal Roy | Stars: Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Johnny Walker, Pran
Votes: 1,221
5. Kanoon (1960)
150 min | Drama, Crime, Mystery
A lawyer holds the eyewitness evidence to catch a killer, but the identified criminal is the lawyer's own mentor, prospective father-in-law, and also the judge who presides over the case.
Director: B.R. Chopra | Stars: Rajendra Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Nanda, Nana Palsikar
Votes: 389
6. Mughal-E-Azam (1960)
Not Rated | 197 min | Drama, Romance, War
A 16th century prince falls in love with a court dancer and battles with his emperor father.
Director: K. Asif | Stars: Prithviraj Kapoor, Madhubala, Dilip Kumar, Durga Khote
Votes: 7,351 | Gross: $0.16M
7. Woh Kaun Thi? (1964)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
One stormy night, a doctor offers a ride to a ghostly woman he meets on the side of the road. Later, he discovers his intended bride is identical in appearance to the ghost. Who was she and why does she haunt him?
Director: Raj Khosla | Stars: Sadhana, Manoj Kumar, Parveen Choudhary, K.N. Singh
Votes: 918
8. Guide (1965)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
When mistaken to be a sage by some villagers, an ex-tour guide reflects on his past and lost love to search for spiritual wisdom to guide the villagers.
Director: Vijay Anand | Stars: Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Leela Chitnis, Anwar Hussain
Votes: 7,453
9. Amrapali (1966)
119 min | Musical, Fantasy
A victory over neighboring state Vaishai has always eluded Magadh Samrat Ajaatshatru despite being winning and taking control over all neighboring states. He attacks Vaishali only get ... See full summary »
Director: Lekh Tandon | Stars: Vyjayanthimala, Sunil Dutt, Prem Nath, Bipin Gupta
Votes: 186
10. Anand (1971)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama, Musical
The story of a terminally ill man who wishes to live life to the fullest before the inevitable occurs, as told by his best friend.
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Stars: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo
Votes: 30,596
11. Rajnigandha (1974)
110 min | Drama, Romance
A Delhi-based woman in a steady relationship with her boyfriend is forced to come to terms with her true feelings when a job interview in Mumbai brings an old flame back in her life.
Director: Basu Chatterjee | Stars: Vidya Sinha, Amol Palekar, Dinesh Thakur, Ranjita Thakur
Votes: 629
12. Seven on Seven (1982)
160 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
The eldest of seven brothers, who run a family farm together, marries a pretty nurse, inspiring his country-bumpkin siblings to follow his example.
Director: Raj N. Sippy | Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Ranjeeta Kaur, Amjad Khan
Votes: 3,063
13. Disco Dancer (1982)
PG-13 | 135 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Talented amateur singer after years of honest work became a famous professional, but an old enemy of his family is envy of his success.
Director: Babbar Subhash | Stars: Mithun Chakraborty, Kim, Kalpana Iyer, Om Puri
Votes: 1,251
14. Katha (1983)
141 min | Comedy, Drama
Secretly in love with his neighbor, a mild-mannered clerk is heartbroken when his much bolder, more charming friend wins her heart instead.
Director: Sai Paranjape | Stars: Naseeruddin Shah, Farooq Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Jalal Agha
Votes: 1,071
15. Parinda (1989)
Not Rated | 154 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A man's friend, a police officer, is assassinated by gangsters in broad daylight. He discovers that his elder brother works in the same gang and decides to avenge his friend's death by infiltrating the gang.
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Stars: Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Madhuri Dixit
Votes: 3,089
16. Baazigar (1993)
Not Rated | 175 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
A young man with a vendetta against a business tycoon seduces his younger daughter, but she begins to suspect her new lover's connection with her elder sister and his ulterior motive.
Directors: Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla, Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Dalip Tahil, Rakhee Gulzar
Votes: 26,030
17. Darr (1993)
178 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A woman plans to marry a navy officer but she is also the object of another man's obsession.
Director: Yash Chopra | Stars: Juhi Chawla, Sunny Deol, Shah Rukh Khan, Anupam Kher
Votes: 22,238
18. Rangeela (1995)
Not Rated | 142 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A middle class young woman, who dreams of Bollywood fame, is caught in a love triangle between her childhood friend and a famous actor.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: Urmila Matondkar, Aamir Khan, Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover
Votes: 9,223
19. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
Not Rated | 181 min | Drama, Romance
When Raj meets Simran in Europe, it isn't love at first sight but when Simran moves to India for an arranged marriage, love makes its presence felt.
Director: Aditya Chopra | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal
Votes: 63,747
20. Border (I) (1997)
Not Rated | 176 min | Action, Drama, History
In 1971, along the border region of Longewala, a small battalion of Indian soldiers goes up against a large Pakistani strike force.
Director: J.P. Dutta | Stars: Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Jackie Shroff
Votes: 13,966
21. Satya (1998)
Not Rated | 170 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An innocent man is embroiled in underworld after being falsely charged and sets out to punish the perpetrators who subjected his life to misery.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: J.D. Chakravarthi, Manoj Bajpayee, Urmila Matondkar, Paresh Rawal
Votes: 13,498
22. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
PG | 224 min | Drama, Musical, Sport
The people of a small village in Victorian India stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker | Stars: Aamir Khan, Raghuvir Yadav, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley
Votes: 105,492 | Gross: $0.07M
23. Darna Mana Hai (2003)
Not Rated | 121 min | Horror
Seven friends, after their car breaks down in the middle of the night, find shelter and tell one another stories to kill time till dawn.
Director: Prawaal Raman | Stars: Sameera Reddy, Antara Mali, Sohail Khan, Saif Ali Khan
Votes: 3,122
24. Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Not Rated | 156 min | Comedy, Drama
A gangster sets out to fulfill his father's dream of becoming a doctor.
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Gracy Singh, Sunil Dutt
Votes: 74,298
25. Veer-Zaara (2004)
Not Rated | 192 min | Drama, Family, Musical
Veer-Zaara is a saga of love, separation, courage and sacrifice. A love story that is an inspiration and will remain a legend forever.
Director: Yash Chopra | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kirron Kher
Votes: 49,294 | Gross: $2.92M
26. Swades (2004)
Not Rated | 189 min | Drama
A successful Indian scientist returns to an Indian village to take his nanny to America with him and in the process rediscovers his roots.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi, Kishori Ballal, Smit Sheth
Votes: 83,290 | Gross: $1.22M
27. The Married Woman (2005)
Not Rated | 130 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
The lifelong romance between Lolita (Balan) and Shekar (Khan) is upset by the arrival of another man.
Director: Pradeep Sarkar | Stars: Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Dia Mirza
Votes: 8,784 | Gross: $0.80M
28. Main, Meri Patni... Aur Woh! (2005)
129 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A short, nondescript man, Mithilesh Shukla marries a tall and beautiful woman. Now jealousy and Mithilesh's own insecurities threaten to wreck his happy home.
Director: Chandan Arora | Stars: Rajpal Yadav, Rituparna Sengupta, Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon
Votes: 2,099
29. Garam Masala (2005)
Not Rated | 146 min | Comedy, Romance
A rib tickling tale of two flirts who constantly flirt with women despite one of them being engaged. Chaos ensues when the fiancé finds out that her to-be groom is cheating on her.
Director: Priyadarshan | Stars: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen
Votes: 14,005
30. Don (I) (2006)
Not Rated | 171 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Vijay is recruited by a police officer to masquerade as his lookalike Don, the leader of an international gang of smugglers. Things go wrong when the officer is killed and Vijay is left to fend for himself.
Director: Farhan Akhtar | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Arjun Rampal, Isha Koppikar
Votes: 34,464 | Gross: $0.80M
31. Guru (2007)
Not Rated | 166 min | Biography, Drama
A villager, Gurukant Desai, arrives in Bombay 1958, and rises from its streets to become the GURU, the biggest tycoon in Indian history.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Mithun Chakraborty, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhavan
Votes: 22,071 | Gross: $2.09M
32. Chak De! India (2007)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Family, Sport
Kabir Khan is the coach of the Indian Women's National Hockey Team and his dream is to make his all girls team emerge victorious against all odds.
Director: Shimit Amin | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Sagarika Ghatge, Shilpa Shukla
Votes: 74,476 | Gross: $1.11M
33. No Smoking (2007)
Not Rated | 128 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A surreal story about a man, his addiction of smoking, and a mysterious and powerful organisation, which claims to cure such addictions, though through very unusual ways.
Director: Anurag Kashyap | Stars: John Abraham, Ayesha Takia, Paresh Rawal, Ranvir Shorey
Votes: 6,696
34. A Wednesday (2008)
Not Rated | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A retiring police officer reminisces about the most astounding day of his career. About a case that was never filed but continues to haunt him in his memories - the case of a man and a Wednesday.
Director: Neeraj Pandey | Stars: Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Jimmy Sheirgill, Aamir Bashir
Votes: 74,068
35. Ghajini (2008)
Not Rated | 186 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
A short-term memory loss patient sets out on his journey to avenge the death of his beloved girl.
Director: A.R. Murugadoss | Stars: Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal, Jiah Khan, Pradeep Singh Rawat
Votes: 56,634 | Gross: $2.43M
36. 3 Idiots (2009)
PG-13 | 170 min | Comedy, Drama
Two friends are searching for their long lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently, even as the rest of the world called them "idiots".
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Stars: Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Mona Singh, Sharman Joshi
Votes: 346,805 | Gross: $6.53M
37. My Name Is Khan (2010)
PG-13 | 165 min | Drama
An Indian Muslim man with Asperger's syndrome takes a challenge to speak to the President of the United States seriously and embarks on a cross-country journey.
Director: Karan Johar | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Sheetal Menon, Katie A. Keane
Votes: 98,933 | Gross: $4.02M
38. Fearless (2010)
Not Rated | 126 min | Action, Comedy
A corrupt police officer faces challenges from his family, gangsters and politicians.
Director: Abhinav Kashyap | Stars: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood, Arbaaz Khan
Votes: 27,931 | Gross: $4.63M
39. Guzaarish (2010)
126 min | Drama
A paralyzed Magician-turned-RJ files a Petition in Court seeking permission to end his life.
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shernaz Patel, Aditya Roy Kapoor
Votes: 17,327 | Gross: $1.02M
40. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Not Rated | 155 min | Comedy, Drama
Three friends decide to turn their fantasy vacation into reality after one of their friends gets engaged.
Director: Zoya Akhtar | Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif
Votes: 68,277 | Gross: $3.11M
41. Rockstar (2011)
Not Rated | 159 min | Drama, Music, Musical
Janardhan Jakhar chases his dreams of becoming a big Rock star, during which he falls in love with Heer.
Director: Imtiaz Ali | Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Shammi Kapoor, Kumud Mishra
Votes: 39,683 | Gross: $0.99M
42. Don 2 (2011)
Not Rated | 148 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Don turns himself in and escapes with Vardhaan from prison, following which he recruits a team to steal currency printing plates from a bank in Berlin.
Director: Farhan Akhtar | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Florian Lukas, Om Puri, Priyanka Chopra
Votes: 49,576 | Gross: $3.68M
43. Piku (2015)
Not Rated | 123 min | Comedy, Drama
A quirky comedy about the relationship between a daughter and her aging father, whose eccentricities drive everyone crazy.
Director: Shoojit Sircar | Stars: Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee
Votes: 29,090
44. Airlift (2016)
Not Rated | 130 min | Drama, History
When Iraq invades Kuwait in August 1990, a callous Indian businessman becomes the spokesperson for more than 170,000 stranded countrymen.
Director: Raja Menon | Stars: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Kumud Mishra, Prakash Belawadi
Votes: 53,009
45. Andhadhun (2018)
Not Rated | 139 min | Crime, Drama, Music
A series of mysterious events change the life of a blind pianist, who must now report a crime that he should technically know nothing of.
Director: Sriram Raghavan | Stars: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Votes: 72,990 | Gross: $1.37M
46. Gully Boy (2019)
Not Rated | 154 min | Drama, Music, Romance