My Best 20th Century Indian Films
by TimeCrimes8055 | created - 09 Mar 2020 | updated - 09 Mar 2020 | PublicThis list is in the order.
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1. Pather Panchali (1955)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama
Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Subir Banerjee, Chunibala Devi
Votes: 38,577 | Gross: $0.54M
2. Aparajito (1956)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
Following his father's death, a boy leaves home to study in Calcutta, while his mother must face a life alone.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Pinaki Sengupta, Smaran Ghosal, Kamala Adhikari, Rani Bala
Votes: 16,003 | Gross: $0.17M
3. The World of Apu (1959)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
This final installment in Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy follows Apu's life as an orphaned adult aspiring to be a writer.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore, Alok Chakravarty, Swapan Mukherjee
Votes: 16,768 | Gross: $0.02M
4. Hera Pheri (2000)
Not Rated | 156 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Three unemployed men look for answers to all their money problems - but when their opportunity arrives, will they know what to do with it?
Director: Priyadarshan | Stars: Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Tabu
Votes: 72,515
5. Padosan (1968)
Not Rated | 157 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A simple man from a village falls in love with his new neighbor. He enlists the help of his musical-theater friends to woo the lovely girl-next-door away from her music teacher.
Director: Jyoti Swaroop | Stars: Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu, Mehmood, Kishore Kumar
Votes: 7,572
6. Karan Arjun (1995)
175 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Karan and Arjun reincarnate in the different parts of the country. But the faith of their previous mother brings them together in order to avenge their death.
Director: Rakesh Roshan | Stars: Rakhee Gulzar, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amrish Puri
Votes: 15,915
7. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)
Not Rated | 132 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two photographers, who are employed by a magazine editor to expose the scandalous activities of the rich, come across corruption by a builder and accidentally photograph a murder.
Director: Kundan Shah | Stars: Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Bhakti Barve, Satish Shah
Votes: 14,732
8. 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: 3,007
9. Mera Naam Joker (1970)
224 min | Comedy, Drama
Raju is a joker, a clown. It is what he is and what he always shall be. As his life story unfolds in three chapters, from his school days to the circus to the streets, he must always make ... See full summary »
Director: Raj Kapoor | Stars: Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Simi Garewal, Rishi Kapoor
Votes: 5,325
10. Kaun? (1999)
90 min | Mystery, Thriller
While alone in the house, a woman hears news of serial killer on the loose. And then a stranger rings the doorbell...
Director: Ram Gopal Varma | Stars: Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee, Sushant Singh
Votes: 5,072
11. Satte Pe Satta (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: 3,623
12. Vaastav: The Reality (1999)
Not Rated | 145 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Consequences force an innocent man to get involved in crime after making an error.
Director: Mahesh Manjrekar | Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Namrata Shirodkar, Reema Lagoo, Shivaji Satam
Votes: 14,772
13. Don (1978)
Not Rated | 166 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Don, a wanted criminal, dies in a police chase. DSP D'Silva is the only one who knows about his death, and to get hold of the gang he trains Don-lookalike Vijay. But Vijay faces danger from the police and from within the gang.
Director: Chandra Barot | Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Pran Sikand, Iftekhar
Votes: 12,763
14. 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: 16,720
15. Karma (1986)
Not Rated | 193 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The BSO is a British oriented group who wants to take control of India. When senior police inspector Vishwa Pratap Singh arrests there leader Dr. Michael Dang the authorities blast the jail... See full summary »
Director: Subhash Ghai | Stars: Dilip Kumar, Nutan, Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff
Votes: 2,398
16. Gol Maal (1979)
Not Rated | 120 min | Comedy, Romance
A man's simple lie to secure his job escalates into more complex lies when his orthodox boss gets suspicious.
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Stars: Amol Palekar, Bindiya Goswami, Deven Verma, Shobha Khote
Votes: 20,079
17. Bobby (1973)
168 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Raj, the son of strict, wealthy parents, falls in love with Bobby, the daughter of a poor Christian fisherman -- a romance his parents oppose.
Director: Raj Kapoor | Stars: Dimple Kapadia, Rishi Kapoor, Pran Sikand, Premnath Malhotra
Votes: 2,007
18. Sholay (1975)
Not Rated | 162 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After his family is murdered by a notorious and ruthless bandit, a former police officer enlists the services of two outlaws to capture the bandit.
Director: Ramesh Sippy | Stars: Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Amjad Khan
Votes: 58,754
19. Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
Not Rated | 160 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
Two slackers competing for the affections of an heiress inadvertently become her protectors from an evil criminal.
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi | Stars: Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor
Votes: 55,286
20. 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: 77,265
21. Baazigar (1993)
Not Rated | 175 min | Crime, Drama, Musical
A young man with a vendetta against a business tycoon seduces the man's 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: 30,020
22. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)
Not Rated | 177 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
During their college years, Anjali was in love with her best-friend Rahul, but he had eyes only for Tina. Years later, Rahul and the now-deceased Tina's eight-year-old daughter attempts to reunite her father and Anjali.
Director: Karan Johar | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Sana Saeed
Votes: 57,286 | Gross: $2.10M
23. Raja Hindustani (1996)
177 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Raja, a taxi driver, falls in love with Aarti, a rich girl, and marries her against her parents' wishes. Later, her parents try to create differences amongst the couple.
Director: Dharmesh Darshan | Stars: Aamir Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi, Johny Lever
Votes: 8,383
24. Ishq (1997)
161 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Two rich friends, hating the poor, were challenged by their children's love lives. Thus starts the war between love and money.
Director: Indra Kumar | Stars: Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Juhi Chawla, Kajol
Votes: 11,707
25. Baadshah (1999)
175 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A small time detective is mistaken as a CBI agent and gets embroiled in a deadly mission to save the Chief Minister from an assassination attempt.
Directors: Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla, Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Twinkle Khanna, Amrish Puri, Johny Lever
Votes: 20,174
26. Darr (1993)
Not Rated | 178 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Darr is a girl's (Kiran) story caught between one man's (Sunil) love and another man's (Rahul) obsession.
Director: Yash Chopra | Stars: Juhi Chawla, Sunny Deol, Shah Rukh Khan, Anupam Kher
Votes: 25,438
27. Anjaam (1994)
Not Rated | 170 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Vijay falls in love Shivani and proposes her only to be rejected every time. However his love turns into an obsession and turns her life into a hell.
Director: Rahul Rawail | Stars: Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan, Tinnu Anand, Johny Lever
Votes: 7,234
28. Mr. India (1987)
179 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A poor but big-hearted man takes orphans into his home. After discovering his scientist father's invisibility device, he rises to the occasion and fights to save his children and all of India from the clutches of a megalomaniac.
Director: Shekhar Kapur | Stars: Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Amrish Puri, Satish Kaushik
Votes: 16,569
29. Chachi 420 (1997)
155 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Desperation to be with his only child forces a divorced man to take the guise of the child's nanny. Situations get really messy when the child's grandfather (the man's ex-father-in-law) falls in love with his disguised ex-son-in-law.
Director: Kamal Haasan | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Amrish Puri, Om Puri, Tabu
Votes: 13,672
30. Mother India (1957)
Not Rated | 172 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
In this melodrama, a poverty-stricken woman raises her sons through many trials and tribulations. But no matter the struggles, she always sticks to her own moral code.
Director: Mehboob Khan | Stars: Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar Tuli, Raaj Kumar
Votes: 9,857
31. Ram Lakhan (1989)
Not Rated | 174 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Ram Lakhan is the story of two brothers who part ways due to their ideological differences, but how they come to each other's rescue as the story unfolds.
Director: Subhash Ghai | Stars: Rakhee Gulzar, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia
Votes: 2,927
32. Tezaab (1988)
Not Rated | 173 min | Action, Crime, Drama
From a very early age Mahesh Deshmukh has dreams of serving his country; his encouragement and dreams multiplies when his parents are killed by a gang of robbers who plan to loot the bank ... See full summary »
Director: N. Chandra | Stars: Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Chunky Pandey
Votes: 2,499
33. Khalnayak (1993)
Not Rated | 190 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A prison guard goes undercover as a dancer to try and recapture an escaped criminal and restore her police inspector boyfriend's reputation.
Director: Subhash Ghai | Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Rakhee Gulzar
Votes: 3,728
34. Dushman (1998)
Not Rated | 145 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A woman goes on a hunt to find her twin sister's rapist and murderer.
Director: Tanuja Chandra | Stars: Kajol, Sanjay Dutt, Ashutosh Rana, Jas Arora
Votes: 2,199
35. Raju Chacha (2000)
163 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Raju is hired to pose as uncle to three orphaned kids in order to usurp their inheritance. But he changes his mind after falling in love with their governess and decides to fight the greedy relatives.
Director: Anil Devgan | Stars: Kajol, Ajay Devgn, Rishi Kapoor, Tiku Talsania
Votes: 2,208 | Gross: $0.19M
36. Hey Ram (2000)
Not Rated | 186 min | Crime, Drama, History
Saketh Ram's wife is raped and killed during direct action day riots in Calcutta. He is convinced that Mahatma Gandhi is responsible for all the problems happening in the country and sets out to kill him.
Director: Kamal Haasan | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Hema Malini
Votes: 14,009 | Gross: $0.27M
37. Hum (1991)
184 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A dockworker overthrows the tyranny of a cruel gangster but has to run away to make a new life for himself and his brothers. Fifteen years later, his past catches up with him as his old enemy resurfaces.
Director: Mukul Anand | Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Govinda, Kimi Katkar
Votes: 3,353
38. 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, Suniel Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Jackie Shroff
Votes: 17,683
39. Ghatak: Lethal (1996)
158 min | Action, Drama
Unable to witness the injustice and brutality inflict on the residents by a tyrannical gangster, Katya, in a small Indian village in India; Kashinath alias Kashi decides to single-handily ... See full summary »
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi | Stars: Sunny Deol, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Danny Denzongpa, Amrish Puri
Votes: 4,214
40. Champion (2000)
140 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Rajveer, an aspiring police officer is given a task to save Abbas from a cold blooded criminal Nazeer. Though Abbas and Rajveer hate each other but realizing the tragedy behind his parents death brings them closer.
Directors: Padam Kumar, Jana Sue Memel | Stars: Sunny Deol, Prasant Samadhar, Manisha Koirala, Rahul Dev
Votes: 641
41. Sooryavansham (1999)
168 min | Action, Drama
Heera fails to live up to expectations of his father Thakur Bhanupratap Singh, a powerful and respected man of his community. Despite all odds Heera struggles to keep his father's pride.
Directors: E.V.V. Satyanarayana, Pranavanand | Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Soundarya, Jayasudha, Mukesh Rishi
Votes: 3,899
42. Hello Brother (1999)
139 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
A police officer receives a heart transplant from a murdered man whose ghost then follows him around insisting that he solve and avenge his murder.
Director: Sohail Khan | Stars: Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, Arbaaz Khan, Johny Lever
Votes: 4,674
43. Bulandi (2000)
Not Rated | 175 min | Action, Drama
A noble family presides over a small town in India.
Director: Rama Rao Tatineni | Stars: Anil Kapoor, Rekha, Raveena Tandon, Rajinikanth
Votes: 787
44. Kishen Kanhaiya (1990)
160 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Twin brothers are separated at birth and in adulthood, their identities are swapped.
Director: Rakesh Roshan | Stars: Vikas Anand, Ranjeet Bedi, Bindu Desai, Madhuri Dixit
Votes: 782
45. Ghar Ho To Aisa (1990)
Not Rated | 155 min | Drama
The Kumar family consists of Ramprasad, his wife, Durga; their married son, Vijay, his wife, Sharda, their daughter, Pinky; a married daughter who lives with them, Kanchan, her husband, ... See full summary »
Director: Kalpataru | Stars: Anil Kapoor, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Raj Kiran, Deepti Naval
Votes: 451
46. Gharwali Baharwali (1998)
138 min | Comedy
On discovery of his spouse's infertility, a man starts a search for a new wife.
Director: David Dhawan | Stars: Anil Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Rambha, Satish Kaushik
Votes: 761
47. Judaai (1997)
167 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In order to attain wealth and a luxurious life, a greedy wife sells her husband to a rich woman. However she realizes that with a luxurious life, she has to pay a heavy price for this decision.
Director: Raj Kanwar | Stars: Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Urmila Matondkar, Paresh Rawal
Votes: 2,797
48. Maine Pyar Kiya (1989)
Not Rated | 192 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
After Suman's father leaves her in the care of another family while he travels abroad, she falls in love with Prem. However, in order to for them to marry, Prem has to prove to Suman's father that he is not the same as his own dad.
Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya | Stars: Salman Khan, Bhagyashree Patwardhan, Alok Nath, Rajeev Verma
Votes: 13,088
49. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
Not Rated | 188 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Nandini has to choose between Sameer, the man who taught her to fall in love; and Vanraj, the man from whom she learnt how to abide and fulfill promises of love.
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Stars: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Zohra Sehgal
Votes: 19,779
50. Judwaa (1997)
138 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Twin brothers who are separated soon after birth, meet in adulthood and join forces to defeat their common enemy, a notorious criminal.
Director: David Dhawan | Stars: Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Rambha, Kader Khan
Votes: 6,945
51. Chamatkar (1992)
Not Rated | 171 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
When Sunder loses everything, he seeks refuge in a graveyard, where he befriends a ghost.
Director: Rajiv Mehra | Stars: Naseeruddin Shah, Shah Rukh Khan, Urmila Matondkar, Malvika Tiwari
Votes: 6,996
52. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000)
Not Rated | 160 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
In order to seek justice for a man who exacts vengeance on a politician, who was responsible for his daughter's death, two rival reporters teams up to help him to prove his innocence.
Director: Aziz Mirza | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Johny Lever, Paresh Rawal
Votes: 8,560 | Gross: $0.59M
53. Dhadkan (2000)
161 min | Drama, Romance
Anjali and Dev are in love and plan to marry, but her family gets her married to Ram. Years later, Dev shows up to reunite with Anjali, who has managed to fall in love with her husband.
Director: Dharmesh Darshan | Stars: Akshay Kumar, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Suniel Shetty, Mahima Chaudhry
Votes: 8,062 | Gross: $0.05M
54. Dil Se.. (1998)
Not Rated | 163 min | Drama, Romance
A radio broadcaster's intense attraction to a mysterious woman opens the door to a tidal wave of powerful emotions and desires.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity G Zinta, Raghubir Yadav
Votes: 31,172
55. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994)
TV-14 | 206 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Prem and Nisha meet and fall in love at the wedding of their elder siblings, but their plans to be together are put in jeopardy when Nisha's sister dies, leaving behind a baby.
Director: Sooraj R. Barjatya | Stars: Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan, Mohnish Behl, Renuka Shahane
Votes: 22,565
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