Travel Through Time with Bollywood Films

by Suchi Mehta

Growing up, Bollywood films have always been extremely close to my heart. They’re known for their song-and-dance sequences, grand sets, gorgeous clothing, and passionate emotions that are hard to find elsewhere. In this article, I’ll be taking you through all of the major time periods of the Hindi film industry and my favorite movies from each. I’ve tried to include a good mix of popular and mainstream films as well as some that I thought were underrated; hopefully whether you’re new to Bollywood or a seasoned viewer, you can find something on this list that you would enjoy! However, if you are new to Bollywood, I would recommend that you start with the more modern films, since they’re more accessible to modern and Western audiences.

Golden Age (late 1940’s to 1960’s)

This time period of films, at least in my experience, is far more artistic and serious, and explores social themes far more than the pure entertainment and “masala” movies of the 70’s which went on to be the style of films for a while after that. I am definitely not an expert in the older movies, but I have seen a few good ones.

Seema (1955) - This was the first black and white movie that I watched. It stars Nutan, who is one of the best actresses in the Hindi film industry. Seema is about a young woman named Gauri, who is mistreated by her uncle and aunt after her parents pass away. After being falsely accused of theft, she is taken to an orphanage, where she starts to overcome her bitterness at how unfair her life has been thus far, and starts to make new friends and blossom. It’s a sort of Cinderella story, and a beautiful film to watch with the whole family.

Sujata (1959) - Another Nutan starrer, this film is about a girl named Sujata, who was born in the untouchable caste but was adopted by a Brahmin family. While she was adopted by them, she was never treated like their biological daughter, Rama, especially by her adopted mother. Eventually, a young man named Adhir (Sunil Dutt) who is a Brahmin and was intended for Rama, falls in love with her. This film challenges caste discrimination and criticizes untouchability in India, and is also the story of a young woman experiencing love for the first time. This film won the Filmfare Awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress, and is definitely deserving of its success.

Dosti (1964) - Dosti is the story of two friends, Ramu and Mohan. Ramu was injured in an accident and now needs crutches to walk, and Mohan is blind; they find themselves homeless, and so Ramu plays the harmonica while Mohan sings to earn money. Along the way, they befriend a little girl named Manjula, and they work to earn enough money for Ramu to go back to school, which is his dream. It’s a beautiful movie which highlights the power and importance of friendship, and it also has amazing songs. It was also the recipient of six Filmfare Awards, including Best Film.

Classic Bollywood (1970’s to 1980’s)

The 70’s is characterized by the classic Bollywood “masala” film, which is filled with entertainment and mixes all of the genres into one film, which makes every movie something for everyone to enjoy.

Anand (1971) - This film stars Rajesh Khanna as Anand and Amitabh Bachchan as Dr. Bhaskar Bannerjee. Anand is a terminally ill patient with lymphosarcoma of the intestine, and Dr. Bannerjee is a pessimistic and serious doctor. After Anand comes into his life, they become good friends and Anand goes about spreading joy and light into everyone’s lives in what he knows are his final days. This movie is heartbreaking, but it’s also moving, thought-provoking, and filled with life and love; I would highly recommend it. It also won the Filmfare Award for Best Film, Best Actor (for Khanna), and Best Supporting Actor (for Bachchan).

Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) - This movie defines the masala genre perfectly. Three brothers, Amar (Vinod Khanna), Akbar (Rishi Kapoor), and Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan), are separated at birth and raised in different families. When they grow up, fate brings them together again to complete a special mission. It’s far-fetched and hard to believe, but the fun of watching 70’s style movies is that they provide a great sense of escape and entertainment (even if you have to set aside logic a lot of the time).

Golmaal (1979) - Golmaal, like a few of director Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s comedies, starts with one lie, after which the characters have to go through crazy situations and make up even more lies to cover up that first one. Ramprasad Dashrathprasad Sharma, the protagonist of this film, ends up having to create a fake personality for himself to get hired. When his boss catches him outside of work behaving differently, he creates a fake identical twin to cover up for it. After that, he gets increasingly (and hilariously) tangled in the web of his own lies. This movie never gets old, and it’s my mom’s favorite of all time. If you’re looking for a laugh, this is the perfect movie for you!

New Bollywood (1990’s to present):

This is my personal favorite time period of Bollywood films, probably because it’s the one that I have grown up around the most, and the one that I have seen the most of. The films in the 90’s were mainly family-centric, romantic movies; in the 2000s, that trend carried on, but gradually the whimsical and commercial element in Bollywood movies declined in popularity; currently, a lot more realistic and women-centric films are being made. I will be recommending a couple of films from each decade, since it was too difficult to confine the entire time period into three.

1990s

Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke (1993) - Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla star in this romantic comedy, and it’s one of my favorites. After the death of their parents, Vicky, Munni, and Sunny move in with their uncle, Rahul (Khan). Both Rahul and the kids have a hard time adjusting to their lives together, and one night the kids sneak in Vyjayanti (Chawla), a young woman they met at a fair who ran away from an arranged marriage. This movie is extremely funny and sweet; among Rahul and Vyjayanti’s budding love story, there’s a mission to save Rahul’s newly inherited shirt factory from going bankrupt and lots of funny side characters who make this movie even more entertaining. Above all, it’s the story of Rahul, Vyjayanti, and the kids becoming a family—the perfect family watch.

Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994) - This is another underrated movie that I ended up loving. Shah Rukh Khan plays Sunil, a trumpet player in a small band. He is in love with Anna, their lead singer, but she loves Chris, another member of the band. What is so touching about this movie is that the main character, Sunil, isn’t the perfect ideal hero that a lot of Bollywood movies feature; he has many flaws and makes lots of mistakes, but is lovable despite them. The movie can be a little silly at times, as many 90’s movies tend to be, but it’s a cute and fun watch, and surprisingly relatable and sweet.

2000s

3 idiots (2009) - This is probably the greatest (and most popular) Bollywood movie ever made. The incredible ensemble cast, hilarious comedy, and powerful message truly make this film a masterpiece. The story is told in a flashback: Farhan (R. Madhavan) and Raju (Sharman Joshi) get a call saying that their college best friend, Rancho (Aamir Khan), has been found years after disappearing after their graduation. Their journey to reunite with him is spliced with the story of their adventures in college as they navigate through their college lives and the immense pressures of the education system, which are enforced by the college’s director, Dr. Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Boman Irani). It’s funny, touching, and filled with heart, and it will have you both laughing and crying alternately. If you’re to watch any Bollywood film, this is the one to see first.

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (2009) - In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated Bollywood movies. A lot of Ranbir Kapoor’s movies are good, but this one is one of my favorites. Harpreet Singh Bedi, a salesman, is hired by AYS, a huge company that sells and services computers. However, when he gets there, he finds that they run off of bribery and corruption, and don’t even have good customer service. So, while remaining an employee at AYS, he started his own business called Rocket Singh Sales Corporation that is grounded in honesty and good customer service. Gradually, he is joined by a few more AYS employees who want to do something better. However, they have to keep their business secret from their boss while operating from within his office. This movie is unlike a lot of other Bollywood movies in that it doesn’t have the drama and over-the-top emotion like they normally do, but it is entertaining nonetheless.

2010s

Dhanak (2015) - This is one of the cutest and most wholesome movies I have ever seen, starring Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria as Pari and Chhotu, two children living in a small village in Rajasthan. Chhotu is blind, and Pari, his elder sister, had promised him that he would see again before his ninth birthday. One day, she sees a poster of actor Shah Rukh Khan in an advertisement for eye donations; they soon find out that he is shooting a film in Rajasthan, so they set out on a journey to find him in order to get Chhotu his eyesight back. It’s funny and uplifting and sweet, and the perfect movie to watch with your family or with kids.

Raazi (2018) - Alia Bhatt (my favorite current actress in Bollywood) is brilliant in this spy-thriller film as Sehmat Khan, an Indian girl, married into a Pakistani army family prior to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 in order to gather intelligence for India. Vicky Kaushal is amazing in his role as her husband, Iqbal, and Raazi is simultaneously thrilling and dark, as well as heartfelt and human and touching. It received tons of critical acclaim, and Alia Bhatt received her third Filmfare Award for Best Actress for this film; it also received Best Film and Best Director that year.

Chhichhore (2019) - Starring the late Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Sharma, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Naveen Polishetty and Tushar Pandey, this is the story of Anni (Rajput), Maya (Kapoor), and their group of friends in college. Anni and Maya’s son, Raghav, attempted to commit suicide after being rejected from his dream college. Later, in the hospital, his parents and their old friends come together to tell him their story in an attempt to help him heal and feel hope again. Chhichhore is one of my favorite movies from this decade; it has an amazing message while being extremely funny and entertaining, and it's especially close to Sushant’s fans since it was his last film released in theaters prior to his passing.

Some additional recommendations:

Chori Chori (1956)

Mother India (1957)

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958)

Mughal-E-Azam (1960)

Kabuliwala (1961), Anpadh (1962)

Bawarchi (1972)

Seeta aur Geeta (1972)

Anuraag (1972)

Bobby (1973)

Chupke Chupke (1975)

Kissi Se Na Kehna (1983)

Masoom (1983)

Mr. India (1987)

Andaz Apna-Apna (1994)

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994)

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)

Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999)

Mohabbatein (2000)

Lagaan (2001)

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

Munna Bhai MBBS (2003)

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Veer-Zaara (2004)

Main Hoon Na (2004)

Swades (2004)

Chak De! India (2007)

Aaja Nachle (2007)

Taare Zameen Par (2007)

Jab We Met (2007)

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)

I am Kalam (2010)

English Vinglish (2012)

Barfi! (2012)

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)

Highway (2014)

Mary Kom (2014)

PK (2014)

Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)

Dear Zindagi (2016)

Pink (2016)

Neerja (2016)

Hindi Medium (2017)

Secret Superstar (2017)

Andhadhun (2018)

Sanju (2018), Badla (2019)