In this weekend blog, I am continuing with Bollywood.
Friends, the 21st century is 25 years old. Over the past 25 years, societies have evolved, and tastes have changed. Cinema absorbs and reflects this transformation. Now picking only 25 films from the first quarter of the century is going to be tough. The films selected take into account the originality, popularity, experimentation, cultural significance, and, of course, retention in audience memory.
In my opinion, these are the best films in last 25 years:
1 Hera Pheri
Priyadarshan’s comedy is one of the funniest films made in the country-a wholwe series of chaotic situations are triggered by simply a wrong telephone number. Akshay Kumar, Suneil Sheety, Tabu star in the film, but it is Paresh Rawal’s short-sighted Baburao that lifts the film to the next level of humour.
Available on Prime Video.
2 Lagaan
Aushutosh Gowarikar’s cricket epic pitted a bunch of villagers against the might of British empire. Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), protesting back-breaking taxes, accept the challenge of the snooty Brits to a cricket match, with a rag tag teams of misfits, who don’t even know how to play. The film was nominated for the Oscar award for Best Foreign language film.
Available on YouTube
3 Dil Chahta Hai
Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut humorously captured new generation of the urban young, as they navigate life and love. With an enviable cast of Aamir Khan, Saif Alik Khan, Akdhaye Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Preity Zinta and Sonali Kulkurni, it redefined ‘cool’ in Hindi films, while also staying within a realistic format.
Available on Prime Video
4 Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
Sudhir Mishra’s film, starring Kay Kay Menon, Chitrangada Singh and Shiny Ahuja is one of the finest political films made in India. The tragic love triangle is set in a rapidly changing India, with the backdrop of the Emergency and the Naxalite movement of the 1970s.
Available on YouTube
5 Rang De Basanti
Director Rakeysh Ramprakash Mehra tells a story of youthful rebellion against corruption, and stars Aamir Khan, Atul Kulkurni, Siddharth, Kunal Kapoor, R Madhvan, Sharman Joshi and Soha Ali Khan. While enacting the life of Bhagat Singh and his band of revolutionaries, six friends discover the power of the activism.
Available on Netflix
6 Chak De!India
A film that gained power in retrospect as Indian sportswomen starting winning, Shimit Amin’s film about a disgraceful hockey player Kabir Khan (among Shah Rukh Khan’s best performances) who is given the hopeless task of coaching a women’s hockey team. But he leads them to victory.
Available on Netflix.
7 Jab We Met
The romance between chatty young woman (Kareena Kapoor) and a surly man (Shahid kapoor) over a journey, directed by Imtiaz Ali, is one of the most popular romcom in Indian cinema.
Available on Prime Video and Jio Hotstar
8 Lage Raho Munnabhai
In the superior sequel to Raj Kumar Hirani’s Munnabhai MBBS, the cheerful gangster (Sanjay Dutt)and his sidekick Circuit ( a superb Arshad Warsi) get a dose of Gandhigiri, and are transformed.
Available on Prime Video.
9 Taare Zameen Par
Aamir Khan made his directorial debut and also played a sympathetic teacher, who helps a boy with dyslexia (Darsheel Safari) discover his artistic side. The film brought much-needed discussion about disabilities into the mainstream.
Available on YouTube
10 A Wednesday
Neeraj Pandey’s film was one of the few that took in the point of view of a common citizen (Naseeruddin Shah), who, fed up of general apathy, threatens to detonate bombs across Mumbai unless four terrorists are released. The surprise hit became abenchmark for small budget high concept thrillers.
Available on Netflix
11 3 Idiots
Inspired by a book by Chetan Bhagat, Raj Kumar Hirani’s film- starring Aaamir Khan, R Madhvan, Sharman Joshi- made a case for thinking out the box, and not follow the brain-killing Indian education system.
Available on Prime Video
12 Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Zoya Akhtar’s film about a trip three friends-Hrithik Roshan, Abhay deol, Farhan Akhtar- take them through Spain to confront their fears. It was emotionally strong, even though it faced criticism for focusing on ‘first world problems’.
Available on YouTube
I will write about the balance 13 films in next weekend blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
23rd January 2026