Bollywood movies, or movies made in Hindi, have become a broader representation of Indian culture and society in recent years. Of course, these are only small snapshots of India, especially considering that South Asia is one of the most linguistically and culturally varied regions in the world. India alone has around 121 major languages, meaning Hindi isn’t the native tongue for many Indians, and Bollywood isn’t the only film industry in the country. Still, Bollywood has become one of the country’s biggest entertainment industries, and stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra have appealed to domestic and international fans alike.
Those unfamiliar with Bollywood movies might feel intimidated not only by the language barrier, but also by the specific tropes that seem to appear in every Bollywood movie these days. Bollywood includes a wide variety of genres and is an umbrella term for Hindi movies, so not every Bollywood movie is a corny romance, and not every one has outlandish jokes that go so far they become funnier than intended. Subject and content are diverse here, too. Here are 12 beginner-friendly movies.
12
‘Om Shanti Om’ (2007)
Bollywood About Bollywood
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone star in the classic Om Shanti Om, released in theaters in 2007. Khan portrays Om, a struggling junior artist in the 1970s who is enamored with a famous actress named Shanti (Padukone, in her debut). When he finally gets the chance to meet her, it changes the course of both their lives forever. Shanti is murdered by her secret husband, a ruthless producer, and Om dies trying to save her. Both are reincarnated decades later, and Om sets out to avenge the woman he once lost.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: Om Shanti Om cycles through every Bollywood trope and is gleefully theatrical, which makes it pretty entertaining throughout. More importantly, it is a film about the industry itself, affectionately mocking the very conventions a newcomer might find baffling. Watch this one, and you will recognize the shorthand in everything else on this list.
11
‘Queen’ (2014)
A Honeymoon for One
Queen is a movie centered on finding yourself after a life-changing event. Rani (Kangana Ranaut) is about to get married when her fiancé calls everything off only days before the wedding, leaving her devastated. In a moment of insight, Rani decides to go on her honeymoon whether she has a husband or not, despite her family’s reservations about her traveling alone. In Europe, Rani discovers the perfect opportunity to grow as a person and as a woman, even when her ex-fiancé turns up begging her to come back.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: This is Bollywood at its most stripped-back, with no dance numbers, no dynasty, and no melodrama, just one woman rebuilding herself in Paris and Amsterdam. Ranaut won a National Film Award for the role, and it remains the performance she is best known for. If big musical spectacle isn’t your entry point, start here instead.
10
‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ (2003)
A Bollywood Romance in Manhattan
Kal Ho Naa Ho takes place in New York City, where a group of overseas Indians finds themselves with a new neighbor: Aman (Shah Rukh Khan). MBA student Naina (Preity Zinta) ends up spending a lot of time with him in the days to come, especially as he lives next door and helps her family out. Eventually, she falls in love with him. But in true Bollywood fashion, this movie won’t make it easy for the protagonists, and a series of dramatic twists are to come.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: The New York setting does a lot of the work here, giving newcomers a familiar backdrop while the story gets on with it. It was the highest-grossing Indian film overseas that year, and its title track is one of Bollywood’s most recognizable songs. Bring tissues.
9
‘3 Idiots’ (2009)
College, Pressure, and Friendship
3 Idiots depicts three engineering students in India attending a respected university in the country’s capital. They go through many phases of college, facing plenty of challenges along the way. Whether it’s schoolwork and projects or a college romance in the air, an event will change their friendship forever. Ten years later, you can see the impact on their lives and how they ended up pursuing their careers.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: A comedic satire about Indian education and the pressure it creates, 3 Idiots is worth watching at least once, and it was the highest-grossing Indian film at the time of release. Director Rajkumar Hirani specializes in films that make you laugh for two hours and then quietly gut you, and this is the best example of it. The themes of parental expectation and career pressure land anywhere in the world.
8
‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (1995)
The Most Famous Bollywood Film Ever
Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan star in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which many consider a modern Bollywood classic. Two young Indians are living overseas in London. Simran comes from a conservative household, and her father learns that his old friend still expects the promise to be honored: Simran will marry his son. Enter Raj (Khan). The two meet on a Eurail trip across Europe, and when they get separated from their travel groups, they end up traveling together. Romance sparks, with drama throughout the rest of the movie.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: If you watch one film on this list, make it this one. DDLJ has screened continuously at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir theater since 1995, the longest theatrical run of any film anywhere in the world, and Raj and Simran are the template every Bollywood couple since has been measured against. It is also very funny, which people tend to forget.
7
‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…’ (2001)
Family Melodrama at Maximum Volume
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… focuses on one family. Traditional in nature, and with a multimillionaire patriarch who built his fortune through business prowess, the family expects both sons to follow in his footsteps and carry on the legacy. However, when one of the brothers falls in love with a girl from a lower socioeconomic status, his father will never approve. This leads to conflict, especially as other variables enter the equation in the family’s and the brothers’ lives.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: This is the full Bollywood experience with nothing held back: a three-and-a-half-hour runtime, an absurdly stacked cast including both Bachchans, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor, and emotions dialed permanently to eleven. It was the highest-grossing Indian film overseas at the time of its release. Approach it as an event, not just a movie.
6
‘Pathaan’ (2023)
Shah Rukh Khan Goes Full Action Star
One of the most anticipated releases of 2023, Pathaan blends elements of Bollywood with the action genre. Shah Rukh Khan portrays Pathaan, an agent for the Indian government who finds himself involved in a new adventure. When India announces it is revoking Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir, it angers a Pakistani general, who hires a former Indian agent to do his dirty work, putting his path on a collision course with Pathaan and his team.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: Pathaan is a flood of emotions, and it is the easiest sell on this list for anyone who normally watches Hollywood blockbusters. It also marked Khan’s return to leading roles after a four-year absence and became one of the biggest Indian films ever made, so the sheer excitement in the theaters was part of the experience.
5
‘Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ (2023)
Two Families, One Very Bad Idea
Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is a beautiful love story in the making. Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh portray a Bengali girl and a Punjabi boy who discover their grandparents were once briefly in love. As they reunite them and take them on dates in their old age, they end up falling for each other along the way. But their romance has one big barrier: their families. With cultural differences to overcome, they decide to swap families for three months to win them over.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: This is the most recent film here to feel like classic Karan Johar, all color and confidence, while quietly aiming for the exact conservatism his older films sometimes celebrated. The North-South and Bengali-Punjabi culture clash also gives newcomers a genuine window into how varied Indian culture actually is, rather than treating it as one thing.
4
‘Ram-Leela’ (2013)
Romeo and Juliet, Gujarat Edition
Ram-Leela, fully titled Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, stars Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, a real-life married couple. Set in a village in Gujarat, two rival clans have been fighting for centuries. In this generation, conflict between the clans is at a boiling point, but when the young son of one and the daughter of the other fall in love, it can either build a bridge to peace or destroy them all.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: The movie is based on the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, so you already know the shape of the story and can enjoy how it gets there. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes some of the most visually overwhelming films on the planet, and this is the perfect introduction to his particular brand of maximalism.
3
‘PK’ (2014)
An Alien Asks Uncomfortable Questions
In PK, Aamir Khan portrays an alien who finds himself on Earth. He’s supposed to conduct research, but after losing his communication device, he is stranded. A television reporter named Jaggu (Anushka Sharma) crosses paths with him, is amused by his stories of coming from another planet, and they set out to find his device, questioning the nature of humanity along the way.
Why It Is Great For Beginners: The film became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time when it was released, though it has since been surpassed. It is also a genuinely pointed satire about organized religion and blind faith, delivered so warmly that it went down easily with mainstream audiences, which is a difficult trick to pull off in any film industry.
