Recent hits and modern favourites
3 Idiots (2009)3 Idiots (2009): Rajkumar Hirani's comedy about three engineering students and the pressure of India's education system.
Dangal (2016)Dangal (2016): the true story of Mahavir Singh Phogat training his daughters Geeta and Babita to become champion wrestlers.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011): three friends, a road trip across Spain, and Zoya Akhtar's film about facing your fears.
Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)Gangs of Wasseypur (2012): Anurag Kashyap's two-part crime saga of a family feud in the coal belt of Dhanbad.
Drishyam (2013)Drishyam (2013): Jeethu Joseph's Malayalam thriller about a cable-TV operator protecting his family, and its many remakes.
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017): S. S. Rajamouli's epic of the kingdom of Mahishmati, and the answer to 'Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?'
K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022)K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022): Yash as Rocky in Prashanth Neel's Kannada gangster epic set in the Kolar Gold Fields.
RRR (2022)RRR (2022): S. S. Rajamouli's action epic about two revolutionaries in the 1920s, and the Oscar-winning song Naatu Naatu.
Kantara (2022)Kantara (2022): Rishab Shetty's Kannada film about land, forest and folk ritual in coastal Karnataka, and its explosive final act.
Vikram (2022)Vikram (2022): Lokesh Kanagaraj's Tamil action thriller with Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil, and the start of the 'Lokesh Cinematic Universe'.
Jawan (2023)Jawan (2023): Atlee's action thriller with Shah Rukh Khan in a double role, Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi. Story and cast.
Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024)Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024): Allu Arjun returns as red-sandalwood smuggler Pushpa Raj in Sukumar's Telugu blockbuster.
12th Fail (2023)12th Fail (2023): the true story of Manoj Kumar Sharma, from failing school in Chambal to the civil services. Vidhu Vinod Chopra's surprise hit.
Laapataa Ladies (2024)Laapataa Ladies (2024): Kiran Rao's comedy about two brides swapped on a train, and India's entry for the Oscars.
Manjummel Boys (2024)Manjummel Boys (2024): a group of friends from Kochi, a trip to Kodaikanal, and a rescue from the Guna Caves. Based on a true story.
Stree 2 (2024)Stree 2 (2024): the horror-comedy sequel set in Chanderi, with Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor facing the headless Sarkata.The classics
Sholay (1975)Sholay (1975): the story, the cast, and why Ramesh Sippy's 'curry western' about Jai, Veeru and Gabbar Singh is still the most quoted Hindi film.
Mother India (1957)Mother India (1957): Mehboob Khan's epic of a village woman's struggle, Nargis's landmark performance, and the film's Oscar nomination.
Mughal-e-Azam (1960)Mughal-e-Azam (1960): K. Asif's lavish Mughal romance of Prince Salim and Anarkali, its famous colour song, and the 2004 colourised release.
Pather Panchali (1955)Pather Panchali (1955): Satyajit Ray's first film, the opening of the Apu Trilogy, and why it changed how the world saw Indian cinema.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ, 1995): the romance of Raj and Simran, and the film that has played at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir for decades.
Lagaan (2001)Lagaan (2001): villagers take on British officers in a cricket match to escape a crushing tax. Story, cast and its Oscar nomination.Guides
South Indian films in HindiWhy Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films are released in Hindi, which ones to start with, and the legal ways to watch Hindi-dubbed South Indian films.How to watch Indian films legallyLegal ways to watch Indian films: cinemas, streaming services, free official YouTube channels and TV, how to find which service has a film, and why pirate download sites are risky.
India's film industriesIndia makes films in more than 20 languages. A guide to the Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi and other film industries and what each is known for.
A short history of Indian cinemaThe story of Indian cinema in eight eras: the silent pioneers, the first talkies, the golden age, parallel cinema, the angry young man, the 1990s romance, multiplexes and the pan-India era.