Most guides to Hindi cinema give you a ranked list and leave you to work out which film suits you. This one starts from the other end: find what you already like below, and watch that film first.
A word on terms. “Bollywood” refers to the Hindi-language film industry, based in Mumbai. India also makes films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and other languages, and those industries are separate. Every film below is in Hindi, so this guide covers one part of Indian cinema, not all of it.
Three things that may surprise a first-time viewer
The songs. Songs are part of how many Hindi films tell their story, and the voice you hear is usually not the actor’s. Playback singing, where a trained singer records the song and the actor mouths it on screen, goes back to the 1930s. Dhoop Chhaon (1935) is described as the first Hindi film to use it. The writer R. Vijayakar, in the journal The South Asianist, says the practice arose because many stars could act but could not sing. Singers became stars in their own right; Vijayakar names Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle. Crediting changed after Mahal (1949), when the record first credited “Aayega Aanewala” to the character Madhubala played, and fan letters prompted a correction naming Lata Mangeshkar as the singer (Hindustan Times, 2020).
The length. At least three of the eight films below run over three hours in their cinema versions. We give the runtime for each where we could confirm it, so you can plan an evening.
The interval. Cinemas in India often pause a film partway through. Writers on the practice link it to long running times, and to the food and drink sold during the break, and note that no national law requires it (Citizen Matters, 2014; High On Films, 2025). Some directors now skip it.
How these eight were chosen
Each film makes sense without prior knowledge. Where a film has won or been nominated for a major award, we say so; the note at the end explains how we checked. Together they cover different genres and decades. They are starting points, not a ranking.
If you like comedy with a message
3 Idiots (2009), directed by Rajkumar Hirani. A comedy-drama set at an engineering college, about three students and their clash with its strict director. It runs 170 minutes in its cinema version (BBFC). It won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and the jury praised it as an intelligent entertainer touching contemporary concerns. It is loosely adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s novel Five Point Someone; Hirani has said the film is very different from the book. Caution: the BBFC notes two suicide scenes.
Dil Chahta Hai (2001), directed by Farhan Akhtar. A comedy-drama about three college friends and their diverging paths, set in contemporary urban India. It was Akhtar’s debut as director. It runs 185 minutes (BBFC) and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
If you like romance
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), directed by Aditya Chopra. A romantic musical in which two British Indians fall in love on a trip across Europe, and the heroine’s father has other plans. It was Chopra’s debut as director and runs 189 minutes in its 1995 cinema version (BBFC). It is reported to have won 10 Filmfare Awards. It is a long, songful film, and a good test of whether the format works for you.
Queen (2014), directed by Vikas Bahl. A comedy-drama in which a sheltered woman from Delhi goes on her honeymoon alone, to Paris and Amsterdam, after her fiancé calls off the wedding. Kangana Ranaut won the National Film Award for Best Actress, and the film won Best Feature Film in Hindi (Press Information Bureau).
If you like a road trip or an ensemble
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), directed by Zoya Akhtar. Three school friends reunite for a bachelor road trip across Spain, and old tensions come up on the way.
If you like thrillers
Andhadhun (2018), directed by Sriram Raghavan. A black comedy crime thriller set in Pune, about a pianist who gets caught up in a murder. It runs 138 minutes in the cut cinema version (BBFC; an uncut version also exists) and won three National Film Awards: Best Feature Film in Hindi, Best Actor for Ayushmann Khurrana (shared with Vicky Kaushal), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Press Information Bureau). Raghavan has said a 2010 French short film, L’Accordeur, was its starting point. We say nothing more about the plot, because the pleasure of this one depends on not knowing.
If you want an epic
Lagaan (2001), directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. In 1893, drought-stricken villagers under heavy colonial taxes are dared by a British officer into a cricket match, a game none of them has played. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) and won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It runs well over three hours, the longest film on this list.
If you want a classic
Sholay (1975), directed by Ramesh Sippy. An action-adventure Western set in a village, in which a retired police officer hires two small-time crooks to capture a bandit. The theatrical cut runs 198 minutes; a longer 204-minute version appeared on home video in 1990, and a restored version of about 206 minutes was classified in 2025 (all BBFC). Check which version you are watching. Caution: the BBFC lists moderate violence, threat and suicide references.
Where to go next
If the thrillers appealed, our guide to slow-burn Hindi thrillers covers films that take their time. Browse the Recommendations archive for more picks as we add them.
How we checked
Runtimes come from British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) listings and are for the version named; we give no figure where we could not confirm one. The awards for Queen and Andhadhun and Lagaan’s Oscar nomination were checked against official records (linked above). Other awards are taken from published reports. This guide is based on records and published sources, not our own viewing. Last checked 24 October 2026. If you spot an error, tell us and we will correct it.
