Dubbed “Bollywood” (after the city formerly known as Bombay, where the industry is based) by movie enthusiasts, the Hindi-language film industry accounts for a major portion of the global film space and continues to grow with each title it pumps out. Bollywood beats out Nigeria’s Nollywood as well as Hollywood to be the world’s largest film industry in terms of output and reach, its content appealing to movie-goers in every corner of the world.
But what is it exactly that makes Bollywood so epic, its films so special? Some argue that there’s a tried-and-true formula to any quality Bollywood film: swoon-worthy romance, swelling soundtracks, ridiculously attractive lead characters, and plot twists that you can see coming from a mile away. Others say that Bollywood’s secret is far simpler—it’s just a damn good time from beginning to end.
Either way, these films are well worth the two-plus hours (Bollywood movies are notoriously long) you’ll probably have to block off in your day to watch them. Whether you’re a fan of romance, tragedy, or comedy, there’s definitely a film for you in this colorful world. Below, a list of Bollywood staples that you need to add to your watch list, from epic historical dramas to kickass action movies.
You can’t talk about Bollywood without mentioning Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The 1995 classic is widely considered the golden standard for Bollywood rom-coms, featuring a cheeky Shah Rukh Khan and starlet Kajol (and her signature unibrow) as two young people who fall in love on a backpacking trip across Europe.
Source: https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a28848130/best-bollywood-movies/