The 2000s was an era for silver screens like no other — unlike today when every entertainment piece is a monthly subscription away. In those bygone times, especially for Bollywood, audiences queued in line for hours to catch glimpses of the Khan trio: King Khan (Shah Rukh Khan), Salman Khan, and Mr. Perfectionist (Aamir Khan, star of theIndianForrest GumpremakeLaal Singh Chaddha). Those were also the days when only stardom ruled Bollywood, and from plotline to acting, nothing was ever enough to pull the audience to the theaters. However, as times changed, with mediums of entertainment growing exponentially, Indian cinema too witnessed a turnaround in these landscapes, doing everything to fill the gaps in attracting viewers.
That said, the 2000s was also the era fabled for churning iconic evergreens of Bollywood that garnered global appreciation and put a clearer image of Indian cinema on the maps. The movies inhibited the powerful plotline capturing Indian culture in every sequence, perfect casting, and the twist ofBollywood music and choreography. Here are the best 2000s Bollywood movies, ranked.
Updated on September 7th, 2023, by Gargi Chatterjee:This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
12Main Hoon Na (2004)
Starring Shah Rukh Khan(playing Major Ram) and Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen (playing Chandni),Main Hoon Naexplores the narrative of bringing peace between two warring neighbors, a subtle allusion to India and Pakistan.
However, Raghavan, the lead antagonist, has conflicting plans for this operation and decides to jeopardize these plans by threatening the life of the General’s daughter. Ram, saving the day, goes undercover to protect her, while also fulfilling his mission of reuniting his family. The mega-hit Bollywood movie finds its place in the audience’s heart due to its perfect casting, action-thriller plot, and aesthetic music and dance sequences.
11Jab We Met (2007)
Bollywood was really big on sweet romcoms throughout the 2000s and one of the gems that came out of that era wasJab We Met.The sweet story of a depressed Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) and a very bubbly Geet (Kareena Kapoor) having a meet-cute on the train station.
The movie follows how their lives intertwined with each other in the next few days, winning the hearts of the audience. Even though Geet is initially in love with someone else, it all resolves into a very happy conclusion by the end of the movie. The acting in the movie is phenomenal and some songs in the movie are popular to this day.
10Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Dil Chahta Haiinitially depicts a bromance narrative between its three lead protagonists, Akash (Aamir Khan), Siddharta (Akshaye Khanna), and Sameer (Saif Ali Khan). Slowly, however, life diverges their paths, pivoting the plotline into three separate love stories.
Through each story, the audience witnesses the characters' approaches to their relationship with their partners. While some resonate with the thoughts of Sameer, others find themselves like Siddharta. This romance flick became an instant cult classic featuring the journey of inseparable friends in an aesthetic way. Even 20 years after its release, the Bollywood movie does not feel out of place and puts raw emotions and thoughts that the audience needs to ponder over once the movie ends.
9Hera Pheri (2000)
Bollywood has had its fair share of really great comedy movies over the years. But if someone were to make a list of the greatest Hindi comedy movies of all time,Hera Pheriwould surely be one of them.
This 2000 comedy movie has three main characters Shyam (Suniel Shetty), Raju (Akshay Kumar), and Baburao (Paresh Rawal) whose lives are upturned when they are caught in a devious kidnapping scheme and nothing goes right. The movie is filled with hilarious scenes that will leave you in stitches. The second installation in the moviePhir Hera Pherihas the same three main characters and is equally hilarious.
8Chak De! India (2007)
Chak De! India, a sport-centric film, finds Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) post-getting charged as anti-national, navigating his life as a coach to the Indian Women’s Hockey team to prove his loyalty to the nation.
The movie singularly and subtly instills preaching of patriotism, love for hockey, and placement ofwomen in the sportsfield through its storytelling. It also puts a thought forward of not judging a man by their ethnicity.Chak De! Indiais a visual treat for all hockey lovers out there.
Related:Best Bollywood Movies of the 2010s, Ranked
7Taare Zameen Par (2007)
There are not many movies in Bollywood about the struggles of children with learning disabilities and the kind of problems they face in their daily lives. The very heartwarming movieTaare Zameen Parstarred child actor Darsheel Safari in the role of 8-year-old Ishaan Awasthi who struggles in his classes but is artistic. His parents send him to a boarding school where Ishaan also struggles to learn anything.
A new art teacher called Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) joins their faculty and takes an interest in Ishaan. He understands that the little boy struggles with Dyslexia and that is the reason behind his inability to perform well in school. The rest of the movie is also very sweet as we see Ishaan slowly learning with the help of his teacher and how he also continues to pursue his passion which is painting. The movie was very well-received by both critics and the audience and to this day remains one of the best movies of this decade.
6A Wednesday (2008)
InA Wednesday, a commoner takes justice into his own hands and hatches a conspiracy of sending bomb scares around Mumbai. The film is a work of fiction but draws its inspiration from the July 2006Mumbai Bombing attack.
In a down-to-earth yet unique storytelling, starring versatile actors like Naseeruddin Shah (playing The Common Man) and Anupam Kherr (playing Prakash Pramod) in the lead, the movie brings forward the most impactful performance of the 2000s, perIndia Times. It shifted from the typical glitz of Bollywood to deliver a refreshing narrative that re-establishes the thought that a commoner wields the power of higher stature.
5Omkara (2006)
Vishal Bhardwaj is one of the most talented filmmakers of our time and it is very evident if you look at his 2006 movieOmkara.Adapted from William Shakespeare’s classic play Othello, the movie puts a very Indian twist on the story, so even the average person can enjoy the true essence of it.
The actors did a great job in portraying the different characters as well. It’s one of the rare successful Shakespeare adaptations in Bollywood. Bhardwaj also madeMaqboolin 2003, which is an adaptation of Macbeth, andHaidarin 2014 which is an adaptation of Hamlet.
4Lagaan (2001)
Staged in the pre-independence period of India,Lagaanstars Aamir Khan. This sports drama explores the plot of a peasant, Bhuvan, challenging Captain Andrew Russell to a cricket match and his journey to ultimate victory in these uncharted territories of the sports.
The movie brings forward the light-hearted narrative in the most entertaining format and simultaneously highlights Indian history. Of the many themes, like unity, love, and sports, that the film revolves around, colonial oppression is the one that strikes a chord with the audience. It allows them to revisit the lanes of the British Raj period and imbibe a sense of pride for coming afar in this journey of national progress.
3Black (2005)
One of the most heartfelt movies to come out of the decade,Blacktells the story of Michelle (Rani Mukerji) a girl who lost her eyesight and hearing in her childhood, and her alcoholic teacher Debraj (Amitabh Bachchan), who is the only person who can slowly teach her anything.
As the movie progresses, we see how Michelle starts to communicate through sign language and read through Braille with the help of Debraj. In the end, she manages to graduate but Debraj is by then in a mental institution due to Alzheimer’s disease. The movie ends with a heavy but hopeful note that will surely make you wipe a few tears.
