10-best-bollywood-movies-on-netflix-you-should-watch

India produces nearly 2,000 films every year, making it the world’s most prolific film industry. While Hollywood continues to dominate the American box office, Indian and Bollywood cinema have steadily expanded their audience in the United States, where Indian films have grossed $100 million.

 

Netflix has built a sizeable collection of Bollywood titles, although newcomers to Indian cinema may find it difficult to decide where to begin. In this selection, Bollywood refers to Hindi-language films made in India. While the term is often associated with extravagant musicals and larger-than-life storytelling, it broadly covers Hindi films across genres.

 

India’s film industry works in several languages. Only around 20% of the nearly 2,000 films made annually are in Hindi, while the remaining films come from industries such as Telugu, Tamil and others. The Telugu-language action film RRR is one prominent example from outside Bollywood. Hindi cinema, however, remains among the most visible Indian film industries, particularly through stars such as Shah Rukh Khan.

 

Here are 10 Bollywood films available on Netflix that offer an accessible starting point for new viewers while continuing to appeal to long-time Hindi-film fans.

1. Gangubai Kathiawadi

 

Directed as a colourful and theatrical biographical drama, Gangubai Kathiawadi follows a woman whose extraordinary life is brought to the screen by Alia Bhatt. The 2022 film tells the story of Gangubai, who is sold to a brothel by her boyfriend as a teenager in the 1940s.

 

Initially known as Gangu, she gradually begins campaigning for labour rights for women working in the adult industry. After earning the trust of her colleagues and a local mob boss, she becomes the brothel’s madame. Her activism later extends into politics, where she continues to speak for the women in her workplace.

 

The film was widely praised for Bhatt’s performance and its powerful portrayal of a complicated woman. Its strength lies in the combination of Gangubai’s remarkable journey and Bhatt’s emotionally grounded performance. The result is a sentimental yet gritty biopic that gives its central character considerable depth.

2. Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies)

 

India’s submission for Best International Film at the 2025 Oscars, Laapataa Ladies, known in English as Lost Ladies, builds its comedy around an accidental exchange of brides. Newlyweds Deepak, played by Sparsh Shrivastav, and Phool, portrayed by Nitanshi Goel, board a train for Deepak’s hometown.

 

Several newly married women on the train are dressed alike in red bridal outfits with their faces covered. Deepak mistakenly gets off with another bride, Jaya, played by Pratibha Ranta, while Phool remains on the train. Deepak and his family are confused but accept Jaya into their home. At the same time, Jaya’s irresponsible husband searches for her, while Phool begins learning to manage life independently.

 

Director Kiran Rao and writer Sneha Desai present the story in a broad, accessible style. The film’s feminist ideas emerge through the mistaken interchangeability of the brides, while the compassionate performances give the light-hearted plot additional emotional depth.

3. Dil Se

 

 

Mani Ratnam’s 1998 film Dil Se... arrived during a period when Bollywood was reviving musical romances while also paying greater attention to political and social themes. Shah Rukh Khan plays Amar, a Delhi-based radio broadcaster sent to Assam on assignment.

 

There, Amar encounters the Liberationists, an insurgent group fighting for independence, and becomes fixated on Meghna, played by Manisha Koirala. As his obsession deepens, he begins following her without understanding her past. Their lives eventually become entangled in a terrorist operation carried out by the Liberationists.

 

The film combines political concerns with striking visuals and music by A.R. Rahman. Its celebrated sequence featuring “Chaiyya Chaiyya”, performed by Khan and Malaika Arora on a moving train, remains one of Bollywood’s most memorable musical moments.

 

Behind the romance is a metaphor about the Indian government’s domination of marginalised groups, expressed through Amar and Meghna’s troubled relationship. The film also follows the seven stages of love described in Arabic literature, moving from attraction towards madness.

4. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

 

Released in 1998, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai represents the modern musical romance of 1990s Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan plays Rahul Khanna, a college student whose closest friend is Anjali Sharma, portrayed by Kajol. Anjali, a basketball-playing tomboy, loves Rahul, but he falls for a new student.

 

Years later, the story resumes after the death of Rahul’s wife, Tina, played by Rani Mukerji. Before her death, Tina leaves eight letters for their daughter, who is also named Anjali. The final letter reveals that the child’s namesake had loved Rahul in college and asks the daughter to bring the two of them together.

 

The film centres on love, separation and the different paths taken by its characters rather than a conventional love triangle. Its title song was filmed in Scotland, while the colourful performances and 1990s aesthetic helped establish the movie as a lasting Bollywood romantic comedy.

5. Merry Christmas

 

Sriram Raghavan’s 2024 film Merry Christmas uses the holiday season as the setting for a slow-burning mystery rather than a conventional festive story. Vijay Sethupathi plays Albert, who returns to 1980s Bombay after spending several years away. On Christmas Eve, he meets Maria, a mysterious single mother played by Katrina Kaif.

 

The two form an immediate connection and spend the evening together, but the film gradually introduces suspense and murder. Raghavan allows the characters and their surroundings to develop patiently, while the contrasting personalities of the lead performers create much of the film’s appeal.

 

The director released both Hindi and Tamil versions. Instead of dubbing one version into the other language, he filmed the movie twice. Sethupathi and Kaif appeared in both versions, while the supporting casts differed between the Hindi and Tamil editions.

6. Om Shanti Om

 

Farah Khan’s contribution to Bollywood includes choreography for more than 80 films, including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dil Se.... After making her directorial debut with Main Hoon Na in 2004, she directed Om Shanti Om, widely regarded as her most accomplished film.

 

Shah Rukh Khan plays Om Prakash Makhija, or Omi, a junior film artist who dreams of becoming a star and admires the famous actress Shanti Priya, played by Deepika Padukone. Omi dies in a fire on a film set involving Shanti and is later reincarnated as superstar Om Kapoor, known as O.K.

 

When O.K. begins remembering his former life, he sets out to take revenge on Mukesh Mehra, played by Arjun Rampal, the producer and husband of Shanti who was responsible for his death. The film’s extravagant plot, energetic songs and Khan’s highly expressive performance are central to its appeal.

 

Farah Khan also choreographed the film’s musical numbers. “Deewangi Deewangi” features cameos by 39 well-known actors, while “Dard-E-Disco” plays with the conventions of grand Bollywood songs through a deliberately exaggerated performance by a muscular, shirtless Shah Rukh Khan.

7. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga

 

Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is often described as the first Bollywood film to feature a lesbian relationship. The film follows Sweety, played by Sonam Kapoor, as she faces pressure from her Punjabi family to marry.

 

She meets Sahil, a struggling playwright portrayed by Rajkummar Rao. Although Sahil develops feelings for her, Sweety tells him that she is a lesbian and has a girlfriend, Kuhu, played by Regina Cassandra. Rather than reacting with anger, Sahil decides to write a musical about tolerance, with Sweety and Kuhu in the lead roles.

 

Sweety remains concerned about whether her family, especially her father, played by Sonam Kapoor’s real-life father Anil Kapoor, will accept her. The film ends on an optimistic note and uses its sincere, warm-hearted approach to communicate a message of acceptance, even though the relationship between Sweety and Kuhu is not its main focus.

8. Swades

 

A commercial disappointment when it was released in 2004, Swades has since come to be regarded by many as a masterpiece and as one of Shah Rukh Khan’s finest performances. Khan plays Mohan Bhargav, an Indian expatriate working for NASA in the United States.

 

Based on a true story, the film begins when Mohan returns to India to find his childhood nanny, Kaveri Amma, played by Kishori Ballal, and take her to the US. He eventually discovers that she is living with Geeta, his childhood friend and a village teacher, played by Gayatri Joshi in her first and only performance.

Mohan initially plans to return to America, but his growing bond with the village leads him to use his technical knowledge to help the community. He sets up a power generator and begins to reconsider his relationship with his homeland.

 

Rather than relying on a melodramatic romance or an action-driven plot, Swades focuses on one man’s emotional transformation. Its patriotic message is direct, but the film’s patient storytelling and uplifting drama have helped it retain its impact.

9. Agneepath

 

The 1990 film Agneepath is a revenge-driven action drama starring Amitabh Bachchan. Its title comes from a poem written by Bachchan’s father. Bachchan, widely known as Big B and as India’s “Angry Young Man”, plays Vijay Deenanath Chauhan.

 

After his father’s death, Vijay enters the Mumbai underworld to seek revenge, leading to a violent and bloody campaign. The film was not well received by audiences or critics when it was released, and it was often compared unfavourably with Brian De Palma’s Scarface.

 

The comparison reflects the character’s Tony Montana-like rise through the criminal world, but Bachchan’s distressed, volatile and swaggering performance gives the film its identity. Although a generally well-received remake arrived in 2012, the original remains a gritty genre film with an important place in Bollywood history.

10. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

 

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... is an elaborate family drama built around wealth, tradition and separation. Amitabh Bachchan plays Yash Raichand, a wealthy Delhi businessman who lives with his wife Nandini, portrayed by Jaya Bachchan, and their sons Rahul and Rohan, played by Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan.

 

Rahul falls in love with Anjali, played by Kajol, but Yash rejects the relationship because of the difference in their social backgrounds and disowns his son. The later part of the film follows Rohan’s effort to repair the relationship between his father and brother. Along the way, Rohan becomes close to Pooja, Anjali’s sister, played by Kareena Kapoor.

 

The film’s large budget is reflected in its lavish settings, jewellery and picturesque locations. While the story often embraces melodrama, the cast’s committed performances and witty dialogue add energy. It remains a frequently revisited favourite for many viewers who grew up watching Bollywood films in the 1990s and 2000s.