I’ve watched a lot of movies in my time but I had never seen a single Indian film. And then there was this movie I kept hearing about called RRR. The film was being claimed as the best action movie of the year and considering the fact that we got a movie as good as Top Gun: Maverick this year I had to see what the hubbub was about.

Sure enough, I watched RRR and suddenly a whole new world of cinema had been opened to me. In the last week, I have binge-watched lots of Indian movies and each film that I’ve chosen to watch has seemed better than the last. So, I figured I might as well share a ranking of the movies I’ve seen so far. Here we go.

8. Bahubali 2: The Conclusion

This was like Endgame in India when it came out in 2017 because it ended up becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. Directed by S.S Rajmouli, a man who’s known for bringing incredible epics to the big screen, this film has all of the trappings of an epic film. Unfortunately, the story seems to drag on forever and because most of it is a flashback there’s something about it that feels less impactful than it should.

Plus, the final showdown felt just a bit too ridiculous at times. Other than that, it was enjoyable.

4 out of 5 stars

7. Bahubali: The Beginning

What this film has that its sequel doesn’t is a far better conclusion. This movie’s ending feels like an epic battle plucked right out of The Lord of the Rings. I was not only impressed by the action but I was utterly enthralled in the story and its cliffhanger ending was truly gasp-inducing.

4 out of 5 stars

6. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

I just recently learned that this is one of the most beloved Bollywood movies of all time and after watching it I understand why. At times the movie was very funny and heartwarming but for the most part, this movie was so heartbreaking that I honestly couldn’t stop crying. The last forty minutes of the film left me as an utter wreck to the point that my eyes were literally coke-can red from crying so hard.

Were there some cheesy early 2000s musical dance numbers in this movie? Yes, there were, and that’s why it’s not higher on this list for me but I can say it absolutely deserves its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.

4.5 out of 5 stars

5. Jodhaa Akbar

To say that this is #4 on this list just goes to show you how good the rest of these movies are because this film was really good. There’s nothing like a love story wrapped in a historical epic and this was as good as it gets. It was funny, it was heart-achingly romantic at times, and yes, the costume design for this movie was on a whole other level of jaw-dropping due to its excellence.

Not only were the musical numbers memorable, specifically the goosebump-inducing number “Khwaja Mere Khwaja” which utterly blew my mind. Plus, the movie stars Hrithik Roshan who is just…

I didn’t know anything about Hrithik Roshan before this film but I can honestly say he embodies the extremely gorgeous protagonist role to a tee. *gulp*

4.5 out of 5 stars

4. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

This movie was so cute. I love cute romances between young people and this was that type of love story at its absolute finest. Shah Rukh Khan was great in this film as the lovable rascal-turned-smitten-charmer Raj and Kajol Devgan was both relatable and lovely as the innocent Simran. I loved the musical numbers in this film, I appreciated that it wasn’t a particularly dark movie, and yes, the end made me cry.

5 out of 5 stars

3. Rangasthalam 1985

These next three movies are not just great movies but absolutely stellar films with not a single flaw. These are the god-tier Indian movies I’ve seen so far and they are really that good in every single aspect.

This movie is a story that is told so perfectly that when it concluded I was left in stunned awe. It starts off as a comedy and then transforms into this incredibly dark story that I didn’t see coming.

Its lead actor, Ram Charan, plays the main protagonist Chitti Babu to perfection, bringing levity when it’s needed and so much emotion at other equally crucial moments. This movie is also 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and it’s a film that deserves that rating in bounds.

5 out of 5 stars

2. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

There’s nothing like an inspiring sports movie and boy, was this inspiring as heck. This film would become only the third Indian movie to be nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars and I can totally see why. Its story is told so brilliantly that you don’t even feel its three-hour and forty-four-minute runtime. The entire cast did such a great job with this story, making us feel for each and every character.

This movie also probably depicted the best game of cricket in cinema. In fact, it taught me the rules of cricket which is kind of incredible too. And its musical numbers were my favorite of all of the Indian movies I’ve seen so far. They were not only beautiful sounding songs but the choreography for the dance numbers was perfect too.

This is an absolute gem.

5 out of 5 stars

And 1. RRR

This was the film that began my recent Indian movie obsession and there’s a simple reason why: it’s incredible. This movie is epic, it’s heartfelt, it’s got some of the best action sequences I’ve ever seen in a film, it’s powerful, it’s memorable, it’s funny, it’s occasionally romantic, and it’s utterly tear-inducing.

I’ve never felt so many emotions while watching a film in my life. I’m talking extreme joy and sadness, which then lead to extreme anxiety followed by heart-pounding exhilaration. When this movie concluded not only did I clap, not only did I cheer, but I laid down because the emotional toll on my body from this experience was literally exhausting.

S.S Rajmouli has created a resounding film that hopefully catches the eyes of critics in The Academy, giving it a chance to earn a nomination for Best Foreign Film because it deserves it. It’s that good.

5 out of 5 stars

If you’ve never seen these movies and are now interested in checking them out I am happy to report that they are all on Netflix except for Rangasthalam 1985 which can be found on Hulu and Prime Video.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic day.