Mumbai: The first quarter of the new century reshaped Bollywood in remarkable ways. From fresh stories, new concepts, emerging faces and a new sense of grandeur to relatable friendships and diverse depictions of love, romance and heartbreak, Hindi cinema saw it all in this phase. From power-packed, heroic masala entertainment to meaningful conversations about mental health, social issues and emotional well-being, the layered relationships from 2000 to 2025 showed a nice change in storytelling and sensibilities. Here is a list of the top 15 Bollywood movies that became iconic for a reason!
Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai (2000) The debut film starring Bollywood superstars Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel, directed by Rakesh Roshan, became popular among the youth in the early 21st century. It became a wave, launching Hrithik into superstardom with his dual roles and chartbuster songs.
Lesser Known Fact: Kareena Kapoor was supposed to star opposite Hrithik Roshan in the film, and the actress had even started shooting for it, but she left the film midway, following which Amesha Patel was chosen to play the role of Sonia.
Add Zee News as favorite source
Mohabbatein (2000) The musical romance starring megastar Shah Rukh Khan and superstar Aishwarya Rai was directed by Aditya Chopra. It brought Bollywood megastars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan together on screen for the first time. The film depicts the conflict between discipline and free-love. Tradition! Prestige! Discipline!
Read this also Year Ender 2025: Who is the highest paid actor in 2025? Not Shahrukh Khan or Rajinikanth – this actor tops with Rs 1,338.66 crore
Lesser Known Fact: This was Aditya Chopra’s second directorial debut after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and it took him four years to develop the script.
Lagaan (2001) The Oscar-nominated film was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and starred superstars Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh. The period drama used cricket as a form of rebellion against colonial rule and showed how it played a vital role in achieving independence.
Lesser known fact: British actors playing colonial officials historically had to undergo special dialect training to ensure accurate pronunciation.
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel, the film was directed by Anil Sharma. The saga, based on a Partition-era love story, became a mass phenomenon, with Tara Singh emerging as an iconic patriotic character.
Lesser Known Fact: The iconic hand-pump scene was not part of the original script and was added during filming.
Dil Chahta Hai (2001) redefined urban Indian cinema through the lives of three friends Akash, Sid and Sameer, making modern friendships and their real ups and downs relatable to audiences. This film was described as being much ahead of its time. Farhan Akhtar’s first film also started the trend of friends visiting Goa.
Lesser Known Fact: Initially, Preity Zinta was offered the role of Pooja, which was later offered to Sonali Kulkarni
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), Karan Johar’s larger-than-life family drama, became a pop culture mark, with Kareena Kapoor’s Poo becoming one of Bollywood’s most iconic characters. The film starred Shah Rukh, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan in pivotal roles and revolved around family relationships, values ​​and love.
Lesser Known Fact: Abhishek Bachchan and Jugal Hansraj also had cameos in the film, but they were cut in the final edit.
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2002) Starring Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan, this film revolves around the story of Naina, Aman and Rohit. The saga of love, romance and heartbreak with an emotional ending brought tears to the eyes of the audience. This film directed by Nikhil Advani is still remembered for its songs.
Lesser Known Fact: Shahrukh Khan shot the film while undergoing treatment for a serious spine injury.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grandest adaptation to date of Devdas (2002) starring Shah Rukh, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai is celebrated for its visual grandeur, emotional intensity, dialogues and songs.
Lesser Known Fact: The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation.
Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) Rajkumar Hirani’s comedy-drama blended humor with humanity and introduced unforgettable characters like ‘Gandhigiri’ and Munna Bhai and Circuit, who gave major friendship goals.
Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2005) This was one of those rare instances when the sequel of a film was as successful as the first part.
Lesser Known Fact: The character of Circuit was originally written as a minor role but got expanded due to Arshad Warsi’s performance.
Rang De Basanti (2006) Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s film, starring Aamir Khan in the lead, linked revolutionary history with contemporary youth angst. At the time, it transformed cinema into a voice of political awakening.
Lesser Known Fact: Many scenes were inspired by real-life student activism and contemporary political movements.
Taare Zameen Par (2007) Aamir Khan’s directorial debut revolves around the sensitive subject of dyslexia and the pressures of childhood. It played a significant role in changing the conversation around education and empathy. It also highlighted the beautiful relationship between a teacher and student.
Lesser Known Fact: Aamir Khan took over the direction of the film midway through the film after Amol Gupte stepped down due to creative differences.
3 Idiots (2009) The blockbuster film starring Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi used humor to criticize the education system. Aamir Khan’s Rancho in this film directed by Rajkumar Hirani became a generational icon.
Lesser Known Fact: The film is loosely inspired by Chetan Bhagat’s novel Five Point Someone, although the author was not initially credited.
Dabangg (2010) Abhinav Kashyap’s masala blockbuster introduced Salman Khan’s iconic character as Chulbul Pandey. The courageous policeman who redefined commercial cinema and gave birth to a successful franchise is considered one of the finest characters of Bollywood. Shatrughan Sinha’s actress daughter Sonakshi Sinha also debuted with this film.
Lesser Known Fact: Salman Khan was actively involved in shaping Chulbul Pandey’s distinctive body language and dialogue delivery.
Dangal (2016), the inspiring real-life story of wrestling legends Phogat sisters, became one of India’s highest-grossing films worldwide. Directed by Nitish Tiwari, this sports biopic starred Aamir Khan, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra in the lead roles. Actress Sakshi Tanwar was also there along with Aamir Khan.
Lesser Known Fact: Aamir Khan’s weight fluctuated drastically during the filming, his weight increased by about 30 kg and then decreased again.