Bollywood Best Films of the Year – Beyond Bollywood

Bollywood returned to telling love stories, but we saw some unique subjects too. From Kashmir and the Himalayas to Delhi, Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, and even Malegaon, one even infiltrated enemy territory, Lyari in Karachi – our films and stories traveled far and wide. Which are the best films of the year?

By Mayur Lookhar

Phew, 2025 has been a whirlwind of a year. Just three certified blockbusters – Chaava Saiyaara and Dhurandhar. Of course, each followed its own calculus. However, earning over Rs 500-600 crore nett, even with a little bit of feeding, is no mean feat. Saiyaara was the big surprise – a film with rookie actors made on a budget of Rs 60 crore and going on to make over Rs 300 crore nett; it’s the biggest hit. As always though, box office doesn’t determine a film’s quality. Hence, two of these films didn’t find a mention in our year-ender story.

For all the critical acclaim, Homebound, India’s official Oscar entry, didn’t make the cut for us because the Neeraj Ghaywan film didn’t stay true to the original story.

How does 2025 stack up in terms of quality? Well, truth be told, this year has been like a cinematic buffet. Bollywood returned to telling love stories, but we saw unique subjects: one redefined Indo-Pak information warfare, one a story of an unsung legend, then we had a tale of a maligned righteous hero. And then we were introduced to the magical realism genre. From Kashmir and the Himalayas to Delhi, Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, and even Malegaon, one even infiltrated enemy territory, Lyari in Karachi – our films and stories traveled far and wide. Without further ado, we bring you our pick for the best Bollywood films of the year.

10 Raid 2 – Raj Kumar Gupta

In an era where sequels are often driven more by compulsion, and sometimes even desperation, writer Ritesh Shah and director Raj Kumar Gupta have crafted an engaging follow-up to their 2018 crime thriller Raid. The seven-year gap, though long, does not prove to be a hindrance, as Gupta and Shah shape a fine sequel that offers something fresh while still evoking nostalgia. Riteish Deshmukh’s cunning, smart-aleck antagonist Dadabhai is the standout, but Saurabh Shukla’s return as the much-adored Rameshwar Singh never feels like a distraction. The protagonists Amay Patnaik (Devgn) and Lallan (Amit Sial) stay true to form, and the addition of a few new IT officers collectively combines to raid the audience’s imagination once again.

9 Costao – Sejal Shah

Biopics are usually centered on celebrated or unsung heroes, but director Sejal Shah and writers Bhavesh Mandalia and Meghna Srivastava choose instead to tell the story of an honest yet maligned customs officer, Costao Fernandez. His journey is one of righteousness, duty and loyalty, yet he is branded a murderer and relentlessly harassed by the system, taking a severe toll on his personal relationships. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as Costao, pays tribute to this righteous spirit while also grounding the character in his deeply human personal struggles. The story of Costao serves as a stark reminder of how difficult it is for the righteous to survive in Kaliyuga.

8 Songs of Paradise  – Danish Renzu

Given the history of the land and the constant tension, true outreach to Kashmir lay not in terror tales but in stories of humble civilians, the unsung Kashmiris. Writer-director Danish Renzu took the civilian route, telling the story of Kashmiri folk legend Raj Begum through songs in a film aptly titled Songs of Paradise. Renzu’s biographical drama stayed largely true to Begum’s life, recreating her timeless folk songs in the voice of Masrat Un Nissa, now the new Nightingale of Kashmir. Saba Azad proved fairly competent as Zeba Akhtar/Noor Begum, backed by an unsung yet able supporting cast. The songs and visuals fully justified Kashmir’s paradise billing. We don’t buy into any soft power ideology; cinema ought to provide the healing touch, and perhaps Kashmiris experienced it through Songs of Paradise.

 7 Dhurandhar – Aditya Dhar

The first Hindi film to bag a record Rs 600 crore nett. Such success is vital for the larger survival of Hindi cinema, but more than the money or the controversies, writer-director Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar marked a new chapter in information and cultural warfare in Indo-Pak history. An Indian film that dared to tell a spy action thriller by infiltrating the once crime-hub town of Lyari, exposing how Pakistan’s terror network stretches beyond the usual names – of course, Lyari was recreated in Thailand. The film’s “based on incredibly true stories” claim will be long debated, but there’s no denying that Dhurandhar caught the pulse of the nation and gave India an edge in information warfare. The bulk of this was down to fine casting, with antagonists outshining the protagonist. Ranveer Singh himself would marvel at the exploits of Akshaye Khanna, Rakesh Bedi, and Arjun Rampal. Rich production design, cinematography, and costume design all combined to give desi viewers a surreal experience. That millions of Pakistanis watched, critiqued, and commented on it is a victory for Dhurandhar.

6 Ground Zero – Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar

Like Dhurandhar, this Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar film too broke ground in the patriotic action thriller genre. Based on the hunt for dreaded ghost-like terrorist Ghazi Baba, the Excel Entertainment film paid tribute to real-life hero Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey, finely portrayed by Emraan Hashmi. More than a terror hunt, it captured the Indian Army’s true spirit, where national security and care for innocent Kashmiri civilians lay at the core of his heart. Ground Zero pleads the Kashmiri youth not to be fooled by terror ideologies. Deoskar and his writers – Sanchit Gupta, Priyadarshee Srivastava’s handling of Kashmiri teen Husain (Mir Mehrooz), hired by terror elements to create unrest in the Valley, reflected the officer’s maturity and the film’s forgiving spirit in saving Kashmiri youth. The poor kid got swayed by the lure of Rs 50,000, to which Dubey rightfully reminds him how long that money would last. Having been reformed, the boy then served as an informer for Dubey. In a critical scene with a terrorist, the boy asks the rogue Kashmiri, “If Jannat is reserved for those who commit terror acts in the name of Allah, then why didn’t Osama bin Laden himself crash an aircraft during 9/11?”

Ground Zero is another tale that showed a healing touch over soft power narrative. There was Haqeeqat (1964), State of Siege: Temple Attack (2021), and now Ground Zero stands among the very few patriotic action thrillers that excels for its objectivity.

5 Haq – Suparn Varma

Initially perceived as a propaganda film, director Suparn Verma’s Hawaa turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Inspired by the Shah Bano case, Varma and writer Reshu Nath craft a mature story that stays clear of the politics around the case, instead interpreting the personal conflict as one intersecting faith and law. The messaging delivers a subtle fight against injustice, bigamy and misinterpretation of faith, while stellar performances by Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi build engagement around this gripping courtroom drama.

4 Jugnuma – The Fable – Raam Reddy

A natural calamity serves as a reminder for all its innovations; mankind can never conquer nature.  A personal experience inspired writer, filmmaker Raam Reddy to create this beautiful film Jugnuma – story of a third-generation landlord in a Himalayan region, who is bewildered by the mysterious fire that is engulfing his orchards one by one.   When the mystery unfolds, it reaffirms why nature is supreme. This Manoj Bajpayee-starrer educated us about magical realism genre as the film finely blended folklore into large social message. Rooted in its narrative, the film was enlightened by Sunil Borkar’s gorgeous visuals, and stellar acts led by the maverick Bajpayee.

3 Superboys of Malegaon – Reema Kagti

Inspired by the 2008 documentary Supermen of Malegaon, Reema Kagti’s film is based on the life of Nasir Shaikh and other amateur filmmakers in the small town of Malegaon. The men were rechristened Superboys of Malegaon, but Kagti and writer Varun Grover didn’t tinker with the inspiring stories of Nasir Shaikh and his cohort. This is the kind of film that reminds us why we all love cinema – dreamy, passionate, ambitious, rising against all odds to create history. No stars, but blessed with a fine young cast led by the affable Adarsh Gourav. Though set in Malegaon, the film harped on Nasir and his team’s dreams, never on demography or identity. This feature is a reminder that cinema unites and respects talent above all.

2 The Mehta Boys – Boman Irani

For a man who lost his father before he was even born, Boman Irani tells a complex father-son story in his directorial debut The Mehta Boys. We presume most of it was drawn through the prism of his own experience as a father to two kids. Along with Irani, The Mehta Boys is written by Academy Award-winning writer Alexander Dinelaris, a slice-of-life saga that operates at the pace of life itself, nothing extravagant, but simply holding your mind and soul. Irani’s astute direction and compelling, understated acting in the fatherly role, backed by an equally skillful cast and technical expertise, make The Mehta Boys a rare gem that stays close to desi roots yet has global appeal. Here is a film that doesn’t shoot from the rooftops, but lives with you long after it’s over, relatable and leaving you with a contented soul.

1 Metro… In Dino – Anurag Basu

You might have heard umpteen times how Bollywood returned to its roots—reimposing its faith in love stories and romcoms. Saiyaara was hailed as a modern, true-blue Bollywood romantic film, but we found it insensitive in the way it treated a serious medical condition. There were quite a few loves stories this year- Dhadak 2, Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan – but the one film that truly honoured Hindi cinema’s legacy is Anurag Basu’s musical Metro… In Dino, a spiritual sequel to his 2007 film Life in a… Metro.

Be it 2007 or 2025, the three dots signify how love and relationships remain complex in the hustle and bustle of city life. This time, Basu moves beyond Mumbai, with *Metro… In Dino* travelling to places like Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, and Kolkata. Technology always upgrades, and it’s never impacted relationships like it does now in the age of Tinder and easily accessible mobile phones. As opposed to the 2007 anthology, Basu weaves different stories and characters that intertwine seamlessly, ensuring there are never dull moments despite the ebbs and flows in the relationships of various characters. Some characters seek solace in new friendship but never cross boundaries. He brilliantly etches each character across different classes, ages, and conflicts, all striking a chord with respective viewers. The one somber yet engaging story is that of Akash (Ali Fazal) and Shruti (Fatima Sana Shaikh), but with regard to the tension of the other protagonists and couples, Basu infuses quality humour. Credit goes to the fine dialogues by Sandeep Shrivastava and Samrat Chakravarthy.

This is a movie that constantly makes you laugh, makes you cry, and makes you feel for each of these characters. It’s a proper Bollywood musical, with Pritam scoring nearly a dozen tracks, including reprises. The film’s opening 10-15 minutes introduce the principal characters in a melodious tone. Yaad, Qayde Se, Zamana Lage, Aur Mohabbat Kitni Karoon – each track complements the corresponding scenes, woven wonderfully. Basu himself couldn’t resist adding some chorus in the opening scenes with Pankaj Tripathi. Without a doubt, this is an upgrade from Life in a… Metro. It is Anurag Basu’s finest film, a treat for the eternal Bollywood romantic and, in our view, the best Bollywood film of 2025.

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