The 10 Best Bollywood Films of 2024, Ranked

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It’s 2024 and mainstream Bollywood continues to be on the road to doom making it near-impossible to compile a list of the year’s 10 best films. Among the finest Hindi film titles listed here, only two qualify as standard biggies with some degree of star power—the kind of cinema we once loved to celebrate (or criticize) as quintessential Bollywood.

As the classic Bollywood prototype seems to vanish into oblivion, the industry increasingly draws inspiration from Telugu cinema to discover a new business formula. But does this approach truly work? Unlikely, considering Bollywood fans flocked to theaters to watch re-released classics while ignoring contemporary releases like Auron Mein Kahaan Dum Tha, Sarphira, Khel Khel Mein, Maidaan, Bade Miyaan Chhote Miyaan and Baby John, among others.

Below are 2024’s 10 best Bollywood films, ranked:

10. CTRL

Vikramaditya Motwane’s CTRL delves into a familiar reality: a corporation monitoring citizens’ lives, echoing India’s data breaches and normalized privacy violations. While the AI’s threat doesn’t feel as ominous as intended, the story shifts gears when influencer couple Nella (Ananya Panday) and Joe (Vihaan Samat) break up, unraveling a sinister corporate plot. The gripping final act, with shocking twists and a chilling exposé on social media trials, culminates in one of the most haunting endings in recent Hindi cinema. With its anti-capitalist undertones, CTRL defies categorization, leaving us wondering if Motwane will ever venture into classic Bollywood storytelling.

9. Love Sex Aur Dhoka 2

Dibakar Banerjee is an amusing filmmaker. Unlike someone like Karan Johar, who is highly active in the online sphere, Banerjee’s presence is more reserved—though not quite as elusive as Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This makes it all the more surprising when he delivers a sharp critique of the internet era and its chaotic, unbridled issues. A spiritual sequel to his 2010 film, Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 may lack the verve of some of Banerjee’s more polished works, but it remains unlike anything else on Indian screens today – making it one of the best Bollywood films of 2024. Take the plunge and give this highly overlooked film a shot — unless you’re not already awestruck by its audacity.

8. Madgaon Express

Is there any group of youngsters in an Indian metro without an unfulfilled Goa plan? Well, the boys in Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut achieve the impossible—they actually make it to Goa! However, their trip quickly spirals into a whirlwind of crime, chaos, and non-stop laughter. With stellar performances by Divyenndu, Pratik Gandhi, and Avinash Tiwary, who seem to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, the film is elevated further by supporting actors Chhaya Kadam and Upendra Limaye, who deliver standout supporting acts. Madgaon Express confidently fills the gap left by the lack of uproarious comedy films in Hindi cinema. Although I shouldn’t be saying this in an era with an onslaught of unnecessary sequels, I wouldn’t mind seeing these characters again on screen.

7. Chandu Champion

Not many filmmakers understand the grammar of underdog victories like Kabir Khan does. The template seldom weans. Yet the formula is never foolproof. It takes the right craft to curate a story that does not cry for sympathy but makes you shed tears of joy. In his latest feature Chandu Champion – headlined by Kartik Aaryan – Khan takes us to a familiar zone of sports, disability, poverty, mentorship, and complex family ties. A darling of the masses, Kartik Aaryan’s efforts in the film display a rare vulnerability. It’s an earnest, impactful act wherein he shapeshifts into a focused paralympic champion. In a whole new zone with a Maharashtrian accent and extreme physical exertion at play, the film lets the actor in him take a rebirth.

6. Amar Singh Chamkila

Imtiaz Ali’s film, despite its refusal to make a profound social commentary, ends up as a fine tribute to Amar Singh Chamkila’s brilliant legacy. The film makes us want to discover the artiste’s celebrated work and his unique sub-genre in Punjabi music. Narrated with sleekly inserted original video and still footage from Chamkila and Amarjot’s life, Imtiaz Ali makes it as personal and vivid as possible. The comparison reels where Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra dexterously imitate their characters’ mannerisms – highlighting their mettle as performers – are somewhat eerie if we think of what happened to the singer duo eventually. One might comfortably label Chamkila and Amarjot as talents ahead of their times although the bigger question is whether their fate would have been any different in 2024 – an equally violent era, if not more polarizing and intolerant.

Chamkila Best Bollywood Film 2024

5. I Want to Talk

By its very nature, it’s hard to dislike a film that explores the life of a terminally ill person. Pedro Almodóvar recently achieved this with Room Next Door. Now imagine a Hindi film on the subject, directed by Shoojit Sircar. We’ve seen his ability to break our hearts before with October. While writer Juhi Chaturvedi steps aside this time, Ritesh Shah steps in to craft a deeply emotional yet surprisingly uplifting film about illness and hope. I Want To Talk, anchored by Abhishek Bachchan’s mature performance, is as gripping as a well-crafted suspense thriller. It’s not an overly challenging watch, but it is one helluva emotional film. If you haven’t seen it yet be sure to catch it when it arrives on streaming platforms. Sircar’s film deserved far more love than it received during its theatrical run.

4. Stree 2

Amar Kaushik’s film reminds you of cinema from the ‘70s – amusingly both the Prakash Mehra magnum opuses and the Basu Chatterjee charmers. I know it’s too much to ask in 2024 but his films come with concrete stories. In Stree 2, Chanderi generates the right kind of déjà vu. It’s not the slice-of-life genre but a familiar village lane, a roof, a road, and so many other things give us a unique fly-on-the-wall view. Laced with superb performances, its light-hearted activism is pretty much on point. The writer (Niren Bhatt) neither over-complicates it with sermons on gender nor does he deviate from the film’s intimate surroundings. It is a rare commercial feature that knows when to be cute, raunchy, and serious and it effortlessly lands a spot among the best Bollywood films of 2024.

3. Kill

An action film modeled on the lines of John Wick. I ventured into the film assuming it is that and also with a subconscious bias, “How creative can it be? Haven’t we watched enough John Abraham actioners already?”And boy, it renewed my interest in the genre. Set on a train, writer-director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat cleverly utilizes its confined spaces, which feel more spacious than they really are. The action often extends into the seating and sleeping areas along the aisles – magnifying the thrills all the more. If your love for Bollywood action films stems from a certain goofiness with a heavy-duty exchange of dialogue between heroes who coolly defy gravity, Kill might not be your cup of tea. Otherwise, you are in for one of the best times you will have watching any film in any language.

Kill Lakshya Best Bollywood Film 2024

2. Laapataa Ladies

Enough said—Kiran Rao’s film didn’t make it to the Oscar shortlist. Perhaps it wasn’t the most suitable choice to represent India. However, the absence of Western validation doesn’t make it any less a film. Laapataa Ladies is deeply rooted in Indian sensibilities, with humor so subtle and unexpected that it catches you off guard. It does require a certain suspension of disbelief, and its empowerment themes can feel a little heavy-handed at times. Yet, the film has the largest and kindest heart among all Bollywood films released in 2024. The central performances by Ravi Kishan, Chhaya Kadam, and newcomers Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, and Sparsh Shrivastava infuse the film with a unique charm, making this fuzzy musical drama with a strong women empowerment message truly memorable.

1. Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas prompted me to Google if there’s a Japanese tradition of burning origami swans to make a wish. It is in the ASMR-like effect the filmmaker creates in an intimate world where you nearly smell a burning furnace or taste a baked cookie. The use of elements reminded me of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s tropes that get “curiouser and curiouser” – demanding a rewatch to decode as many details as we can. Sriram Raghavan’s film is thrilling, funny, suspenseful, and romantic – all rolled into one. With an abstract and dark climax – which honestly isn’t that hard to decipher – Merry Christmas decorates the top slot among the best Bollywood films of 2024.

Merry christmas Best Bollywood Film 2024