Today is Indian Independence Day, 80 years free of the British Empire. Seems like a good time to post part 2 of my Bollywood series. Yes, I’m still on this binge. There are so many Bollywood movies on Netflix, I just let the algorithm take over and watch whatever it recommends. That has led to a couple of non-musical Hindi dramas, but that’s okay. I like those films too.

Note: The films below are streaming on the platforms listed as of August 2026. If you are reading this post at a later date, they might be gone from those streamers. Check JustWatch or Reelgood to see where they are streaming now.

Aaina (1993) — Roma and Reema are sisters. The elder sister Roma (Amrita Singh) is spoiled, selfish and accustomed to getting her way. The younger sister Reema (Juhi Chawla) is shy, bookish and accustomed to letting Roma get her way. When Ravi Saxena (Jackie Shroff) comes into their lives, it’s love at first sight for Reema. But Ravi is infatuated with Roma and proposes to her. On the day of their wedding, Roma runs away to star in a Bollywood movie. Ravi marries Reema. A few weeks later, Roma returns, having been fired off the movie. Her father refuses to let her back in the house so Ravi and Reema take her in and she begins scheming to break up their marriage. Director: Deepak Sareen. Songs: Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen. Filming locations: Mumbai, India. Runtime: 149 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Agneepath (2012) — Crime boss Kancha (Sanjay Dutt) murders the village teacher, Professor Chauhan, for getting in his way. Chauhan’s pregnant wife and son Vijay flee to Mumbai where Vijay pursues a life of crime with a local Mumbai crime boss, Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor). He’s playing the long game to get revenge on Kancha. Vijay grows up (Hrithik Roshan). He marries his childhood friend Kaali (Priyanka Chopra) but don’t expect a happy ending. Gang wars and assassination plots left, right and center lead to a tragic ending. This is a remake of a 1990 film that starred Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay. Both versions are available on Netflix. Director: Karan Malhotra. Songs: Ajay-Atul. Item number: “Chikni Chameli” with Katrina Kaif. Filming locations: Diu & Mumbai, India. Runtime: 174 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Dhoom (2004) — Cop Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan) is bedeviled by a robbery crew that make their getaway on motorcycles. He enlists a motorcycle mechanic (Uday Chopra) to help him track down the thieves. This is like Point Break with motorcycles instead of surfing. John Abraham is the leader of the gang. Esha Deol plays Sheena, the only woman in the crew. Rimi Sen plays Sweety, Jai’s wife. The first film in a franchise. Director: Sanjay Gadhvi. Songs: Pritam. Filming locations: Mumbai & Goa, India. Runtime: 129 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Dhoom 2 (2006) — Jai (Abhishek Bachchan) and Ali (Uday Chopra) go international this time on the trail of master thief Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan) who is planning a big heist in Rio. Aishwarya Rai plays Sunheri, another thief and A’s girlfriend. She’s working as an informant for Jai but whose side is she really on? This film is where Abhishek and Aishwarya fell in love. They got married a year later. Director: Sanjay Gadhvi. Songs: Pritam. Filming locations: Mumbai; Namibia; Durban, South Africa; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Runtime: 152 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Dilwale (2015) — Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and Veer (Varun Dhawan) are brothers in Panaji, India who build custom cars. 15 years earlier, Raj worked with their father, Randhir Bakshi, a crime boss in Sofia, Bulgaria. Raj falls in love with Meera (Kajol), not realizing that she is the daughter of his father’s arch rival, Dev Malik. There’s a showdown in which Randhir and Dev shoot each other dead. But Meera thinks that Raj killed her father. 15 years later, Veer falls in love with Ishita (Kriti Sanon), Meera’s younger sister. Director: Rohit Shetty. Songs: Pritam. Filming locations: Bulgaria; Iceland; Abu Dhabi; Cape Town, South Africa. Runtime: 154 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Happy New Year (2014) — Charlie (Shah Rukh Khan) has spent 8 years plotting revenge on Charan Grover (Jackie Shroff) for stealing some diamonds and framing his father for it. The plan involves stealing a cache of diamonds from the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai and pinning it on Grover. But it requires entering the World Dance Competition which is taking place at the hotel. Charlie puts together a crew who are in on the heist, plus dance teacher Mohini Joshi (Deepika Padukone) who is not. Fun dance/heist mashup from director Farah Khan, her third film with SRK and second with Padukone. With Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sud, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah. Director: Farah Khan. Songs: Vishal-Shekhar. Filming locations: Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai; Mumbai, India. Runtime: 178 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Hum Tum (2004) — This is basically a Hindi version of When Harry Met Sally. Karan (Saif Ali Khan) is a cartoonist with a comic strip called “Hum Tum”. He meets Rhea (Rani Mukerji) on a flight to New York with a stopover in Amsterdam. The pair cross paths several times over the years but their personalities clash. Karan is not serious about anything (especially dating) while Rhea is more practical. With Rishi Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Ragni Agnihotri, Abhishek Bachchan. Director: Kunal Kohli. Songs: Jatin-Lalit. Filming locations: Amsterdam, Paris, New York City, Mumbai. Runtime: 143 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) — Samar (Shah Rukh Khan) is an Indian in London when he meets and falls in love with Meera (Katrina Kaif). She’s a rich girl, he’s working multiple jobs to stay afloat. Meera is about to break off her engagement to be with Samar when he gets hit by a car. She makes a deal with God to spare Samar’s life if she gives him up. A distraught Samar goes back to India and becomes a bomb disposal expert in the army. Ten years later, Samar returns to London where he gets hit by a car, again! The accident causes retrograde amnesia. He thinks it’s a decade earlier and he’s about to run off with Meera. Director: Yash Chopra. Songs: A.R. Rahman. Filming locations: Kashmir; London, UK. Runtime: 176 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Jawan (2023) — Action thriller with Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as an old badass and his son. The story is operatic. I won’t try to summarize but it’s a revenge tale decades in the making, like the Count of Monte Cristo. There’s a gang of women operatives pulling off heists under the leadership of Azad (SRK the younger). The thieves take from wrongdoers and give to the wronged, Robin Hood style. Azad’s father was Captain Vikram Rathore (SRK the elder), a soldier in the Indian army. He was thrown out of a plane after exposing a weapons company that provided faulty weapons to the troops. He miraculously survived but has amnesia and has been living for 30 years with a remote tribe. The cast also includes Deepika Padukone as Vikram’s wife/Azad’s mother, Nayanthara as Azad’s wife, Vijay Sethupathi as the primary villain. Director: Atlee. Songs: Anirudh Ravichander. Filming locations: Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Thiruporur, Rajasthan. Runtime: 169 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Pathaan (2023) — Fourth installment in the ‘YRF Spy Universe’ franchise, this one stars Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan, an Indian spy in pursuit of a terrorist named Jim (John Abraham), a former Indian agent who has gone rogue. Jim leads Outfit X, a mercenary terrorist group that was hired by a Pakistani general to perform a terror attack on India. Pakistani agent Rubina (Deepika Padukone) is undercover with Outfit X. Director: Siddarth Anand. Songs: Vishal-Shekhar. Filming locations: Dubai; Delhi, India; Beirut, Lebanon. Runtime: 146 minutes. Streaming on Prime.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) — Taani (Anoushka Sharma) is about to be married when she receives news that the groom and his entire family died in a traffic accident. The news causes her father to have a heart attack. Before he dies, he asks his nerdy friend Suri (Shah Rukh Khan) to marry his daughter so she won’t be alone. Suri loves Taani on sight but she’s indifferent to him. She is still in mourning. Taani joins a dance class. With the help of his friend Bobby (Vinay Pathak) Suri disguises himself as Raj, a flashy and confident man in the dance class. He romances Taani, who is torn between loyalty to her kind but drab husband Suri and the more exciting Raj. Director: Aditya Chopra. Songs: Salim-Sulaiman. Item number: “Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte” with Kajol, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Bipasha Basu & Lara Dutta. Filming locations: Amritsar, Punjab, India. Runtime: 164 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Veer-Zaara (2004) — Veer (Shah Rukh Khan) and Zaara (Preity Zinta) are star-crossed lovers. She is Pakistani and he is Indian. Zaara’s parents have arranged a marriage with Raza (Manoj Bajpayee), a Pakistani politician. Raza has Veer arrested and imprisoned as an Indian spy. 22 years later, a Pakistani lawyer (Rani Mukerji) takes Veer’s case. Director: Yash Chopra. Songs: Madan Mohan. Filming locations: Amritsar, Punjab, India; Haryana, India. Runtime: 192 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) — Naina (Deepika Padukone) is a shy medical student in Mumbai. She runs into her old classmate Aditi (Kalki Koechlin) who is about to embark on a hiking trip in Manali. Naina impulsively decides to go on the hike, which also includes Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) and Avi (Aditya Roy Kapur), two male classmates. While Naina and Bunny get close, Aditi gets angry with Avi, who flirts with every pretty girl he encounters. Eight years later, the four are reunited for Aditi’s wedding. She is marrying a wealthy engineer. Naina and Bunny start to fall in love again but the same obstacle exists: Naina wants to settle down and Bunny wants to travel the world. Director: Ayan Mukerji. Songs: Pritam. Item number: “Ghagra” with Madhuri Dixit. Filming locations: Udaipur, Gulmarg, Manali, Srinagar & Mumbai, India; Paris & Nice, France. Runtime: 159 minutes. Streaming on Netflix and Prime.

SRK shows off his 10-pack in Pathaan.