For the longest time, the only way you could see Bollywood movies was to go down to Little India and rent bootleg tapes from one of the Indian markets. These days Bollywood movies are much more accessible. In San Diego, they often play at the multiplex near Little India. You can also stream them. Prime, Netflix, Hulu, and Tubi have Hindi (Bollywood), Tamil (Kollywood), and Telegu (Tollywood) movies in their libraries. There are also streaming services that specialize in Indian cinema.

Note: There’s also a Mollywood for films in the Malayalam language but the term Mollywood is also used to describe the Mormon film industry. The Kannada film industry is called Sandalwood. The Pakistani film industry is called Lollywood.

I love musicals. Fred & Ginger, the technicolor musicals of the 50s, the big stage-to-screen musicals of the 60s and early 70s. Hollywood doesn’t make many musicals these days, except the occasional Broadway hit like Wicked. That’s why I like Bollywood. They feature big colorful musical numbers. I love the music, the dancing, the sets, the clothes, the exotic locations, the melodrama (there’s always melodrama). Years ago there was a cable network called the International Channel that aired Bollywood movies every weekend. I saw a lot of Hindi movies there.

Most of the Bollywood movies I have seen are from circa 1995—2005. During that era, every Bollywood movie starred Shah Rukh Khan, or so it seems. I’m not really up on current trends and actors though I have seen the 2022 Telegu film RRR that won the Best Song Oscar. RRR is a lot of fun but as I recall, it’s pretty light on musical numbers. I like wall-to-wall songs in my Indian Cinema.

The list below covers Indian movies I have seen and if/where they are currently streaming. You’ll find a lot on Prime and Netflix. I also included the runtimes because Bollywood movies tend to be long and you’ll need to budget your time. Drop a comment if you have any favorites you’d like to share.

Note: The films below are streaming on the platforms listed as of July 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.

Chennai Express (2013) [Hindi] — Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) runs a confectionery shop in Mumbai. When his grandfather dies, his grandmother asks him to scatter his ashes in Rameswaram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. On the train, Rahul becomes entangled with Meenamma (Deepika Padukone), the daughter of a village crime boss. Meenamma’s father plans to marry her off to a thug in a neighboring village but she keeps running away. This is mainly a comedy but like all Bollywood movies, there’s a large dose of melodrama towards the end. Director: Rohit Shetty. Songs: Vishal-Shekhar. Item number: “1 2 3 4… Get on the Dance Floor” with Priyamani. Filming locations: Dudhsagar Falls, Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary, Mollem National Park, Goa, India. Runtime: 141 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Devdas (2002) [Hindi] — One of the most visually beautiful Bollywood movies. It was the most expensive Indian movie ever made at the time of release. Devdas is based on a 1917 Bengali novel that has been filmed multiple times. It’s a tragic love story with interfering relatives coming between lovers Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) and Parvati (Aishwarya Rai). He becomes a raging alcoholic. Madhuri Dixit plays a courtesan who also loves Devdas. Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Songs: Ismail Darbar. Filming locations: Bikaner Rajasthan, Aarey Colony & Mumbai, India. Runtime: 184 minutes. Not streaming free, rent or buy.

Dil Se.. (1998) [Hindi] — This movie has a terrific musical number on top of a train near the beginning. The song, “Chaiyya Chaiyya”, has been used in a number of films, including Spike Lee’s Inside Man. The music was written by A.R. Rahman who later won two Oscars for Slumdog Millionaire (Best Score and Best Song). The plot of Dil Se.. concerns an insurgency in the Indian city of Silchar. Shah Rukh Khan plays a journalist covering the insurgency when he encounters a mysterious woman (Manisha Koirala) who may be involved. Director: Mani Ratnam. Songs: A.R. Rahman. Item number: “Chaiyya Chaiyya” with Malaika Arora. Filming locations: Ladakh, Jammu, Kashmir, Assam & Kerala, India. Runtime: 167 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) [Hindi] — Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) is a theater director and Nisha (Karisma Kapoor) is his lead dancer and secretly in love with him. When Nisha breaks her foot, Rahul has to find a replacement for his new show. Enter Pooja (Madhuri Dixit), a classically trained dancer. Pooja is engaged to her childhood friend Ajay (Akshay Kumar) but you know where this is going. It all comes to a head on opening night. Director: Yash Chopra. Songs: Uttam Singh. Filming locations: Baden-Baden, Germany; Europa Park, Germany; Switzerland; Mumbai, India. Runtime: 180 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) [Hindi] — Arguably the most popular Bollywood movie of all time. It has been running nonstop at a theater in Mumbai for 30 years and counting. Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and Simran (Kajol) are Indians living in London. Simran is soon to be married to the son of her father’s friend back in India, an arranged marriage. Raj is rich and carefree. The two meet while traveling in Europe with friends. They fall in love and Raj follows Simran to Punjab where the wedding is to take place. Simran’s mother (Farida Jalal) urges Raj and Simran to elope but Raj is determined to win the blessing of her father (Amrish Puri), who already hates him for his antics back in London. Director: Aditya Chopra. Songs: Jatin-Lalit. Filming locations: London, UK; Saanen, Montbovon & Gstaad, Switzerland; Haryana, India. Runtime: 189 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) [Hindi] — Shah Rukh Khan plays Rahul, the older, adopted son of wealthy Delhi industrialist Yash Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan) and his wife Nandini (Jaya Bachchan). When Rahul falls in love with Anjali (Kajol), a shopkeeper’s daughter, Yash disowns him. Years later, Yash & Nandini’s younger son Rohan (Hrithik Roshan), tries to reunite the family. Director: Karan Johar. Music: Jatin-Lalit, Sandesh Shandilya, Aadesj Shrivastava. Filming locations: Buckinghamshire, UK; Giza, Egypt. Runtime: 210 minutes. Streaming on Netflix & Prime.

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) [Hindi] — Shah Rukh Khan plays Aman, the sunny new neighbor of the Kapur family in New York City. Naina (Preity Zinta) is going to business school with her best friend Rohit (Saif Ali Khan). She lives with her mother (Jaya Bachchan), grandmother (Sushma Seth) and younger brother and sister. Aman plays matchmaker with several of the neighbors, including Naina and Rohit. But Naina just might be falling in love with Aman instead. Director: Nikhil Advani. Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Filming locations: NYC, Toronto, Canada. Runtime: 187 minutes. Streaming on Netflix & Prime.

Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000) [Tamil] — If you are a Janeite, this is the Kollywood movie for you. It is based on Austen’s Sense & Sensibility, updated to modern India. Tabu plays the Elinor Dashwood role, Aishwarya Rai plays Marianne. The music, by A.R. Rahman, is top notch. Director: Rajiv Menon. Music: A.R. Rahman. Filming locations: Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland; Giza, Egypt; Munnar, Kerala, India. Runtime: 158 minutes. Not streaming free, rent or buy.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) [Hindi] — Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) is the single father of a precocious daughter, Anjali. His wife, Tina (Rani Mukerji), died in childbirth. But she left a series of letters for their daughter describing how they met and their lives at school. Anjali was named after Rahul’s college best friend (Kajol), who was secretly in love with him. Rahul was oblivious to Anjali’s feelings but Tina knew. Her posthumous letters to her daughter bring Rahul and Anjali together after many years. But Anjali is engaged to Aman (Salman Khan). Director: Karan Johar. Songs: Jatin-Lalit. Filming locations: Blackrock Cottage, Glen Coe, Scotland; Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland; Mauritius; Mumbai, India. Runtime: 185 minutes. Streaming on Netflix & Prime.

Main Hoon Na (2004) [Hindi] — This is essentially a John Hughes movie grafted onto an 80s action movie. Shah Rukh Khan plays Major Ram Prasad, a special forces officer. He is sent to protect the daughter of General Bakshi who is in college (‘college’ in the English sense, for 16–18 year olds who are going on to university). But he has to go incognito as a student so he can get close to the girl. He has another more personal reason for going. His father’s estranged wife lives there with her son (Ram’s half brother), who is also a student at the college. When I said this was a John Hughes movie, I wasn’t kidding. There’s even a prom scene with a band that looks like the Beatles circa 1962. And in case you were worried, 40ish SRK does not creep on the general’s teenage daughter (Amrita Rao), he falls in love with the new chemistry teacher (Sushmita Sen). This is all before the big bullet-riddled finale. And lets not forget all the family drama when the villain (Suniel Shetty) reveals Ram’s true identity to his brother (Zayed Khan) and his mom (Kirron Kher). This is what I love about Bollywood — all genres rolled into one big glorious musical package. Director: Farah Khan. Songs: Anu Malik. Filming locations: Darjeeling, West Bengal and St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India. Runtime: 182 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Mohabbatein (2000) [Hindi] — Amitabh Bachchan is the headmaster of the prestigious boys’ school called Gurukul. He has strict rules of conduct. Anyone who breaks the rules will be expelled. In the last 25 years, he only expelled one student for falling in love with Bachchan’s daughter Megha (Aishwarya Rai). After the expulsion, Megha committed suicide. Shah Rukh Khan is the new music teacher. He takes three young men under his wing, Karan, Sameer, and Vicky (Vikram), and he encourages them to fall in love, even though it is strictly against the rules. Director: Aditya Chopra. Songs: Jatin-Lalit. Filming locations: Longleat House, Wiltshire; London; Queen’s College, Oxford. Runtime: 215 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Om Shanti Om (2007) [Hindi] — Shah Rukh Khan plays Om Makhija, a background actor who dreams of being a star. He worships Bollywood starlet Shanti Priya (Deepika Padukone) from afar. When Shanti’s husband Mukesh (Arjun Rampal), murders Shanti, Om tries to save her and also dies. 30 years later, Om Kapoor is a big star. He begins to remember his past life as Om Makhija and plots his revenge against Mukesh. This was the highest grossing Indian film ever at the time of its release. It features a lot of cameos by a lot of Bollywood stars in the dance track “Deewangi Deewangi”. Director: Farah Khan. Songs: Vishal-Shekhar. Filming locations: Mumbai, India. Runtime: 171 minutes. Streaming on Netflix.

Paap (2003) [Hindi] — An almost scene-for-scene remake of Witness. The little boy here is the current incarnation of the Dalai Lama, or something. Watched this years ago on the International Channel so I’m a little hazy on the details but they did include that scene from Witness with the grain silo. Director: Pooja Bhatt. Music: Anu Malik, Shahzad Hasan, Ali Azmat, Rohail Hyatt, Music Mushrooms. Filming locations: Manali, Delhi & Mumbai, India. Runtime: 115 minutes. Not currently streaming.