Bollywood is a prolific film producer, making hundreds of movies every year. While most of the movies sink without a trace in the choppy waters of the Box Office, some of the films go on to make a lasting impression on the viewers. These films appeal to the sensibilities of the masses, as well as cater to the refined tastes of the classes. These films have a truly wide appeal. While some of them are out and out entertainers and masala films, some of them are serious in nature, raising valid and hard-hitting questions.

Some of the best movies out of Bollywood are contained in this list of top 25 Bollywood movies of all times. The first two hubs of this series listed out 16 out of this list of 25. This is the third and final hub of the series.

Sit back and enjoy!

Amitabh, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Jeevan, Neetu, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi, Pran
Produced By: Manmohan Desai
Directed By: Manmohan Desai
Music By: Laxmikant Pyarelal

A complete masala movie, containing each and every flavor that goes into the making of the typical Bollywood extravaganza. This film, just like Yaadon Ki Baraat, sports the theme of siblings parted by fate in childhood, and later re-united in their youth. This film was also a shot in the arm for secularism, in the typical Bollywood fashion. One of the brothers is raised as a Hindu (Amar), the other as a Muslim (Akbar) and the third as a Christian (Anthony). The film has a memorable score by the duo of Laxmikant-Pyarelal. One of the best recalled scenes is Amitabh Bachchan drunk and tending to himself after he gets a good thrashing during a song. And do you remember the meaningless babble of "juxtaposition to the atmospheric haemoglobin"? Hilarious!

Amol Palekar, Bindiya Goswami, Utpal Dutt, David, Deven Verma
Produced By: N.N.Sippy, Hrishikesh
Directed By: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Music By: R.D.Burman

Trust Hrishikesh Mukherjee to make such an entertaining, original and clean comedy, without resorting to the slapstick humor that is so characteristic of the Hindi movies. This is one of the best comedy films of Bollywood. Veteran thespian Uttpal Dutt turns in a memorable performance as a bumbling, confused old man!

Rekha, Farooq Sheikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar, Prema Narayan, Deena Pathak
Produced By: Muzaffar Ali
Directed By: Muzaffar Ali
Music By: Khayyam

Set in the backdrop of the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, this film is the tale of a noted courtesan, Umrao Jaan Ada. It is one of the best films ever on the subject of courtesans, and has one of the best and the most tasteful mujra performances by Rekha (who plays the role of Umrao Jaan). The film has a haunting, memorable score by Khayyam, and almost all the songs of the movie are remembered and sung till today. Especially songs like "Dil Cheez Kya Hai" and "In Aankhon ki Masti Ke".

Naseeruddin, Bhakti Barve, Ravi Vasvani, Satish Shah, Neena Gupta, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor.
Produced By: N.F.D.C.
Directed By: Kundan Shah
Music By: Vanraj Bhatia

This movie is the crowning glory of the Parallel Cinema Movement in India. It is a hard hitting, realistic satire on the rotten underbelly of Indian politics, bureaucracy and business. The film boasts of powerhouse performers and note worthies of Art Cinema like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Ravi Baswani. It is one of the most original scripts ever to come out of Bollywood. The last scene of the film is one of the most funny and hilarious sequences of the Hindi Cinema ever!

Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Alok Nath, Beena, Dilip Tahil, Nandita Thakur, Reema Lagoo
Produced By: Nasir Hussain
Directed By: Mansoor Khan
Music By: Anand Milind

This film can be credited with turning the tide for Bollywood, when it was laid low by a string of flops in the mid 1980s. It is also a quintessential Bollywood masala film. The film saw success because it introduced freshness in the form of the teenage love story, loosely based on the plot of Romeo and Juliet. The lead roles were played by Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla, both making their debuts as lead actors. The film was also lifted by a memorable score and the fresh voice of Udit Narayan. One of the songs "Papa Kehte Hain" is one of the most successful songs of the Hindi film music.

Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Parmeet Sethi, Satish Shah, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher, Mandira Bedi
Produced By: Yash Chopra
Directed By: Aditya Chopra
Music By: Jatin Lalit

This film also set a record of its own, just like Sholay. It has played for 700 (yes, SEVEN HUNDRED!!) weeks straight in a Mumbai Theatre (it is still going strong there)! The film boasts of the pair of Sharukh Khan and Kaajol, which has a number of hits to their credit. For the first time ever, the film told the tale of the Indian diaspora. An out and out love story, the film is one of the biggest grossers of Bollywood. Needless to say, the film has also a great musical score by the duo of Jatin-Lalit.

Chakravarthy, Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpai, Govind Namdeo
Produced By: Ramgopal Verma
Directed By: Ramgopal Verma
Music By: Vishal

The best ever crime drama of Bollywood. Period. Quentin Tarantino would have been proud of this film, had he made it. A never before exploration of the murky underworld of Mumbai, Satya was a ground breaking film, and an unexpected success, since it had no stars to boast of. It sported hitherto unknown faces like Chakravarthy and Manoj Bajpai, who had seen little success till this film. Highly recommended.

Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Raghubir Yadav, Rachel Shelley
Produced by: Aamir Khan/Jhamu Sugandh
Directed by: Ashutosh Gowarikar
Music by: AR Rehman

Once Upon a Time In India. Thus goes the tagline for the movie Lagaan. Set in the heady days of the British Raj, the film combines the two potent opiums of the Indian masses: Cricket and kitsch Patriotism. It also featured the all-time favourite theme of the underdog, the David pitted against the Goliaths of the world. The heady mix resulted in a big blockbuster, and success and acclaim from all over the world. The film was nominated for the Oscars in the Foreign languages category. The film also introduced a hitherto unknown and neglected factor of successful film-making: Marketing. Since then, the film makers of Bollywood have realized the importance of good marketing for the eventual success of a film.

Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Preity Zinta.
Produced by: Ritesh Sidhwani
Directed by: Farhaan Akhtar
Music by: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

The year 2001 proved to be exceptional for Aamir Khan. After Lagaan, another of his movies proved to be a box office hit. This film makes it to the list due to the many firsts to its credit. It is one of the pioneers of the New Age Cinema. It was written and directed by the young and talented Farhan Akhtar. It explored themes such as male bonding, falling in love with an older person, friendship and reconciliation. Watch the film for the crackling chemistry between the three main protagonists, Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan.

I hope you have enjoyed reading and going through this list, as much as I enjoyed compiling it! I would welcome your suggetions and feedback. If you have not visited the first two hubs of the series, here are the links:

Top 25 Bollywood Movies of all Times (Part 1 of 3)

Top 25 Bollywood Movies of all Times (Part 2 of 3) .