Bollywood as we know it has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry, with most of its movies making it to the American Box Office. Statistically, Bollywood is worth over $2 billion and promises to grow further over time.
In 2012 alone, Bollywood produced a total of 1,602 movies. That is far ahead of bigger industries like Hollywood, which had 476, and the Chinese movie industry, which recorded 745 in the same year.
This same year, it was recorded that Bollywood sold the highest number of tickets on the big screen, with gross earnings of $2.6 billion. That is compared to Hollywood movies which sold for $1.36 billion. This is proof that Bollywood as an industry has grown so big that it is fast replacing the “all popular” Hollywood movies in “some countries.”
The Indian online streaming industry is not doing badly either. With over 600 million active users who spend around 6 hours daily on media content, India has attracted some multinational streaming giants who have come to complement their efforts and make it more pleasurable. ExpressVPN’s blog piece about the most streamed Indian shows reveals that streaming platforms spent nearly half a billion USD on original content last year alone.
Having said that, not every Bollywood movie captured the viewers’ attention, but some did, which is why we created this piece. But before we go into details, we must mention that the titles below are not all that is. There may be others out there that meet the standards of millions of viewers.
Top 5 Best Indian Movies of 2022
1. Gangubai Kathiawadi
Gangubai Kathiawadi is old, if not older. This movie has all the features of Martin Scorsese gangland epic scenes. It was inspired by the 2011 book “Mafia Queens Of Mumbai,” and has a combination of romance, intrigue, and social fusion, hence its worldwide acceptance.
Although older than most of its counterparts released in early 2022, anyone who came across it again has no reason to doubt its interesting, gun-rattling epic scenes. No wonder it won the 2012 Bafta nomination for Devdas.
2. Barfi
Ranbir Kapoor nailed it with his performance in this movie. He portrayed a perfect performance of a Rockstar and didn’t give the viewers a reason to blink while on it. In popular opinion, viewers believe that Ranbir would have stolen the whole show had Priyanka Chopra not displayed one of the most touching performances in the movie, where she played an autistic girl.
Directed by Basu, most viewers believe that Barfi exceeded their expectations. Some fans said that, at first, they expected the movie to be serious and dark, but the performance of the main characters gave it a whole new meaning. Although for some fans, Barfi is mean, to others, it is one hellova romantic comedy.
3. Omg: Oh My God!: Courtroom Drama Between Men and God
Yes, You guessed right. It is a comedy-drama! Here, the producer took a clue from Jim Carey’s Bruce Almighty comedy shock buster. But unlike Bruce Almighty, this funny Bollywood movie took a more religious tone. This is a story of a frustrated storekeeper who decided he had had enough and had to sue God. Yes, funny, right? Wait till you hear his reasons.
His suit was motivated by his anger that the earthquake that damaged only his shop was an act of God, holding him responsible. However, the movie generated a lot of criticism, especially from free thinkers who believe that the movie targets only people with shady knowledge of religion.
But other religious viewers believe the producers went too far. Nevertheless, it made it tops as the most-viewed Indian movie of 2022.
4. Gangs of Wasseypur (GOW)
Of all the action-packed scenes in this movie, the singing session remains the most interesting. The song titled “Teri Keh Ke Looga” is really something else. As some viewers enjoy the song for what it is, others read a lot of meaning into it and believe it summarizes the entire movie.
It is no surprise that the song gained more momentum than the actual movie since it came from Basu Sir. The soundtrack combines both classics with a touch of old and modern sounds. It might also interest you that the GOW has been named the “king of Indian cinema.” Directed by Anurag Kashyap, this movie has earned a place as one of the best movies ever made in India.
5. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro
Watching this movie, you won’t but to wonder how Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is still less popular in the Indian movie industry. As funny as this movie is, it has ranked one of India’s top 10 classics. A couple of scenes also make memorable moments, e.g., the Mahabharat scene.
One thing about Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro is that every part of it is funny, even when it gets to a stage when they try to introduce some emotional moment towards the ending. Other memorable scenes of the notable parts include Naseeruddin’s “Thoda khao…”
Conclusion
From the look of things, the popularity of the Indian movie industry is not slowing down any soon. And if you have noticed, there have been newer technologies, one very similar to what’s applicable with most high-quality Hollywood movies being introduced into their movie scene.
This is a sign of seriousness, a commitment to take the industry to the next level of movie-making. Again, as new faces continue to make it into the Bollywood movie scene, we expect a dose of something different from the conventional Bollywood art as we know it.
Lastly, as we have hinted earlier, the movies mentioned here may not be the only good titles; there are more of them. You can also find these movies on India’s major streaming platforms, Amazon India, which has approximately 7.3 million local viewers, or Netflix.
