27 Best Bollywood Movies of 90s That Should Be On Your Watch List

The 90s decade was solely dedicated to the romantic and Action films in Bollywood.

The decade is also popular as it was the 90s when the three Khans of Bollywood emerged as superstars and continued to rule the industry for more than 3 decades now.

Although the 90s era was dominated by romance genre, there were a few exceptions as filmmakers were successful experimenting with realistic drama, crime thrillers, comedy, suspense thrillers, and social films during the 90s.

While most of the films simply followed the romance trend in the 90s, some of them went on to become the biggest blockbusters of Bollywood cinema.

Check out the list of some of the swashbuckling films of the 90s and add it to your list for next watch if you haven’t watched it already.

Best Bollywood Movies of the 90s (1990-99)

Here’s the amazing list of best Bollywood films of the 90s decade. Check them out one by one.

Dil (1990)

Directed by Indra Kumar, Dil is a romantic comedy featuring Madhuri Dixit and Aamir Khan as a romantic pair for the first time.

The film tells a love story between a rich girl and a poor boy with lots of comical events and romantic songs.

Ghayal (1990)

Ghayal is a 1990 action drama directed by debutant Rajkumar Santoshi. Ghayal helped Sunny Deol emerge as an actor and earned him the title of action superstar in Bollywood.

The film is a revenge story where a younger brother avenges his brother’s death and challenges Balwant Rai, a reputed and powerful businessman. The film also stars Meenakshi Seshadri, Amrish Puri, Raj Babbar, and Moushmi Chatterjee in pivotal roles.

Aashiqui (1990)

Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, Aashiqui is a 1990 musical romance Bollywood film that became a blockbuster at the time of its release. The songs in the film can still be found among the favorite playlists of all age groups.

The movie earned a cult status and eventually revived in 2013 by Mohit Suri as Aashiqui 2 featuring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles.

Saajan (1991)

Saajan is a 1991 romantic drama film starring Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Salman Khan in the lead roles. Directed by Lawrence D’Souza, the film is a love triangle between the main leads and emphasizes on the elements of friendship and sacrifice.

Whether Dutt’s character Aman becomes the Saajan of Madhuri’s character Pooja or Khan’s character Akash wins her love becomes the crux of the film’s story.

Sadak (1991)

Sadak is a 1991 romantic thriller Bollywood film directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The film features Sanjay Dutt and Bhatt’s daughter Pooja Bhatt in the lead roles.

It was the seventh highest grossing film of the 90s decade. The film tells the story of a Mumbai taxi driver, who falls in love with a young girl, forced into prostitution and rescues her from the clutches of Maharani, a eunuch.

Hum (1991)

A story of three brothers, Hum is a 1991 crime action film that features two legendary actors of Indian cinema together, Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth.

It was their third collaboration together after Andha Kanoon and Geraftaar. The film is directed by Mukul S. Anand.

Darr (1993)

Darr is a 1993 Hindi psychological thriller film directed by Yash Chopra. The film helped Shahrukh Khan establish himself further in his anti-hero image before evolving into a complete romantic hero.

The film features Shahrukh Khan as an obsessive lover and is even today considered as his best performance till date.

Damini (1993)

Damini – Lightning is a brilliantly crafted women-centric film featuring Meenakshi Seshadri in the titular role. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the film is also noted for Sunny Deol’s dazzling portrayal of a lawyer fighting for Damini in the film, Damini is one of the Best Bollywood Movies on Court Room Drama.

Besides Meenakshi’s sensational performance throughout the film, Damini is also remembered for the courtroom drama between Govind, portrayed by Sunny Deol and Chaddha, portrayed by Amrish Puri.

Khalnayak (1993)

There are many films in Bollywood which are known for their villains more than the main protagonists in the movie. Khalnayak is one such film.

Directed by Subhash Ghai, the film features Sanjay Dutt as the main antagonist Ballu, whereas Jackie Shroff plays the main protagonist Inspector Ram. Madhuri Dixit plays the love interest for both the leads in the film.

Baazigar (1993)

While the 1993 film Darr helped Shahrukh Khan to take the anti-hero image to a new level, the crime thriller film Baazigar earlier in 1993 actually portrayed him as an anti-hero for the first time.

The film also gained King Khan the title of Baazigar in Bollywood. Directed by thriller legends Abbas-Mastan, the film also features Kajol and Shilpa Shetty as the female leads.

Andaz Apna Apna (1994)

Andaz Apna Apna is undoubtedly the hilarious comedy films of all times. Surprisingly this Aamir and Salman starrer film didn’t do well at the box office. However, it gained a cult status eventually and is the most watched film on TV.

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the film is noted for Aamir-Salman chemistry, Paresh Rawal’s double roles, and most importantly Shakti Kapoor’s portrayal of Crime Master Gogo.

Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994)

Over the years, Shahrukh Khan’s fame and popularity has, of course, overshadowed his skills. If you want to experience the depth of his acting skills, you must watch his films before Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge such as Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, considered as one of the best Films about one Sided love.

In this Kundan Shah directed film, the King Khan breaks the norm and plays the hero who is a loser. His performance was applauded both by the mass and the critics for this film and is considered as one of his finest performances in Bollywood.

Krantiveer (1994)

Krantiveer won Nana Patekar his one and only Filmfare Best Actor award for Hindi cinema. Although it’s a bit shame that despite giving tremendous performances in most of his films, he was awarded only for Krantiveer.

Directed by Mehul Kumar, Krantiveer is a story of a man who takes on the corrupted world all by himself after he witnesses the injustice on people and gets encouraged by a journalist, played by Dimple Kapadia.

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994)

If adjusted for inflation, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! is considered to be the highest grosser film in Bollywood. This 1994 Rajshri film was a spectacular film that revolves around family values and traditions.

Salman Khan is again cast as Prem after his first successful venture with Rajshri in Maine Pyar Kiya, whereas Madhuri Dixit plays his love interest. It was the modern take on Rajshri’s classic 1982 film Nadiya Ke Paar.

Mohra (1994)

Directed by Rajiv Rai, Mohra is a 1994 political action thriller film starring Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Sunil Shetty, and Naseeruddin Shah in the main lead.

The film is widely known for sizzling chemistry between Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon as well as the action sequences between Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty.

It was also the first film where Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, and Paresh Rawal shared the screen space for the first time.

Karan Arjun (1995)

Karan Arjun can be marked as a complete Bollywood masala film as it has all the basic elements such as enthralling music, gripping story, solid action, religious overtones, and to top it all, the reincarnation theme.

Directed by Rakesh Roshan, Karan Arjun is the first film starring Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan for the first time together. The film also stars Kajol, Amrish Puri, Rakhee, Mamta Kulkarni, Ranjeet, and Johnny Lever in important characters.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge holds the record for the longest run at the Box Office. It has been continuously running at the Maratha Mandir theater in Mumbai for the last 20 years.

The film was directed by debutant Aditya Chopra and featured Shahrukh Khan and Kajol as the lead pair. The story of the film is still unique as it dealt with different segments of society highlight strong family values.

Rangeela (1995)

Rangeela is one of those few Bollywood films that went on to become an inspiration for a Hollywood film.

Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the film starred Aamir Khan, Jackie Shroff, and Urmila Matondkar in the lead roles. The film also marked A.R. Rahman’s debut in Bollywood as an original score and soundtrack.

Maachis (1996)

Maachis is 1996 Bollywood political drama film that sheds light on few reasons why a boy next door choose the wrong side of the law and chooses to become a terrorist.

The film is set in the 1980s and focuses on the circumstances leading to the rise of Sikh insurgency in Punjab. Directed by Gulzar; the film stars Om Puri, Tabu, Chandrachur Singh, and Jimmy Shergill in pivotal roles.

Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)

Dil To Pagal Hai is a musical romance drama film featuring Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, and Karishma Kapoor in the lead roles.

Directed by the legendary Yash Chopra, the film revolves around a musical dance troupe led by Rahul, portrayed by Shahrukh Khan and his love story.

Virasat (1997)

Directed by Priyadarshan, Virasat is a Hindi social drama film that features Anil Kapoor and Tabu in the lead roles. The film tells the story of a young modern man, who returns to his ancestral village after completing his studies in London and gets strangled in the village politics after his father’s death.

In the midst of fulfilling his father’s desire, he loses his love, his dreams, and dedicates his life for the welfare of the people. The film is all about how he takes up his father’s role as the head of the village.

Border (1997)

Border is an epic Bollywood war film directed by J.P. Dutta. The film features an ensemble cast of Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu, Pooja Bhatt, Jackie Shroff in important roles.

Border is a film adaptation based on the real life events that occurred at the Battle of Longewala during the famous Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.

Gupt (1997)

Gupt is a 1997 Hindi suspense thriller Movie starring Bobby Deol, Kajol, and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles.

Directed by Rajiv Rai, the film revolves around a murder mystery and the false accusation of the lead actor. The film is about the search for the real culprit by the lead to prove his innocence.

Satya (1998)

Satya is a 1998 Hindi gangster film directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film made the career of Manoj Bajpai for his iconic portrayal of Bhikhu Mhatre, whereas helped Varma become a master at directing gangster movies.

Satya was first of his Gangster trilogy films. The other two were Company and D. The film was written by Anurag Kashyap and Saurabh Shukla.

Dil Se (1998)

Dil Se is a war romantic thriller film starring Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles. Dil Se was the third film by the ace director Mani Ratnam completing his trilogy of terror films after Roja and Bombay.

Shahrukh Khan tried his luck with parallel cinema with Dil Se, whereas Manisha Koirala played a terrorist in the film.

Ghulam (1998)

Ghulam is a 1998 crime drama featuring Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherjee in the lead roles. The film is a remake of 1988 action drama film Kabzaa starring Sanjay Dutt in the lead role.

The film is about how a carefree young man takes on a popular goon when he finds the path of righteousness. Whether he wins or loses on his path forms the crux of the story.

Vaastav: The Reality (1999)

Vaastav is a 1999 Underworld Crime Drama Bollywood Film starring Sanjay Dutt in one of his trademark gangster role as Raghu. Directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, the film tells a story about a young man who accidentally gets involved in a murder case that lead him to become a respected hit man within the underworld.

His portrayal of Raghunath Namdev Shivalkar in the film also helped Sanjay Dutt win his first Filmfare Best Actor award.