Bollywood

Amitabh Bachchan Actor · Retro Shah Rukh Khan Actor · Modern Rekha Actress · Retro Madhuri Dixit Actress · Modern Deepika Padukone Actress · Contemporary Alia Bhatt Actress · Contemporary

The Actors

Dilip Kumar Golden Age · 1944–1998 Raj Kapoor Golden Age · 1935–1988 Dev Anand Golden Age · 1946–2011 Guru Dutt Golden Age · 1944–1964 Ashok Kumar Golden Age · 1936–1997 Rajesh Khanna Classic · 1966–2015 Dharmendra Classic · 1960–2025 Amitabh Bachchan Retro · 1969–present Vinod Khanna Retro · 1968–2017 Anil Kapoor Modern · 1979–present Jackie Shroff Modern · 1982–present Shah Rukh Khan Modern · 1988–present Salman Khan Modern · 1988–present Aamir Khan Modern · 1984–present Akshay Kumar Modern · 1991–present Ajay Devgn Modern · 1991–present Saif Ali Khan Modern · 1992–present Hrithik Roshan Modern · 2000–present Ranbir Kapoor Contemporary · 2007–present Ranveer Singh Contemporary · 2010–present Vicky Kaushal Contemporary · 2015–present Ayushmann Khurrana Contemporary · 2012–present Rajkummar Rao Contemporary · 2010–present Sidharth Malhotra Contemporary · 2012–present Varun Dhawan Contemporary · 2012–present Nawazuddin Siddiqui Contemporary · 2003–present Irrfan Khan Contemporary · 1988–2020 Shahid Kapoor Modern · 2003–present Kartik Aaryan Contemporary · 2011–present Tiger Shroff Contemporary · 2014–present John Abraham Modern · 2003–present Emraan Hashmi Modern · 2003–present Sushant Singh Rajput Contemporary · 2008–2020 Sanjay Dutt Modern · 1981–present Govinda Modern · 1986–present Sunny Deol Modern · 1983–present Rishi Kapoor Modern · 1970–2020 Naseeruddin Shah Retro · 1975–present Mithun Chakraborty Retro · 1976–present Anupam Kher Modern · 1984–present Paresh Rawal Modern · 1982–present Nana Patekar Modern · 1978–present Farhan Akhtar Contemporary · 2001–present Pankaj Tripathi Contemporary · 2004–present

The Actresses

Nargis Golden Age · 1935–1967 Madhubala Golden Age · 1942–1964 Meena Kumari Golden Age · 1939–1972 Waheeda Rehman Classic · 1955–present Hema Malini Classic · 1963–present Rekha Retro · 1966–present Sridevi Retro · 1967–2018 Madhuri Dixit Modern · 1984–present Kajol Modern · 1992–present Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Modern · 1997–present Rani Mukerji Modern · 1996–present Priyanka Chopra Jonas Modern · 2002–present Deepika Padukone Contemporary · 2006–present Kareena Kapoor Khan Contemporary · 2000–present Katrina Kaif Contemporary · 2003–present Alia Bhatt Contemporary · 2012–present Kiara Advani Contemporary · 2014–present Kriti Sanon Contemporary · 2014–present Shraddha Kapoor Contemporary · 2010–present Tabu Modern · 1985–present Kangana Ranaut Contemporary · 2006–present Vidya Balan Modern · 2003–present Anushka Sharma Contemporary · 2008–present Janhvi Kapoor Contemporary · 2018–present Sara Ali Khan Contemporary · 2018–present Taapsee Pannu Contemporary · 2010–present Sonam Kapoor Contemporary · 2007–present Parineeti Chopra Contemporary · 2011–present Bhumi Pednekar Contemporary · 2015–present Juhi Chawla Modern · 1986–present Karisma Kapoor Modern · 1991–present Preity Zinta Modern · 1998–present Raveena Tandon Modern · 1991–present Shabana Azmi Retro · 1974–present Smita Patil Retro · 1975–1988

The voices behind the screen — the singers who gave Bollywood its unforgettable soundtrack. Tap a name for their story and signature songs.

Lata Mangeshkar Golden Age · Playback Mohammed Rafi Golden Age · Playback Kishore Kumar Classic · Playback Asha Bhosle Classic · Playback Mukesh Golden Age · Playback Manna Dey Golden Age · Playback Kumar Sanu Modern · Playback Udit Narayan Modern · Playback Sonu Nigam Modern · Playback Alka Yagnik Modern · Playback Arijit Singh Contemporary · Playback Shreya Ghoshal Contemporary · Playback Sunidhi Chauhan Contemporary · Playback K. K. (Krishnakumar Kunnath) Modern · Playback

1. “Bollywood” blends “Bombay” (now Mumbai) with “Hollywood” — but the industry’s formal name is simply Hindi cinema.
2. Raja Harishchandra (1913) by Dadasaheb Phalke is regarded as the first full-length Indian feature film.
3. Alam Ara (1931) was India’s first sound film — the “talkie” that introduced song and dialogue to Indian screens.
4. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) has run continuously at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir cinema for decades — the longest theatrical run in film history.
5. Sholay (1975) ran for over five years at Mumbai’s Minerva theatre and its dialogues are quoted to this day.
6. Mother India (1957) was India’s first film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
7. Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) was the first Indian film shot in CinemaScope widescreen.
8. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest honour in cinema, is named after the father of Indian film.
9. Lata Mangeshkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour — a rare distinction for a musician.
10. Amitabh Bachchan was initially rejected by All India Radio for his now-legendary baritone voice.
11. Gabbar Singh of Sholay was voted one of the greatest screen villains of Indian cinema — and inspired a famous biscuit ad campaign.
12. Kishore Kumar had no formal training in classical music, yet became one of the most influential playback singers ever.
13. Aamir Khan’s Lagaan (2001) is one of only three Indian films nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
14. The song “Mere Sapno Ki Rani” from Aradhana was famously picturised on a moving toy train in Darjeeling.
15. Yash Raj Films, founded by Yash Chopra in 1970, grew into one of India’s largest film studios and home of the “Spy Universe.”
16. The three “Khans” of Bollywood — Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir — were all born in 1965.
17. Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa (1957) appeared on Time magazine’s All-Time 100 Movies list.
18. Playback singing — recording songs separately for actors to lip-sync — is a defining feature of Indian cinema.
19. Dhurandhar (2025) became the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, crossing ₹1,350 crore worldwide.
20. The item number — a standalone song-and-dance showpiece — is a uniquely Bollywood commercial tradition.
21. Mughal-e-Azam (1960) was so lavish that its climactic “Sheesh Mahal” set alone took years and a fortune to build.
22. Sridevi is widely regarded as Hindi cinema’s first female superstar to open films on her name alone.
23. India produces more feature films per year than any other country in the world, across many languages.
24. The Filmfare Award trophy, nicknamed “the Black Lady,” has honoured Hindi film excellence since 1954.