Top 10 Smartest 21st Century Bollywood Movies

Funny, touching, sad, and powerful, it reflects the lives of typical East-Indian engineering students who were raised since birth with competition in their blood and school lives revolving around marks. Rajkumar Hirani takes the common problem of stress among students and turns it into a movie that gets ambitious young people thinking in a highly entertaining way. Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor are a couple not to be forgotten!

Of course, is this even a question? This film is everything. It entertains and teaches us. It makes us laugh, cry, dance, and even turns us serious. Some of the best songs with the best lyrics, like Behti Hawa, are awesome, and All Izz Well is word-for-word true. And the actors are like, wow. This is the best movie ever created in Bollywood, no doubt.

Shahrukh "King" Khan at his best with his long-time Bollywood consort, Kajol. And Hugh Jackman loved it! A Hindu woman marries a Muslim man with Asperger's syndrome, but the stigma attached to the 9/11 attacks poses a threat to their relationship. A must-watch (although it's really long) with powerful dialogue and a box of tissues.

The best Indian movie I have ever seen. The storyline, acting, and cinematography are all beautiful.

One of Bollywood's only Oscar-nominated films, Lagaan is a love story with high stakes. In British India, one Gujarati village challenges the local authorities to a cricket match that is the key to their freedom. Simple, yet so effective, it's one of the best stories told. Paul Blackthorne and Rachel Shelley feature in it.

Yes, I love Aamir Khan. The story follows a dyslexic child who is misunderstood by his teachers and even his own parents - until a unique art teacher comes into his life. The performances of the children are stunning, and the movie portrays people with disabilities in India in a much-needed new light.

Another Aamir Khan movie, Rang De Basanti is a sweet yet raw interpretation of the revolutionaries who came into popularity during British rule over India, as told by aspiring film students. It features all "3 Idiots," but it isn't at all as light as it seems. Guaranteed to stick with you for a while.

A slightly cheesy title for an excellent movie. It has excellent acting from Paresh Rawal and (believe it or not) Akshay Kumar. In a country knee-deep in superstition and ritual, a shopkeeper decides to sue God and sifts through the complicated practices of religion in order to find out the true meaning of spirituality. It's hilarious and eye-opening.

The young and ever-fresh Ranbir Kapoor proves he can act alongside the surprisingly talented Priyanka Chopra. Playing deaf and autistic characters respectively, Barfi! is visually exceptional (the cinematography is amazing, and not just by Bollywood standards!), sweet, and funny. Although its Charlie Chaplin/Mr. Bean-like references are a little too obvious, this light love story has a Hollywood-level simplicity and rawness to it.

Starring the one and only Amitabh Bachchan alongside the potential acting superstar Deepika Padukone and the "good-oldie" Saif Ali Khan, this highly controversial movie delves into the sensitive issue of the distribution of education among the upper classes of India and the lower-class "untouchables." Complex and real, it takes affirmative action to the next level.

To all who were wondering, Vidya Balan can act! The closest Bollywood film to a Hollywood-style suspenseful thriller, Kahaani doesn't need action to pull you in. Balan plays a heart-wrenching pregnant woman who comes to a lie-infested city in India in search of her lost husband. Balan, who has shown her versatility with comedy, romance, and now drama, killed the performance. The movie is also exceptionally edited.