Desis are big-time movie lovers. From Top Gun: Maverick to K.G.F, our greedy movie-buff side has seen it all. And while some movies make a good one-time watch for us, others become evergreen.
So we curated a list of the top 100 movies on IMDb and were wondering how many of those have you seen.
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
IMDb: 9.3
A sucessful banker is wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment in Shawshank prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. While serving his sentence, he befriends another prison mate and goes on to become the most extraordinary prisoner ever.
2. The Godfather (1972)
IMDb: 9.2
A hesitant son is drawn deep into the midst of the world of crime when his father — the Mafia boss of New York — transfers his gigantic empire to him.
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
IMDb: 9.0
When a sadistic criminal called Joker begins to unleash terror and havoc in the city of Gotham, the vigilante Batman fights evil to destabilize the organized crime in the city in alliance with the police.
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
IMDb: 9.0
In the final film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the tussle between good and evil will determine the future of Middle Earth. Aragorn leads the forces to fight against evil Sauron’s army while Frodo and Sam are on their way to destroy the ‘One Ring.’
5. Schindler’s List (1993)
IMDb: 9.0
During World War II, a German industrialist develops concerns for his Jewish workers. He begins to save innocent lives by protecting refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.
6. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
IMDb: 9.0
The second part of the compelling saga traces the contrasting life and challenges of the Corleone father and son in 1917 and 1958, respectively, as the two deepened their roots in the Mafia world.
7. 12 Angry Men (1957)
IMDb: 9.0
The jury in a New York City murder trial is pissed with one juror who is not aligned with the majority and prompts them to look at the case more closely before reaching a verdict in hurry.
8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
IMDb: 8.9
In the gory underworld of Los Angeles, the seemingly different tales of a gangster and his wife, a struggling boxer, a pair of mobsters and bandits merge with a chain of violence and redemption.
9. Inception (2010)
IMDb: 8.8
Inception is another of Christopher Nolan’s masterpieces. It follows the story of a thief who exploits his dream-sharing technology by stealing secrets from the subconscious. He is given the ultimate task to incept an idea in a CEO’s mind.
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
IMDb: 8.8
This is the second part of the epic fantasy movie series. Frodo and Sam face many dangers as they journey closer to Mordor in their quest to destroy One Ring. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli discover a once great kingdom which is now a new ally to Sauron’s evil army.
11. Fight Club (1999)
IMDb: 8.8
Bored with the monotony of his life, an insomniac white-collared office worker forms a fight club with a carefree salesman that later turns into something frightening and baleful.
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
IMDb: 8.8
In the first part of the epic fantasy adventure trilogy, a young hobbit with his eight companions set forth on a journey to destroy the ‘One Ring’ the fate of which determines the future of civilization.
13. Forrest Gump (1994)
IMDb: 8.8
A man with a low IQ and intellectual disability recalls his early years and how he was in the middle of key historical events with his unwavering optimism. His sole desire is to be reunited with his childhood love, Jenny.
Fun fact: Aamir Khan’s upcoming film, Laal Singh Chaddha is based on Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump.
14. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
IMDb: 8.8
During the days of the Civil War, two men form a shaky alliance against another outlawed to find a hidden treasure of gold buried in a cemetery.
15. The Matrix (1999)
IMDb: 8.7
When a computer programmer is led to fight the underground computers, he discovers a flabbergasting truth that his entire reality has been a web of deception weaved with a powerful system called the Matrix.
16. Goodfellas (1990)
IMDb: 8.7
Journey of a young Henry Hill and his group of friends from a small criminal to a big-time gangster lurking in the streets of New York.
17. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
IMDb: 8.7
Luke Skywalker begins training with Yoda to become the Jedi Knight while his friends try to forestall the Imperial fleet, as the Rebels are overpowered on the ice planet.
18. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
IMDb: 8.7
To escape the morbidity of prisons, a criminal fakes insanity when he is shifted to an institution for the mentally unstable. He rises to the cause of scared and vulnerable against the cruel and oppressive nurse.
19. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
IMDb: 8.6
After 30 plus years of service as one of the top aviators of the Navy, Maverick now has to train a batch of young TOPGUN graduates for a special task. In the process, Maverick must confront the past and his fears related to the upcoming challenging mission that may require ultimate sacrifice from the selected aviators.
20. Interstellar (2014)
IMDb: 8.6
An ex-NASA pilot is on a trudge in space with a team of researchers to find another planet for humans as the Earth would not be inhabitable in the near future.
21. City of God (2002)
IMDb: 8.6
In the poor neighborhood and slums of Rio de Janeiro, the path of two kids separate as one aspires to become a photographer and the other becomes a drug dealer.
22. Spirited Away (2001)
IMDb: 8.6
During the move towards her new house, young Chihiro’s father takes a shortcut and stops in front of an abandoned amusement park with a desire to explore the same. The morose 10-year-old ends up in a world governed by gods, witches, and metamorphosized humans.
23. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
IMDb: 8.6
Set in World War II during the Normandy invasion, Captain John Miller is assigned the duty to find the lost soldier, paratrooper James Ryan whose three brothers have already been killed.
24. The Green Mile (1999)
IMDb: 8.6
During the Great Depression, the life of the head guard of a death row prison changes when he discovers that a prison inmate, convicted of murder and rape, has a special gift.
25. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
IMDb: 8.6
During the Holocaust, a loving Jewish father uses a blend of will, wit, and humor to protect his adorable son from the devastating reality of their life.
26. Se7en (1995)
IMDb: 8.6
A detective and his accomplice are on a challenging mission to find a peculiar serial killer on a spree to murder people according to the seven sins.
27. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
IMDb: 8.6
A terminator is on an expedition to kill Sarah Connor’s 10-year-old son, while another cyborg who once failed to kill Sarah now has to protect her son.
28. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
IMDb: 8.6
A young FBI agent must resort to help from a serial cannibal killer to gain insights to catch another evil criminal who has been killing females.
29. Star Wars (1977)
IMDb: 8.6
Luke Skywalker forms an alliance with a Jedi Knight, a pilot, and two droids to rescue Princess Leia from sinister Darth Wader and save the galaxy.
30. Harakiri (1962)
IMDb: 8.6
When an elder samurai visits the feudal lord’s palace to ask for a place to commit suicide, he tells him the story of a younger samurai who once visited him before.
31. Seven Samurai (1954)
IMDb: 8.6
As a veteran samurai begins to teach six samurais to protect the village from bandits, a pack of 40 bandits unleashes an attack on the village.
32. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
IMDb: 8.6
An angel sent from heaven comes to the aide of an exasperated, suicidal businessman. She shows him what life without his would have looked like.
33. Parasite (2019)
IMDb: 8.5
A poor and destitute Kim family plans their way into employment with the wealthy Park family and their household. The former group begins to lead a parasitic existence on the latter.
34. Whiplash (2014)
IMDb: 8.5
A young drummer enrolls in a music conservatory only to be mentored by an unusual instructor who would strike all odds to help his student fulfill his ambitions.
35. The Intouchables (2011)
IMDb: 8.5
A peculiar friendship develops between a quadriplegic French nobleman and his immigrant caregiver.
36. The Prestige (2006)
IMDb: 8.5
The friendship between the two magicians turns sour after a tragedy. They are now on a rampage to create the ultimate illusion while giving up all they have to compete against each other.
37. The Departed (2006)
IMDb: 8.5
While an undercover agent and a spy attempt to creep into an Irish gang, they both relentlessly attack each other to protect being exposed to the authorities.
38. The Pianist (2002)
IMDb: 8.5
During the cataclysmic times of World War II, a brilliant pianist makes all possible attempts to survive as the world turns haywire around him.
39. Gladiator (2000)
IMDb: 8.5
A former Roman General rises from his ranks to avenge the death of his family members who were murdered by the corrupt Emporer.
40. American History X (1998)
IMDb: 8.5
After serving three years in prison for a hate crime, a former neo-nazi decides to make amends. He tries to change his brother who is following his old footsteps with similar deep-rooted hate and racist ideologies.
41. The Usual Suspects (1995)
IMDb: 8.5
The tale follows the interrogation of one of the two survivors of a huge ship massacre. The person being interrogated is a con artist. He tells a complicated story about how he and four other criminals were commissioned by a mystery mob.
42. Léon: The Professional (1994)
IMDb: 8.5
After the murder of her family, an assassin by profession trains the 12-year-old Mathilda with the tricks of his trade.
43. The Lion King (1994)
IMDb: 8.5
After the murder of his father Mufasa, Simba, the young lion prince, runs away from his kingdom only to return years later to reclaim the throne from his evil uncle.
44. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
IMDb: 8.5
A famous director returns to his native town for the funeral of a film projectionist. He recalls his early years when he fell in love with the magical and enigmatic world of cinema.
45. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
IMDb: 8.5
This gut-wrenching animated tragedy film follows the tale of two young siblings. The elder brother is in charge of her younger sibling as the two are separated from their parents after the American bombing during the World War II.
46. Back to the Future (1985)
IMDb: 8.5
A 17-year-old Marty McFly is accidentally transported back in time through the time machine invented by his friend. He must make his high school parents fall in love to return to be able to return the present.
47. Apocalypse Now (1979)
IMDb: 8.5
This American epic psychological war film follows the tale of Captain Willard, who has undertaken a deadly mission to find and kill renegade Colonel Kurtz who has built his own army and now perceives himself as God. The film is based on Joseph Conrad’s great novella Heart of Darkness.
48. Alien (1979)
IMDb: 8.5
In the vast expanse of space, a crew onboard a commercial spacecraft, Nostromo, receives a distress signal from a distant moon. They embark on a journey to investigate the same and discover thousands of eggs on an extraterrestrial spacecraft. However, the terror gets real when they get attacked by an alien who is now on their ship.
49. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
IMDb: 8.5
A widow arrives in town to find her husband and children dead. She takes help from a stranger and an outlawed to protect her land from a deadly assassin who works for the railroad.
50. Psycho (1960)
IMDb: 8.5
Desperate for money, a real estate secretary dupes thousands of dollars from her employers. She then goes into hiding and wounds up at an infamous motel while her sister and lover are looking for her.
51. Rear Window (1954)
IMDb: 8.5
A wheelchair-bound photographer is obsessed with spying on his neighbors through his apartment window with lenses and binoculars. He strongly believes a murder has taken place and one of the neighbors is guilty.
52. Casablanca (1942)
IMDb: 8.5
During World War II, an American cafe owner in Casablanca finds himself in a bit of a situation when he agrees to help her ex-lover, Ilsa, and her fugitive husband to escape from the Nazis who’re after him. Soon, Ilsa’s old flame of love also gets reignited.
53. Modern Times (1936)
IMDb: 8.5
Directed and written by Charlie Chapin, this silent satirical romantic comedy film follows the life of an assembly line production worker who is thrown on the streets for his misbehavior. He then tries to make a life with a newly orphaned homeless girl.
54. City Lights (1931)
IMDb: 8.5
Another Charlie Chaplin marvel in which he falls in love with a blind flower girl. On learning that she and her grandmother are soon to be evicted from their household, the tramp tries his best to collect money to help the girl financially.
55. Capernaum (2018)
IMDb: 8.4
After his parents marry off his minor sister, a young boy flees from his house, commits violent crimes, and wounds up in jail for five years. He later sues his parents for their neglect.
56. Joker (I) (2019)
IMDb: 8.4
A failed stand-up comedian and destitute party clown lives with his sick mother. He is a big-time loner. Considering him mad and a freak, society has also isolated him. He slumps into madness and enters the crime world where he is the mastermind called Joker.
57. Your Name. (2016)
IMDb: 8.4
This animated romantic fantasy follows the life of two teenagers, magically connected with each other. They can swap bodies. Things become even more complex when the two decide to meet each other.
58. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
IMDb: 8.4
After attaining super powers following a spider bite, Miles Morales becomes a Spiderman and begins to protect his city. Soon after, he meets other Spider-induced super humans from alternative dimensions, and they all fight together to save the Universe.
59. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
IMDb: 8.4
After the enormous destruction of the Universe by the evil warlord, Thanos, the remaining Avengers reunite to give their all and restore the balance of the Universe.
60. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
IMDb: 8.4
The fate of the Universe is under threat from the evil Thanos. All the Avengers unite to defeat this intergalactic warlord from succeeding in his quest to collect all infinity shoes.
61. Coco (I) (2017)
IMDb: 8.4
Young Miguel dreams of becoming a successful singer. However, he is faced with his family’s ancestral ban on music. He wounds up in the Land of the Dead and learns about his family history.
62. Django Unchained (2012)
IMDb: 8.4
The film follows the journey of a freed slave to rescue his enslaved wife from a cruel plantation owner in Mississippi with the help of a German bounty hunter.
63. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
IMDb: 8.4
Batman is forced out of exile after 8 years to save Gotham city from the terror of the supervillain Bane.
64. 3 Idiots (2009)
IMDb: 8.4
3 Idiots is the first Indian movie to make it to the IMDb top 100. (But of course!) Ten years after completing their engineering, Farhan and Raju are out to find their old friend Rancho. The story is a parallel between the present and the past, where the three juggled the enormous pressure of an Indian engineering college and the Indian education system.
65. WALL·E (2008)
IMDb: 8.4
700 years into the future, humankind has left the earth, and the earth’s clean-up is left to a small waste-collecting robot called Wall-E. The robot’s very lonely until it falls in love with another and follows it through intergalactic space in a journey that can impact the fate of humankind.
66. The Lives of Others (2006)
IMDb: 8.4
An agent on duty to spy on a writer finds himself obsessed with the life of the writer and his lover. He is in a dilemma when his corrupt superior, in love with the writer’s girlfriend, asks him to get rid of the writer.
67. Oldboy (2003)
IMDb: 8.4
A man is suddenly released fifteen years after his abduction and imprisonment for no legit reason. He now has the task to find his captor within five days, or else he’ll face even grimmer consequences.
68. Memento (2000)
IMDb: 8.4
Former insurance investigator, Leonardo Shelby, suffers from short-term memory loss. His last memory is that of his wife’s murder. He is on a hunt to find the murderer who killed and raped his wife. But he can’t seem to remember what happened 15 minutes ago without the help of notes.
69. American Beauty (1999)
IMDb: 8.4
A father with a seemingly perfect life falls into a major mid-life crisis when he gets attracted to his daughter’s friend.
70. Princess Mononoke (1997)
IMDb: 8.4
Ashitaka gets inflicted with a perilous curse while fighting for his village. He sets out on a search for a cure only to find the forest in a state of war between the forest gods and a mining colony.
71. Braveheart (1995)
IMDb: 8.4
A rebellious Scottish warrior, William Wallace sets outs to free his countrymen from the dictatorship of Kind Edward I after the love of his life is brutally murdered.
72. Aliens (1986)
IMDb: 8.4
After sleeping for 57 years in deep space, Weaver is on board a new mission to the alien planet having known the horrors aliens can inflict. She thinks the only solution is to destroy them. To her surprise, a human colony has been established up there, and there’s one nine-year-old survivor.
73. Amadeus (1984)
IMDb: 8.4
Antonio Salieri is exceedingly envious of Amadeus Mozart, his contemporary musician. His resentment takes a toll on him. He is consumed by hatred and believes God helps Mozart in his composition.
74. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
IMDb: 8.4
The story follows Indiana Jones, an archeology professor who sets out to hunt for a biblical artifact called ‘Ark of the Covenant.’ In his perilous journey, he encounters dangerous Nazis, sword-equipped Egyptians, and venomous snakes.
75. The Boat (1981)
IMDb: 8.4
The crew manning a German submarine patrolling the Atlantic Ocean during World War II must survive paucity of supplies, intense boredom, unpredictable weather, the magnitude of war, and their own shrinking morale.
76. The Shining (1980)
IMDb: 8.4
Jack takes charge as a hotel caretaker in winter. He moves to the isolated hotel with his wife and psychic son. He slowly descends into an evil maniac and begins petrifying his family.
77. High and Low (1963)
IMDb: 8.4
An ambitious executive who wishes to own a show company is forced to pay a hefty ransom to rescue his driver’s son, who is mysteriously abducted.
78. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
IMDb: 8.4
An unruly American General risks a nuclear disaster when he thoughtlessly orders the bombing of the Soviet Union without caring to inform his seniors.
79. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
IMDb: 8.4
A lawyer is confronted with a difficult situation when a wife decides to testify against his client, her own husband, in a case that is supremely complex.
80. Paths of Glory (1957)
IMDb: 8.4
General Mireau takes up an ambitious task for the sake of promotion. He hurls insults at his soldiers when they draw back from attacking a German post during World War I.
81. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
IMDb: 8.4
The movie is a story about a partnership between a young screenwriter and a fading film star that takes horrific turns.
82. The Great Dictator (1940)
IMDb: 8.4
The Great Dictator is another satirical American comedy masterpiece by Charlie Chaplin. Years after fighting in the war and suffering memory loss, a Jewish barber returns to his shop only to find that things are now haywire. He discovers the rise of the draconian dictatorship of Adenoid Hynkel who’s ruthlessly persecuting Jews. Charlie Chaplin played both the roles of the barber and the dictator.
83. The Hunt (2012)
IMDb: 8.3
The life of a kindergarten teacher comes crumbling down after one of his students who has a crush on him implies that he has committed an act of obscenity in front of her.
84. Toy Story 3 (2010)
IMDb: 8.3
The toys are erroneously delivered to a daycare center instead of the attic and the toys feel let down by Andy who is moving to the college the next day. Woody hatches an escape plan.
85. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
IMDb: 8.3
In German-occupied France, a group of Jewish soldiers hatches a plan to take vengeance on the cruel Nazis and end the war. There is a theatre owner who also seeks to avenge the execution of her family.
86. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
IMDb: 8.3
A couple gets their memory medically erased after their relationship turns bitter. However, they cross paths again.
87. Amélie (2001)
IMDb: 8.3
Amélie is a young girl in Paris with an unhappy childhood. Inhabiting her world of imagination, she decides to aid people in finding happiness.
88. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
IMDb: 8.3
Requiem for a Dream is a compelling portrayal of the life of addicts. A lonely widow starts obsessing about her weight and begins taking pills. Meanwhile, her son is also plagued by drug addiction.
89. Good Will Hunting (1997)
IMDb: 8.3
Will Hunting is excellent in Mathematics. He can literally solve all problems except that he does not know how to handle his emotions and seeks help from a psychologist.
90. Toy Story (1995)
IMDb: 8.3
Woody, a cowboy, is Andy’s favorite toy. However, when Andy’s parents buy him Buzz Lightyear, Woody feels envious of Buzz. He also feels miserable about Andy’s fading love for him.
91. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
IMDb: 8.3
Six strangers and criminals are commissioned to pull off a heist when police attacks them. They believe one among them is a backstabber who is with the police.
92. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
IMDb: 8.3
David ‘Noodles’ Aaronson, former Mafia boss, returns to New York to face the ghosts of his past after his exile. The story, presented in a series of flashbacks, is about Noodles’ remarkable journey in the crime world.
93. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
IMDb: 8.3
While Rebels are on their mission to destroy another Death Star, Luke helps his father, Darth Vader, to return from the dark side.
94. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
IMDb: 8.3
After discovering a monolith on the lunar surface, a spacecraft begins its expedition to Jupiter to investigate its inception.
95. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
IMDb: 8.3
During World War I, Lieutenant Lawrence is sent to Arabia to assess their ally, Faisal. Lawrence, with Faisal’s help, attacks the enemy Turks.
96. North by Northwest (1959)
IMDb: 8.3
Foreign spies mistake an advertising executive of being a Government agent. He evades to hide and falls in love with a suspicious woman.
97. Vertigo (1958)
IMDb: 8.3
An ex-police detective is now hired to prevent an old friend’s wife from committing suicide. He gets increasingly obsessed with her while dealing with his own inner battles.
98. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
IMDb: 8.3
In 1920s Hollywood, when a shift was being made from silent films to talkies, Don, a silent film star, falls in love with a budding actress who is hired for dubbing the voice of the lead heroine in his film.
99. Citizen Kane (1941)
IMDb: 8.3
The final word of a publishing tycoon on his deathbed was ‘Rosebud.’ This movie is about a reporter’s investigation into the tycoon’s tumultous life and dying words.
100. M (1931)
IMDb: 8.3
A serial killer’s crimes are so gory that both police and criminals are after him. This puts him in a desperate spot where he has to save his life and escape the clutches of the law.
So? Which one are you watching first?