I was recently overthinking Bollywood (Pulkit Kochar and Karan Mir, you guys are not alone) when it struck me that the phrase ‘20 years of …’ appeared many times on my Instagram in 2024. So with a quick Google search, I tried to find all the Bollywood releases two decades ago, and boy it was a pleasant surprise. Scrolling through the list, I kept on saying, “Arey ye bhi, ye bhi, aur ye bhi.” Amidst the crisis of Bollywood cinema in 2024- where, forget good Bollywood cinema, it has become so scarce to see even new posters being hoisted in theaters- it must have been an absolute dreamland for an enthusiast of Hindi cinema. The year saw an incredible mix of cinema, some all-time blockbusters, some absolute darlings of the critics, some gaining cult classic status with years of repeated telecast on satellite TV- but one thing remains the same, they were all fond memories of our growing up.

The Year of SRK

Decades before Shah Rukh blew away the box office with his hat-trick of blockbusters (Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki) in 2023, he had the year 2004 which he can boast all his life for providing us with probably the best trinity of an actor in a year- Main Hoon Na, Veer Zaraa and Swades. Just imagine, an outright masala Bollywood movie, a romance for ages, another tale which despite failing financially went on to become one of the most beloved movies in the land- three movies of absolutely different genres all in the same year. 

Honestly, we so miss this Shah Rukh who took every risk to tell a great story.

Taarzan: The Wonder Car

Diss the movie as much as you want in the present times, but you can’t deny that you were berserk about this movie about the almighty supercar in your childhood. The cult classic is the reason I started having an interest in cars, and this movie also gave me my first ever celebrity crush, Ayesha Takia, even before I knew what a celebrity crush was.

Dhoom

Talking about fascination for motors, who can forget the OG Dhoom? It was the first time I had seen a villain this cool in the form of John Abraham. Pritam’s iconic Dhoom Machaale tune can still be heard when a lot of cars take back gears for parking- a befitting homage, isn’t it?

Lakshya 

Farhan Akhtar is the definition of ‘bro gave us these bangers and disappeared like it’s no one’s business’. As a director, he gave us gems like Dil Chahta Hai, Don, and Don 2, but the impact of Lakshya was something else. The movie became the reason for the rejuvenated interest of the youth’s interest in joining the army.

Ek Hasina Thi

TLong before Andhadhun and Merry Christmas, the master of thriller Sriram Raghavan made his feature film debut with this movie. The haunting portrayal of Urmila and Saif, and the last scene particularly (squeak squeak) still gives me nightmares.

Run

I don’t think I even remember the plot of Run. However, this is the movie through which I was introduced to the comedic maestro of Vijay Raaz. To this day, my family members don’t know his actual name, they rather call him Kaua Biryani. Iconic is an understatement here.

Khakee

I was a huge fan of the show CID, so when I got to see a more nuanced and gritty portrayal of a group of cops solving cases together, it was a breath of fresh air. A stellar cast, some memorable songs (Aisa Jadoo, Wada raha pyar se pyar ka, Dil dooba), and that Aishwarya Rai betrayal scene, boy that’s where my trust issues started.

Mass

A movie that has now become so popular in the meme culture. Every time it used to come on SET MAX, I couldn’t change the channel. Meri Jung: One Man Army was truly coolness personified.

Hulchul 

Priyadarshan at his peak used to assemble the greatest actors to churn out the comedic masterpieces which could never be unfunny. The film stars an ensemble cast with Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Sunil Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Arbaaz Khan, Shakti Kapoor- well, you can’t go wrong with them.

Yuva

If you still haven’t watched Yuva, do yourself a favour and go watch this Mani Ratnam genius ASAP. An apt social commentary on the youth and politics of India, it’s a must-watch. Look out for the colour schemes used for each different protagonist.

Aitraaz

One of the best legal dramas to come out of India, Aitraaz became a cult hit with its repeated broadcast on Zee Cinema. In childhood, it felt like one of those adult movies you shouldn’t watch with your family, until the whole family decided to see it together.

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi

Whatttttt! it has been 20 years since wicked Sunny came into Sameer’s life and turned it upside down. 20 years since buddiestell each other, “Aam ka achaar, aajaa mere yaar” before hugging each other. This movie was said to be David Dhawan’s ‘experimental’ film where he wanted more romance.

Hum Tum

When did Bollywood stop making these sweet rom-coms with the most soothing romantic tracks. With Saif’s cheeky chocolate boy era and a fantastic Rani Mukherjee we finally got our own version of When Harry Met Sally... Oh by the way, Saif got a National Award for this movie, l know weird.

Murder

In my lifetime, I don’t think any mainstream Bollywood movie even comes close to the scandalous sush sush air this movie managed to create. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine the same man being the director of Murder and movies like Jagga Jasoos and Barfi.

Still can’t wrap my head around the fact that all these came in the same year, huh, old friend nostalgia.