If there ever was an iconic friendship portrayed in Hindi cinema, it’s hands down between Munna Bhai and Circuit. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. follows a gangster–Sanjay Dutt, as he pursues his father’s dream of becoming a doctor. This movie was iconic in many ways: it was after 10 years that Sunil Dutt appeared on screen, it was also the last time he was seen sharing the screen with his real-life son, it made Jadu Ki Jhappi a thing, it also re-surrogate Sanjay Dutt’s career as an actor.
7. Parineeta
Adapted from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1914 Bengali novella of the same name, Parineeta is a love triangle between Lalita–played by Vidya Balan-Shekhar, Shekhar–played by Saif Ali Khan, and Girish–played by Sanjay Dutt. This 2005 film won numerous accolades for the performances of the actors and its soundtrack, even winning Best Debut Film of a Director at the 53rd National Film Awards.
8. Lage Raho Munna Bhai
A sequel to Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Lage Raho Munna Bhai brought back Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi in their iconic characters, this time with Vidya Balan as the female lead. This feel-good movie took a look at the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and how they can be practised in real life. The 2006 movie is a recipient of multiple awards, including four National Film Awards.
9. Eklavya
Vidhu Vinod Chopra returned to direction after seven years with a stellar cast of Bollywood biggies like Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan, Raima Sen, Jackie Shroff, Jimmy Sheirgill and Boman Irani. The movie is about an ageing bodyguard who attempts to protect the royal family of Devigarh, as well as keep its darkest secrets from coming to light. Although it didn’t do well at the box office, the 2007 film was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category in the same year.
10. 3 Idiots
Released in 2009, this film rose to become one of the most poignant movies in the Hindi film industry, thanks to the themes it underlined behind its humour. Starring Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi in lead roles, the movie earned Rs 202 crore in India and established the Rs 200 crore club that filmmakers in India aspired towards. The worldwide gross figure for the film was Rs 460 crore. In this film loosely based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel Five Point Someone, Vinod Chopra initially wanted to cast Shahrukh Khan as the lead character of Ranchoddas Chanchad. But due to a scheduling conflict, the role was offered to Ranbir Kapoor and then eventually to Aamir Khan.
