This is also the time when South Indian films started doing well, commercially and critically, on a Pan-India scale.
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede puts together a curated list of the 25 biggest hits in the first 25 years of the century.
The International Fleet Review 2026 commenced in Visakhapatnam, showcasing India's naval prowess from February 15 to 25. The spectacular maritime event featured impressive displays including military helicopter fly-pasts and Indian Navy rescue demonstrations. This grand naval congregation brings together international fleets at India's premier naval base on the Bay of Bengal coast.
Kudos to the makers for attempting to create a meaningful series, Bandwaale, that blends the beauty of music to inspire you to look within, and find your voice, raves Divya Nair.
O'Romeo is an ordinary plot about a man's obsession, but Vishal Bhardwaj lays it out like a lavish spread, with stylish and very violent action set pieces, effectively used music (Bhardwaj composes Gulzar's delectable lyrics), and a romance that has moments that are tender as well as bitter, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Over 25 years, societies evolve and tastes change. Cinema absorbs and reflects this transformation. Picking only 25 films from the first quarter of the century is tough.
2025 was disappointing, when it came to some big budget, hyped movies, which failed to do expected business.
Ranveer has shown the right instincts in his choice of roles, which he has played with seeming effortlessness, backed with preparation and understanding.
Ranapati Shivray: Swari Agra is a riveting film that successfully captures one of the most celebrated event of the Maratha warrior king's life on screen, notes Ishaan Zore.
Marketed as a Valentine's Day treat, audiences can expect to be mildly entertained by the surface-level intimate scenes in Wuthering Heights that only leave you thirsty for the real, raw passion, notes Divya Nair.
There are moments in Assi when you will get scared, when you will get angry, when you will feel helpless... when you will realise the enormity of the crime.
2025 started with a blockbuster in Chhaava and ended with an even bigger one in Dhurandhar. There have been other Hindi hits too, and we take a look at the Top 10.
The visuals in Mayasabha are overwhelming, the treatment is heavy-handed, and the performances overdone, observes Deepa Gahlot.
The fact that a major studio put out a silent film starring some of the biggest names in the industry in these concerning times for the film business is the one big takeaway from Gandhi Talks, notes Arjun Menon.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo delivers his best performance yet in The Lincoln Lawyer 4, applauds Deepa Gahlot.
Ashakal Aayiram can be celebrated for the return to form for Jayaram, who owns every scene he is in, but the film around him drags and drags, with no end in sight, notes Arjun Menon.
Big films like Dhurandhar, Chhava and Kantara: Chapter 1 hit box office gold in 2025, and its directors, Aditya Dhar, Laxman Utekar and Rishab Shetty, have proved their worth. But many other directors made an impact with their 2025 releases, in various languages.
If dark and twisted crime thrillers and trauma-led violence interest you, you can binge-watch Daldal over the weekend, endorses Divya Nair.
Beneath its grit and darkness, Kohrra 2 reveals surprising warmth and is a beautiful, beautiful show, promises Mayur Sanap.
Sarvam Maya banks on its leading man, Nivin Pauly, who grasps at straws and makes the improbable scenes work with his charm, notes Arjun Menon.
Cheekatlo is a run-of-the-mill crime procedural, notes Arjun Menon.
Tu Yaa Main feels rather indulgent for a survival drama. You can see where it's headed, and it just grows tiresome after a point, observes Mayur Sanap.
In 2025, OTT series were entertaining enough, even though most were in the crime genre.
Sanjay Mishra and Neena Gupta bring their A-game to roles that naturally suit their age, and this lived-in quality makes Vadh 2 even more convincing, notes Mayur Sanap.
Marty Supreme is anchored by a stunning lead performance from Timothee Chalamet, applauds Mayur Sanap.
Rani Mukerji gets plenty of scope to shine, seething with anger, screaming, radiating fury, and even taking on hand-to-hand combat in a truly boss-lady role, notes Mayur Sanap.
Because it treats soldiers as human, and concentrates on their emotions as much as their bravery, Border 2, probably without meaning to, speaks out against war, observes Deepa Gahlot.
TVF deserves credit for breaking its mould of picking and sticking to favourable and comfortable genres. Space Gen could serve as a launch pad for more exciting content to come, hopes Divya Nair.
Mardaani 3 opens better than its previous installments.
The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
Kalamkaval, like any good work of art, suggests more than it shows, raves Arjun Menon.
The Night Manager Season 2 is a comfortably paced, tension holding series, with a couple of solid twists, observes Deepa Gahlot.
It is difficult to make conveyor belt and baggage-scanning scenes thrilling -- which is how most people trying to sneak out through the Green Channel are caught -- but Neeraj Pandey and co-director Raghav M Jairath and co-writer Vipul K Rawal make sure there is enough going on to make the series watchable, raves Deepa Gahlot.
Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos is not supposed to make sense, and doesn't even pretend to, observes Deepa Gahlot.
The Housemaid makes up for a few hiccups with a series of sharply staged shocks, resulting in a fun and satisfying thriller, notes Mayur Sanap.
Rahu Ketu crams in a clumsy social commentary on corruption and social evils, along with flashy dance numbers, trying to do everything and too much all at once, before ending up as khichadi, notes Mayur Sanap.
Vaa Vaathiyar ends up being a bland yet fascinating iteration of a masala film funnelled through the prism of a quirky humorist, notes Arjun Menon.
Jeethu Joseph's Valathu Vashathe Kallan works better as an emotional drama than an intriguing thriller, notes Arjun Menon.
French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India began in Mumbai with a jog and a tribute, setting the stage for strategic talks with Prime Minister Modi to strengthen the India-France partnership.
Whether Freedom At Midnight 2 has a political agenda, a bias or two will be read into it, depending on the affiliation of who is watching, notes Deepa Gahlot.
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