Bollywood, the Indian film industry, became a force to be reckoned with. The acting, long dance numbers (even longer running times), and settings captured the attention of movie watchers everywhere. As a well seasoned Bollywood watcher, here are my top five recommendations for Bollywood movies you need to watch!

1. Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham

Often referred to as "K3G", Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham is one of those movies that never gets old, and I can never stop myself from crying even though I watched the movie more than five times now. The story of a family broken apart by the societal pressures of South Asian societies is one completely worth the 3+ hours running time.

2. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

If what you want is less of a tear session and more of a laugh-out-loud funny movie (with some sad parts because what’s a Bollywood movie without a few tears), then Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is a perfect choice for you. It carries a much sweeter tone than K3G, and it is a bit more modern.

3. Sholay

I include this to satisfy my love for old-timey Bollywood classics. It doesn’t get much classy-er than this. Hailed to be one of the greatest movies ever made in Bollywood, this movie combines the amazing (*cough, cough* bad *cough, cough*) special effects of the 70s with quintessential Bollywood themes to make the 204 minutes running time completely worth it.

4. Parched

If you’re in the mood for utterly and completely destroying your heart, this movie will completely satisfy your needs. This movie is definitely for more mature audiences and deals with issues women face in a region of India. It is one of the most powerful Bollywood movies I ever saw. Bollywood is slowly but surely taking steps to tackle real subjects with their movies instead of focusing on making movies only focusing on love stories, and I hope to see this continue to happen.

5. PK

The only movie on this list I had the pleasure of seeing in an actual theater. PK will make you laugh so hard, you won’t be able to breathe. This story of an alien who comes to Earth to conduct a research mission is wonderfully endearing and left me leaving the theater in the happiest mood.

Bollywood is taking over the world (not really, but you know what I mean), and I encourage everyone to give it a chance if they have not done so already!