Bollywood and masala films go hand in hand and there hasn’t been a time in Indian film history where the masala film genre ever went out of fashion.
Especially in the 21st century, as Bollywood took inspirations from the south Indian film industry, several masala film gems were made.
Below is the list of some of the Bollywood Masala Action Movies of all times in no particular order.
Best Bollywood Masala Films of All Times
Wanted (2009)
The Masala film genre and Salman Khan go hand in hand. Starting from the mid 2000s, Salman Khan has been ruling this genre with back to back hits, taking his popularity to the skies. Wanted is still one of the best Action Movies of Bollywood.
Wanted was an official remake of South Indian film named Pokiri starring Mahesh Babu in the leading role. The film told the heroic tale of a small time goon who gets sandwiched between a crime gang and police.
All the fun is further added when he falls in love with a girl who wants a simple guy to marry. The film was a mega hit and established Salman as the goldmine in the years to come.
Dabangg (2010)
Directed by the brother of the maverick Hindi filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Abhinav Kashyap, the film carried on the stardom Salman enjoyed post the success of Wanted.
The film told the story of a lovable Robin Hood sort of cop named Chulbul Pandey, who loots from the rich and gives the money to the poor.
However, things change drastically when he comes across a villain named Chhedi Singh and the shit gets loose. The film was also the acting debut of Sonakshi Sinha and she shined in her role as well. Dabangg is one of the Best Movies of Salman Khan, because it was an original film not a remake.
Sholay (1975)
Sholay was where it all started. The film is known as the greatest Hindi language film of all times. Written by the legendary writer duo of Salim-Javed and helmed by Ramesh Sippy, the film started slow on the box office and eventually became one of the biggest films of the year and the decade.
Telling the story about two friends Jai and Viru, both small time crooks, the film deals with the dacoit terror in a village in the form of Gabbar Singh.
The film and its characters overtime became immortals and are as fresh in the psyche of the Hindi cinema lovers as they were decades ago.
Also Read: Dialogues of Sholay
Simmba (2018)
Ranveer Singh entered the genre of masala with this film which broke many box office records when it was released. Taking the story from a Telugu film titled Temper, the film was an absolute joy for the masala cinema lovers.
The film tells the story of a young cop named Simmba who is not honest with his job. But some events change his perception on the truth and his duty and he sets out taking the revenge on the wrongdoers.
The film also featured successful music and provided director Rohit Shetty the highest earning film of his career.
Rowdy Rathore (2012)
Akshay Kumar, other than being known as one of the most successful action heroes in Bollywood, is also known to appear in content heavy films from time to time.
Rowdy Rathore was a pleasant break for him from his social causes on cinematic screen. He plays a double role in the film, as a cop and a small time goon.
Things change drastically for him when he comes across a little girl who happens to be the daughter of his lookalike. The film was helmed by Prabhu Deva and was a major hit on the box office.
Rowdy Rathore is the remake of Telugu Superhit film Vikramarkudu starring Ravi Teja.
R.. Rajkumar (2013)
Prabhu Deva delivered back to back hits in two years with Rowdy Rathore and R.. Rajkumar. Shahid Kapoor, who had made a great name for himself in the past few years with his solid performances, appeared in the film in all his masala glory.
He plays a random city guy who falls in love with a girl, who happens to be the sweetheart of a local ganglord. Things go haywire when he finds out that his boss is her to-be husband and just like that, we got to see some crazy action and total popcorn fun.
The film was also critically appreciated other than being hailed as a ‘quintessential masala film’
Singham (2011)
Another Remake by Bollywood, Director Rohit Shetty and actor Ajay Devgn has been a dream team on box office ever since Rohit entered the film industry. Singham was the biggest hit that the duo delivered. It was the remake of Tamil film with same title starring Suriya.
Ajay plays the role of a badass, soft at heart, cop named Bajirao Singham who wouldn’t take any shit from the bad guys who want him to bow in front of them. Prakash Raj plays the villain here with a style that has become his trademark over the years.
The film spanned across a sequel and Bajirao also turned into a cinematic universe thing when Singham made his appearance towards the end of Simbba.
Holiday (2014)
Holiday was intense action masala film directed by ace South Indian director A.R. Murugadoss, who also happened to direct the super hit South Indian version of the film.
Holiday starred Akshay Kumar in the leading role as an officer whose mission is to tackle the attack from a sleeper cell that wants to disrupt the peace in the city and the country.
The film featured some great action along with the enjoyable music to reach the general audience’s hearts and turned out to become a super hit.
The film was also known to be beginning of the era of masala thrillers in Bollywood.
Also Read: Best Bollywood Movies on Indian Army
Force (2011)
Directed by the critically acclaimed director Nishikant Kamat, Force was an all out John Abraham action flick, where he got to exhibit his skills as an amazing action star.
The film tells the story about a dutiful cop who is on a hunt to chase down the most dreaded criminal of the country. Apart from being a masala film, the film also dealt with some deeper emotions such as patriotism, duty and honour and turned out to be one of the most successful films of actor John Abraham’s career. The film also starred Genelia D’Souza and was one of the last hits of her career.
Kick (2014)
Another Salman Khan entry on the list, Kick was directed by the producer Sajid Nadiadwala, who took on the job of directing for the first time in his life.
The film tells the story about a man who is intelligent to a genius level. He steals from the rich and distributes it to the poor, which is until he meets a rowdy cop in form of Randeep Hooda.
The film also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the negative role as a businessman who also hates Devi Lal or Devil, our leading man. Full of some crazy stunts and amazing music, the film was a major box office draw when it was released.
Agneepath (2012)
The film was an official remake of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer hit film of the same name. The story is also kept practically the same. It is about an ordinary man named Vijay who sets out on a mission to avenge the death of his father from a crime lord boss named Kancha Cheena.
In the process of extracting revenge, he befriends a local kingpin named Rauf Lala. The film was an out and out actioner and featured Sanjay Dutt in a career defining role as the main villain.
Saddled with a haunting background score and some amazing performances, the film remains one of the biggest hits of Hritik Roshan’s career.
Gabbar is Back (2015)
Gabbar is Back is another Akshay Kumar action film that shines due to its massy appeal full of crazy batshit action, loud yet entertaining performances with some catchy music.
Akshay Kumar plays the role of a vigilante in the film that happens to be the driving force behind the film’s central theme which revolves around the eradication of corruption from the society.
Directed by the successful South India film director Krish, the film became highly successful and established the fact that there is no comparison of Akshay when it comes to starring as an action star.
Also Read: Best Vigilante films of Indian Cinema
Ghajini (2008)
Aamir Khan is usually not known for appearing in masala films but it doesn’t harm to take that liberty from time to time.
Directed by A.R. Murugadoss and loosely inspired from Christopher Nolan’s Memento, remake of Tamil film with same name, the film stars Aamir who plays the role of a business tycoon by the name of Sanjay Singhania who somehow falls in love with a simple girl named Kalpana.
All hell breaks loose when Kalpana gets killed by child traffickers. The film was a super hit and established the 200 crore earning club for the Bollywood blockbusters.
Your Turn!
We have created the list of Best Bollywood masala films of all time, we may have missed some of the great Masala Action movies, but you can add them in the comments, so we can include them later.
