Punjabis are known to be fun, spontaneous, outgoing, party lovers, and super duper extroverts, and so is their music. So how can their films be any less fun than how their culture actually is?
They are full of laughter, music, fun, and unapologetic entertainment. While the industry has produced some real cinematic art pieces in more recent years, there are people who still don’t see Punjabi films as having a universal quality. Here we are with a list to prove those people wrong.
Best Punjabi Movies of All Time
Shaheed-E-Mohabbat Boota Singh (1999)
Starring Gurdas Maan and Divya Dutta in the leading roles, the film tells the real-life love story between a Punjabi man and a Muslim woman.
Produced by Gurdas Maan himself, the legendary Punjabi actor and musician, the film was honored at many international and national film festivals and was one of the few Punjabi films that truly were considered to have a universal appeal to them.
Set around the time of partition of 1947, the film is a must-watch by everyone who seeks to watch a quality film with some melodious music.
Yaar Anmulle (2011)
Yaar Anmulle is a quintessential fun Punjabi film telling the story of three friends who study in the same college and deal with their ‘hormonal troubles’. All three come from different backgrounds and have different personalities, but what bonds them together is their friendship.
They fall in love at the same time with different women but their life is not going to be easy. Also scoring in the more emotional aspects of the story, Yaar Anmulle is the film to watch out for whenever you are feeling sad, lonely or just missing your friends.
Jihne Mera Dil Luteya (2011)
Based on the highly popular Jazzy B song of the same name, the film somehow does justice to the milestone song as it also happens to be a fun-filled ride.
Telling the story of two young and handsome lads who fall for the same girl, the film was one of the most successful films of the year. Gippy Grewal, the famous Punjabi singer, also lends his voice to a few songs in the film other than playing the leading role of Yuvraj.
Punjab 1984 (2014)
Director Anurag Singh has over time proved himself as an amazing writer and director who has been taking the Punjabi film industry to new heights with every film. The film Punjab 1984 is set in the year 1984, when the Khalistan movement was at its very peak in Punjab.
A woman who has lost her husband to Operation Blue Star is now facing the disappearance of her son. The film shows her struggles as she moves door to door to locate her son. The equal amounts of heart-churning emotional scenes and nicely timed musical numbers make this film a must-watch.
Jatt & Juliet (2012)
Director Anurag Singh strikes yet again with another heavily successful film. Starring the heartthrob Diljit Dosanjh in the leading role, the film is a romantic comedy telling the story of two young Punjabi people, a male and a female as they go through struggles to enter Canada.
The film is a laugh riot from start to finish and was one of the biggest hits of the year. This was truly the film that established Diljit as a leading Punjabi actor. The sequel Jatt & Juliet 2 became the highest-grossing Punjabi film of all time.
Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004)
The team of Gurdas Maan and director Manoj Punj join hands yet again for another hard-hitting film, this time telling the story of the Sikh massacre that took place following the death of the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
This time, the makers roped in a leading Bollywood star Juhi Chawla as well, further expanding the audience base of the film. The film went on to win the National Award for Best Punjabi Film in the year 2005 and was a commercial success as well.
Rabb Da Radio (2017)
Rabb Da Radio was a film which was made with its heart in the right place. Telling the story at its core about two brothers, who really are not very close to each other, the film also ventures into the romantic territory when the younger brother falls in love with a girl.
But as is the case with many Indian families, their marriage seems to be a lost cause. The film features some of the best performances along with melodious music and was nominated for and won several Punjabi film industry awards.
Mel Karade Rabba (2010)
Mel Karade Rabba was a superhit film when it was released and it is still known as one of the most popular Punjabi films of the decade. The film stars two heavyweight actors in the leading roles, Jimmy Shergill and Gippy Grewal as they both struggle to win the heart of the girl named Seerat
. Now they have to come up with their own ploys and tactics to win over her heart. The ending of the film makes one somehow emotional and the film as a whole makes for a ride full of drama, comedy, and full-on Punjabi entertainment.
Qismat (2018)
Qismat is yet another Punjabi romantic drama comedy film that hits the very right spot when it comes to perfectly mixing up all the ingredients of a good commercial film.
The film tells the story of a young man who has just returned from the West and falls in love with his neighbor. But his family has other plans for him and now he is confused between the love of his life and respecting his parents’ wishes. The film turned out to be the second highest-grossing Punjabi film of the year 2018.
Daana Paani (2018)
Over the course of the last few years, Punjabi films have grown above amateur love stories, comedies, and musicals and have delivered some emotional and soulful films. Daana Paani is yet another film in that scenario.
Starring Jimmy Shergill in the role of an army man who sets out to meet the families of recent martyrs, the film was a big success on a critical and commercial scales. On his way, he falls in love with a troubled woman, but the highly repressed and conservative society will not make it easier for him to make his love reach a solid conclusion.
Sardar Mohammad (2017)
Always fascinated with the key historical events in the Punjabi landscape, the filmmakers have made the best out of those situations time and time again. Sardar Mohammad falls right into the category of films that deal with a serious issue but in a fun and comedic way.
The film tells the story of a young man who sets out to visit Pakistan in search of his roots, that somehow got lost during the India-Pakistan partition. The film was a major commercial and critical success.
Shareek (2015)
The Punjabi family drama film tells the story of a family that has been fighting over a piece of land within themselves. However, there was once love between the members but the film deals with the story about how money and worldly possessions corrupt even the best of the families.
As the war between the family further rages on, the coming generations in the family also get corrupted because of that. The film was slightly away from the usual tropes of Punjabi cinema and presented a realistic story that shook the audiences that saw it.
Your Turn!
If you think that some other Punjabi movies we should include in this list, then you suggest a list of movies in the Comment section. We would love to hear from you!
Share your Favorite Punjabi Movies of All time in Comments, if you think some movies are missing from the list.
