When we talk about the most epic Bollywood movies, we are talking about something that is larger than life and beyond your wildest imagination.
Imagine having hundreds of elephants and well-trained martial artists as the extras of these movies with custom-made sets that cannot be seen anywhere else.
As you watch these movies, one cannot help but be inspired about the amount of work and dedication put into every scene.
Here are our choices for the most epic Bollywood movies of all times that you must watch:
1.Asoka (2001)
There are plenty reasons to call Shah Rukh Khan the King of Bollywood. First and foremost, the characters that he portrays in films are usually larger than life.
Take Asoka (2001) as an example in which he played the role of Emperor Asoka.
Also known as Ashoka the Great, he was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during 268 to 232 BCE.
The plot is the dramatized version of the early life of the emperor.
Do you want to know how epic the movie is? The final battle scene featured over 6,000 extras and hundreds of elephants.
Moreover, the actors portraying warriors in the film were masters of Kalari who used real weapons during the filming.
The film was selected for screening at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival where it received positive reviews.
2.Devdas (2002)
If you have watched this movie, you won’t forget that it has the most iconic running scene in Bollywood history.
It is when Parvati (Ashwarya Rai) runs out of her mansion home, knocking things with her white saree flowing behind her just to get to her lover Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan).
This Bollywood movie is iconic for many reasons. When it was released in 2002, it was the most expensive Indian film ever at made with a budget of USD 10.29 million.
Moreover, the brothel in the film was one of the most expensive sets ever built in history of Hindi cinema with USD2.47 million spent.
The film tells the story of Devdas Mukherjee (Khan), a law graduate who returns from London to marry his childhood fried Parvati or Paro (Rai).
Like a classic Romeo and Julliet story, the two lovers’ relationship is opposed by both families.
Paro subsequently is forced to marry against her own will to a widower with three grown children.
This causes Devdas to turn to alcohol and him seeking refuge at a brothel with the comfort of courtesan Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit).
Based on the 1917 novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the filmmakers went all out researching on Calcuttan building design from the period of the British Raj.
The extensive research definitely paid off as Devdas (2002) is without a doubt has one of the most impressive sets and breathtaking cinematography in Bollywood history.
3.Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Set in the 16th century, Jodhaa Akbar (2008) narrates the life and romance between the Muslim Emperor Akbar of Mughal Empire and a Hindu Princess Jodhaa Bai of Amber.
The movie plot is a partly fictionalized account of a political marriage between the emperor and the princess.
Emperor Akbar is played by Hrithik Roshan while Ashawarya Rai takes the role as Princess Jodhaa.
In real life, Jodhaa was Akbar’s fourth and favourite wife and she was the only wife buried near to him.
Famous costume designer Neeta Lulla took up the challenge to design the film’s costumes and she was the same designer for Devdas (2002).
It took her a year and a half to research the type of clothes people wore as well as the types of fabric used during the Mughal Empire.
Apart from the costumes, the shooting locations were equally impressive.
Fans would be delighted to know that some of the filming locations are historical places that have now turned into tourist attractions.
These places include Roopangarh Fort, Agra Fort and Amber Fort.
4.Padmaavat (2018)
This Indian historical drama film is based on the epic poem from 1540 of the same name by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi.
It tells the story of Padmavati (Deepika Padukone), a 13th-14th century queen or Rani of the Mewar kingdom in present-day India.
She was an exceptionally beautiful princess of the Sinhalese Kingdom (present-day Sri Lanka). The news of her beauty even spread out to nearby kingdoms.
Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor), the Rajput ruler of the kingdom of Mewar eventually heard about her beauty from a talking parrot. After some adventurous quest, he won her hand in marriage and brought her back to his kingdom to be his queen.
Ratan was not the only one who heard of Padmavati’s beauty.
Alauddin Khalji (Ranveer Singh) who ruled the Delhi Sultanate was also determined to have Padmavati as his wife.
According to Padmaavat the original poem, Alaudddin laid siege on Ratan’s kingdom motivated by jhis desire for Padmavati.
There are so many things to rave about this Bollywood film. First of all, let us start with the costumes.
The costumes are simply unbelievable especially the attention to every detail. Deepika’s costumes as the queen for instance are everything you imagined how a Rajasthani queen should be.
You can tell that great amount of research was put into every costume.
The most epic part of the film is of course the war battle scene. It is on a par with Hollywood movies such as 300 (2006).
With the budget of USD27 million, it is the most expensive Hindi film and one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.
After watching how the film turned out, it is safe to say that the filmmakers made full use every single cent of the budget.
5.Bajirao Mastani (2015)
Going through the list now, you must have an idea that most epic Bollywood movies are based on historical love stories that transcend through times.
Hence, here is another epic historical romance that surely will impress you.
It circles around the story of Maratha Peshwa Bajirao (1700-1740 AD) and his second wife Mastani.
Although their marriage was a political one, the couple eventually fell in love with each other.
For the director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film was like a dream came true. He conceived the idea for the film as early as the 1990s and even went ahead to announce it in 2003.
Bhansali had intended to make Bajirao Mastani after the release of his film Devdas (2002).
The production, however, delayed several times due to several factors.
The cast members feature Ranveer Singh as Bajirao, Deepika Padukone as Mastani and Priyanka Chopra as Kashibai, Bajirao’s first wife.
One of our favourite scenes in the film is the song ‘Pinga’. Padukone and Chopra performed the song along with their background dancers.
It is interesting to know that the less than 5-minute scene took weeks to film.
Bhansali insisted to have lit diyas (oil lamp) and torches in the background. This should not been a problem if the scene was not shot at night on an open-air set with many of the diyas would snuff out while filming.
When it was suggested that the snuffed diyas should be corrected in post production, Bhansali was not having it. The solution? At least a dozen of crew would run around the set to relight the snuffed diyas.
The results of their hard work is one of the unforgettable and beautiful dance scenes in Bollywood films.
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