7 Bollywood Films to Watch This Festive Season

Bollywood films have a way of turning ordinary moments into unforgettable spectacles, and the festive season is no exception.

There is a medley of films that embrace the festive cheer, whether it be romantic tales or suspenseful twists.

Audiences can expect romance, laughter, and even frights that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

We explore seven films that capture the spirit of Christmas in all its moods – joyful, romantic, and eerie.

Whether you’re seeking festive cheer or a thrill, each film offers a unique take on the holiday season.

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Las Vegas is rarely portrayed in Bollywood with as much authenticity as it is in Shakun Batra’s directorial debut.

The film bypasses the melodramatic excess typical of the genre, instead offering a grounded, witty look at modern relationships against a glittering holiday backdrop.

A chance meeting between Rahul (Imran Khan) and Riana (Kareena Kapoor) on Christmas Eve leads to a night of drinking.

The next morning reveals that they got married drunkenly.

But what follows is a growing closeness between the two.

Batra uses the festive season to amplify the contrast between Rahul’s uptight, structured life and Riana’s chaotic freedom.

It avoids the clichéd “happily ever after”, making it a perfect watch for those who prefer their holiday movies with a side of realism and maturity.

Dilwale

Rohit Shetty is synonymous with high-voltage action, but in Dilwale, he orchestrates one of the most visually stunning Christmas sequences in recent memory.

While the primary plot focuses on the turbulent past of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol’s characters, the younger romance between Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon brings the festive cheer.

Veer (Dhawan) utilises the magic of Christmas Eve to profess his love, turning a quaint church setting into a spectacle of lights and emotion.

The song ‘Premika’ is the centrepiece of this festive thread, featuring carnival-style set designs that scream holiday joy.

It captures the loud, communal aspect of Indian celebrations, where festivals are less about quiet reflection and more about grand gestures.

For families gathering together during the holidays, this film offers the quintessential “masala” experience – bright, loud, and unapologetically entertaining.

Anjaana Anjaani

Siddharth Anand’s romantic drama is a surprisingly poignant exploration of hitting rock bottom right when the rest of the world is celebrating.

Akash (Ranbir Kapoor) and Kiara (Priyanka Chopra) are two strangers who make a pact to commit suicide on New Year’s Eve.

As December 31 approaches, the film shows a trip across the United States that captures the visual splendour of an American Christmas, from the freezing winds of New York City to the festive decorations of Las Vegas.

The film effectively uses the holiday season as a metaphor for second chances.

As the world counts down to a new year, the protagonists count down the days they have left, eventually finding reasons to live in the process.

The snowy landscapes and the dazzling lights of Rockefeller Centre provide a beautiful, chilly atmosphere that contrasts warmly with the developing chemistry between the leads.

It is a film about finding hope in the bleakest of winters.

Bada Din

If you are looking for cultural authenticity, Bada Din is unmatched.

Set in the Anglo-Indian quarters of Kolkata, the film offers a gritty yet heartwarming look at community spirit.

Directed by Anjan Dutt, the story follows a cynical landlord and an aspiring musician who find themselves protecting a mute boy on Christmas Day.

Bada Din feels lived-in and real, capturing a Kolkata Christmas: the smell of fresh bakery cakes, the sound of choirs practising in old churches, and the fading grandeur of colonial architecture.

It also features one of Irrfan Khan’s early performances.

The film stands as a tribute to the inclusivity of the festival, stripping away commercial layers to focus on charity and human connection.

Merry Christmas

Sriram Raghavan transforms the holiday season into a playground for noir suspense in this gripping thriller.

Starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, the entire film unfolds over a single Christmas Eve in a stylised, retro-fantasy version of Mumbai.

The festive setting is not merely cosmetic; it is weaponised to create irony.

The warmth of fairy lights and the innocence of carols serve as an unsettling counterpoint to a night filled with deception, murder, and dark secrets.

Raghavan pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock while utilising the specific melancholy that can accompany the holidays for lonely souls.

Kaif and Sethupathi’s chemistry is simmering and awkward, perfectly fitting two strangers thrown together by circumstance.

For viewers fatigued by forced holiday cheer, this film offers a delicious, edge-of-the-seat antidote that keeps you guessing until the final frame.

Hide & Seek

For those wanting an Indian festive scare, Hide & Seek is a rare find.

This 2010 slasher follows six friends who, while exploring an abandoned mall, find themselves pursued by a mysterious assailant.

Dressed in a haunting Santa Claus costume, this malevolent figure hunts them down, methodically picking them off one by one.

The chilling backdrop of the deserted mall during the festive season amplifies the suspense and terror, creating an eerie contrast between the holiday cheer and the deadly game of survival.

Starring Purab Kohli, Hide & Seek navigates through a nightmarish scenario where the joyous Christmas setting becomes a haunting stage for a harrowing battle to survive the night.

Shaandaar

Before Christmas became a backdrop for foreign locations in modern Bollywood, this classic film celebrated the festival with genuine, old-school charm.

Directed by Krishnan-Panju, Shaandaar features the legendary Sanjeev Kumar in a role that requires him to dress up as Santa Claus to entertain children.

The resulting song, ‘Aata Hai Aata Hai Santa Claus’, remains one of the few original Hindi compositions dedicated explicitly to the figure of Father Christmas.

The film is a reminder of a simpler era in Hindi cinema where festivals were used to highlight secularism and communal harmony without cynicism.

Kishore Kumar’s vocals on the Christmas track infuse it with an energy that is impossible to dislike.

Watching Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore in this vintage setting offers a nostalgic comfort, perfect for viewing with older family members who appreciate the golden age of cinema.

These films prove that the festive season can be celebrated in many moods, from laughter and love to suspense and chills.

Whether you’re drawn to heartwarming romances, family comedies, or spine-tingling horrors, there’s a festive film here to suit every taste.

As you settle in to watch, each story promises to make your holiday season a little brighter, a little funnier, and a little more memorable.