Lakshya

Being aimless in life and careless about career is a phase everyone goes through. Having a quarter-life crisis is not so bad either. However, the magic lies in waking up at the right time. Forget everyone else, the real deal is to surprise yourself with your own capabilities and to do something that you yourself never expected to do. After all, this is what ‘Lakshya’ taught us. To leave one life and live the other!

Dil Chahta Hai

There are times when you want the clock to stop. There are times when you don’t want to leave a place. There are times when everything just feels right about the company that you have. Such is the gravity of friendship in youth. You don’t want to grow old at all. But unfortunately, time waits for no one. ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ is a coming-of-age story which remains an essential part of everyone’s life, simply because it holds true no matter how many times we watch it.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

25 is an age when you have lived a quarter of your life, which is more than enough to have explored the world. But what have we actually seen until now? Did we ever quit our jobs, switch off our phones, leave all tensions behind and just travel? No. We’ve only been planning of this while life passed us by? This ‘my bwoy’ is a serious problem! We live just once but die everyday at the hands of our mundane lives. May be, it’s time to explore the unexplored and let the road decide our destination.

3 Idiots

However embarrassing it sounds, we still have to rack our brains to remember something as simple as the multiples of 12! And this is the biggest flaw in our educational system. We study to learn and not to understand. ‘3 Idiots’ makes us laugh at our own shortcomings, at the Indian education system which is still plagued with the prejudices of money and grades. Education should not be about percentages, cut-offs and degrees and it MUST be available to one and all. This is what 3 Idiots is all about.

Rang De Basanti

20s is a very volatile age group. We get angry at the drop of the hat. Our adrenaline levels are always pumping and our all time favourite punching bag is the system of the country. But what do we actually do to correct this system? Nothing. ‘Rang De Basanti’ tries to create an environment of increased activism on matters of public interest and throws open a debate: do we want to take matters into our hands or keep crying foul about the inefficiencies of the society?

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

When we watch movies like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, it feels like your comfortable cover has been blown off. At 25, the world feels like a mess. However, some tales are so inspiring that your own struggles begin to look mediocre in front of them. Watching a biopic of a real man who has gone through so much to achieve everything in his chosen vocation, inspires you to keep going towards your goal and give your hundred percent to whatever you do.

Rockstar

If you’re 25, you know there can be no better expression of love and pain than music. ‘Rockstar’ shows the struggles of a talented singer and a fallen superstar and his love torn heart which just can’t seem to find peace. Aren’t we all a bit like this? We carry hurt and pain in our hearts but what we need to learn is to channelize the disappointments and aggression in life into something constructive. A must watch for all the obvious reasons!

Queen

What would happen to you if you hit rock bottom in life? When you’re down, the only way to go is up, says ‘Queen’. This movie is like a beautiful poem which suddenly makes you feel good about life. It makes its viewers believe that there are people out there you can trust and look up to for friendship and guidance. And, most importantly, if there is no one, you still have yourself! So just go out, and live every single day of your life to the fullest.

Taare Zameen Par

Have we ever wondered why a glass appears half empty to some of us while it looks half full to others? It’s just a matter of perception, we say. ‘Taare Zameen Par’ breaks the stigma attached with the differently abled children and leads us to give them a fair chance. Such movies leave a lasting impact on our psyche and help us immensely in bettering our judgement towards life. And in case, you forgot the message of the movie, just remember, every child is special.

Rock On!!

Friends, fights and lots of rock music! A never-seen-before spectacle for a Bollywood movie, ‘Rock On’ set a new bench mark for Hindi movies. Guided by the feelings of ego and jealousy, we often make many reckless decisions in our youth only to repent later in life. If you too have an unfulfilled passion or a remorse of lost friendship at 25, go after it because it’s never too late.

Swades

25 is an age when we are at our ambitious best. We have accomplished quite a few things and can see a comfortable and promising future for ourselves. However, how many of us can leave a settled life behind and devote it to the upliftment and betterment of the lives of our rural brethren. ‘Swades’ is a story of self-less devotion to the country and bringing development at the grass-root level. A must-watch for all who want to contribute to their motherland in their own little way.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

I can’t remember the last Bollywood movie which struck a chord with youngsters as much as YJHD did. Some of us could see our friends in the movie, some of us relived our own journeys, some of us were reminded of our love stories but all of us loved the way Ranbir leaves everything for his passion, only to return as a much more mature and sensible guy. If not for anything else, YJHD is a must watch for its scenic locales and foot tapping music which inspires you to pack your bags and just travel!

Pyaar Ka Punchnama

Life is not always about serious stuff, it’s equally about having relationships and having fun, or NOT, in this case! This quirky take on the bachelor life and modern-day couples is a must watch for anyone dealing with a quarter-life crisis. The sleeper-hit aptly showcases the struggles of youngsters who are desperate to find a financial and romantic standing in their lives, but fail miserably on both the fronts, like many of us do at this age. This light-hearted comedy will make your day however many times you watch it.

Udaan

Udaan is one movie which should be watched by parents and kids together. Dealing with a major problem plaguing the Indian society today, Udaan takes us through the journey of a teen-aged boy forced to compromise on his dreams and take up a conventional path in life. The emotional turmoil that the story depicts, resonates with all of us who have given up on something close to our hearts. The movie gives a very important lesson to its viewers: if you still have that fire burning in you, do not hesitate to take that flight!

Barfi!

What is that one thing we always take for granted in life? Ironically, it’s our life itself! ‘Barfi’ comes as a subtle reality check for all of us who crib about all the trivial issues in life. Even though the protagonist of the movie cannot speak, yet the movie gives a loud and clear message about living life to the fullest despite all the problems and most importantly smile through them!

Ugly

Ugly is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap. Jointly produced by Phantom Films and DAR Motion Pictures, the film stars Rahul Bhat, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Vineet Kumar Singh, Girish Kulkarni, Ronit Roy, Surveen Chawla and Anshika Shrivastava in the lead roles. It also features TV actor Abir Goswami in his last film appearance before his death in 2013. Told in the course of a week, Ugly follows the story of a struggling actor Rahul Varshney (Bhat), whose daughter Kali (Shrivastava) disappears, and the events that follow.