Best Movies of Aamir Khan: His Top Films by Genre, from Lagaan to Sitaare Zameen Par

Aamir Khan, often called Bollywood's "Mr Perfectionist", has built his career on fewer films and bigger swings. His best movies are Lagaan (2001), 3 Idiots (2009), Dangal (2016), Taare Zameen Par (2007) and Rang De Basanti (2006). Each was a box-office success and is still widely watched and discussed years later.

Quick answer: if you want his most-loved film, watch 3 Idiots. For his biggest hit, watch Dangal, widely reported as the highest-grossing Indian film worldwide. For his most acclaimed work, watch Lagaan, which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. His most recent release as lead actor is Sitaare Zameen Par (2025). The full list, grouped by genre, with years, directors and his role in each, is below.

Aamir Khan's best movies at a glance

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Best Aamir Khan social dramas and biopics

Dangal (2016): Aamir plays real-life wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trains his daughters Geeta and Babita to become wrestlers, and Geeta goes on to win gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He gained weight to play the older Mahavir and then lost it for the younger scenes. The film was a huge success in India and China.

Taare Zameen Par (2007): a sensitive story about Ishaan, a boy with dyslexia whose parents and teachers mistake his struggle for laziness, until a new art teacher (Aamir) notices. Aamir also directed it, and it is often credited with making Indian parents and schools talk about learning disabilities.

Lagaan (2001): set in 1893, a village led by Bhuvan accepts a British officer's challenge to a cricket match to escape a crippling land tax. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and it was also the first film produced by Aamir Khan Productions.

Rang De Basanti (2006): a group of carefree Delhi students act in a documentary about freedom fighters and slowly see their own country differently. Aamir plays DJ, the group's ageing leader who doesn't want to grow up. Its anger at corruption struck a chord with young viewers.

Sitaare Zameen Par (2025): a spiritual successor to Taare Zameen Par, directed by R.S. Prasanna and an official remake of the Spanish film Champions. Aamir plays a basketball coach sentenced to community service who must train a team of players with intellectual disabilities. It released in cinemas on 20 June 2025 and was later released on YouTube as a pay-per-view film.

Best Aamir Khan comedies

3 Idiots (2009): Rancho (Aamir) and his two friends fight the rote-learning culture of an engineering college. It mixes comedy with a serious message about pressure on students, and lines like "All is well" became part of everyday language.

PK (2014): Aamir plays an alien stranded in Rajasthan who questions religious rituals and godmen with a child's innocence. It reunited him with director Rajkumar Hirani and was one of the biggest hits of the decade.

Andaz Apna Apna (1994): Amar (Aamir) and Prem (Salman Khan) are two good-for-nothing rivals competing to marry a rich heiress. It was not a big hit on release but became one of the most quoted cult comedies in Hindi cinema. Read more about Salman's side of this era in our list of the best movies of Salman Khan.

Best Aamir Khan romantic and coming-of-age films

Dil Chahta Hai (2001): Farhan Akhtar's debut follows three friends, Akash (Aamir), Sameer (Saif Ali Khan) and Siddharth (Akshaye Khanna), after college. Its relaxed, urban style felt new at the time and still feels fresh.

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992): Aamir plays Sanju, a carefree student who has to grow up fast before a big inter-college cycle race. It remains a favourite for its music and its underdog finale.

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988): a Romeo and Juliet-style story of young lovers from feuding families, and the film that made Aamir a star.

Fanaa (2006): a romance between a Delhi tour guide (Aamir) and a blind Kashmiri poet (Kajol) that takes a dark turn halfway through.

Best Aamir Khan thrillers and action films

Sarfarosh (1999): Aamir plays ACP Ajay Singh Rathod, who takes on a cross-border arms-smuggling network. It is one of his most underrated performances.

Ghajini (2008): a man with short-term memory loss uses tattoos and photos to hunt the people behind his girlfriend's death. It is a remake of A.R. Murugadoss's own 2005 Tamil film, whose idea was inspired by Christopher Nolan's Memento. Ghajini is often cited as the first Hindi film to earn over ₹100 crore net in India.

Talaash (2012): a slow-burn police thriller with a famous final twist. We explain it, behind a spoiler warning, in our list of Bollywood films with unexpected endings.

Dhoom 3 (2013): Aamir plays a circus performer and master thief taking revenge on the bank that ruined his father. It was a massive commercial hit.

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The misses worth knowing about

Not every big swing landed. Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022), an official remake of Forrest Gump, both underperformed at the box office. After Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir took a break from acting before returning with Sitaare Zameen Par.

What's next for Aamir Khan?

As of November 2026, the projects most widely reported for him are a biopic of Dadasaheb Phalke with director Rajkumar Hirani and a superhero film with Lokesh Kanagaraj. Neither had an officially announced release date at the time of writing, so treat any date you see online as a rumour until the makers confirm it.

FAQs

Which is Aamir Khan's best movie?

3 Idiots, Lagaan and Dangal are the three most often named. Lagaan is his most acclaimed by critics, Dangal is his biggest box-office hit, and 3 Idiots is perhaps the most loved.

What is Aamir Khan's highest-grossing film?

Dangal (2016). Its worldwide earnings, helped by a huge run in China, make it widely reported as the highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

Why is Aamir Khan called Mr Perfectionist?

Because he usually does one film at a time and is known for preparing intensely, including physical transformations for films like Dangal and Ghajini, and for being closely involved in scripts.

What was Aamir Khan's latest movie?

His latest film as lead actor is Sitaare Zameen Par, released in cinemas on 20 June 2025.

Which Aamir Khan film was nominated for an Oscar?

Lagaan (2001) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards.

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