IMDb is the most popular source for film, celebrity, and TV content in the world due to its reliability and authority in all matters of entertainment; most people refer to it when it comes to movie ratings and rankings. Its database of information is incredibly wide and while it was initially a fan-run endeavour it has been owned and operated by Amazon since 1998. Thus, owing to this extensive archive, IMDb on Tuesday Sept 30, released their report on ‘The 25 years of Indian Cinema (2000 – 2025)’ to mark the evolution of India cinema through the first quarter of the 21st century. In the words of IMDb India head Yamminie Patodia, the report offers, “an empirical foundation for industry leaders to make bold, informed decisions for future investments in Indian cinema.”
Based on IMDb data from over 250 million monthly users worldwide, the platform was able to map out the most popular Indian movies and actors from the past 25 years by analysing the five most popular movies released each year between Jan 1 2000 and Aug 31 2025. The findings of this report have been interesting to say the least.
Deepika Padukone emerges as the supreme
Actress Deepika Padukone who made her Bollywood debut in the year 2007 with Om Shanti Om, and who has gone on to have an illustrious career in the industry has emerged today as one of the leading ladies in Indian film. The IMDB report placed Deepika Padukone in the 4th spot among ‘Bollywood’s Most Prolific Headliners’ furthermore, the report pointed out that, of the 130 films analysed, 10 featured Deepika. On that list, Shah Rukh Khan took the top spot with 20 features, followed by Hritik Roshan and Aamir Khan who had 11 each. Deepika beat out stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and others to attain the 4th spot.
Deepika also beat her peers like Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor and industry veterans like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, and several others to bag the #1 spot on the “Most Viewed Indian Stars of the Last Decade” list, making her the most popular star of not only her generation but also the previous one. These rankings were determined by actual page views of users’ monthly visits to IMDb worldwide. Two other actresses made it to the top five namely, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at #3 and Alia Bhatt at #4, setting a benchmark for female-led success in an industry that is primarily male-dominated and determining new trends in film.
Challenging the status quo
Speaking to Hindustan Times about being featured in the list, Deepika spoke about how she is determined to challenge the age-old expectations of Bollywood where women are told they must navigate certain paths for a successful career.
“When I began my journey, I was often told how a woman must or is expected to navigate her career in order to be successful. However, from the very beginning, I was never afraid to ask questions, ruffle feathers, walk a more difficult path and challenge the status quo in order to reshape the mould we have all been expected to fit into,” Deepika said.
“The faith my family, fans and collaborators have had in me, have also empowered me to make the choices and decisions that I have, hopefully forever altering the path those after me will tread. IMDb’s Report on 25 Years of Indian Cinema further validates and strengthens my belief that honesty, authenticity and resilience matter, and that by being true to your core beliefs with consistency, change is possible,” the actress concluded.
Deepika is set to star in Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film King, which will also feature his daughter Suhana Khan.