LOC: Kargil (2003) is the longest Bollywood movie ever released in theatres, running for 255 minutes, or 4 hours and 15 minutes. It is followed by Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker (248 minutes) and Sangam (238 minutes), two films so long that they were released with two intervals instead of one. In 2026, Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge joined this rare club at 229 minutes and went on to become one of the biggest hits in Hindi cinema history.
Long films are not new to Indian cinema, but each era has had its own reason for them. In the 1960s and 70s, it was grand showmanship. In the 2000s, it was big family dramas and period epics. Today, it is sprawling spy sagas that audiences happily sit through for nearly four hours. Below are the 12 longest Bollywood movies, ranked by their theatrical runtime.
Longest Bollywood Movies: Quick List
| Rank | Movie | Year | Runtime | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOC: Kargil | 2003 | 255 min (4h 15m) | J.P. Dutta |
| 2 | Mera Naam Joker | 1970 | 248 min (4h 8m) | Raj Kapoor |
| 3 | Sangam | 1964 | 238 min (3h 58m) | Raj Kapoor |
| 4 | Lagaan | 2001 | 233 min (3h 53m) | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| 5 | Dhurandhar: The Revenge | 2026 | 229 min (3h 49m) | Aditya Dhar |
| 6 | Mohabbatein | 2000 | 216 min (3h 36m) | Aditya Chopra |
| 7 | Dhurandhar | 2025 | 214 min (3h 34m) | Aditya Dhar |
| 8 | Jodhaa Akbar | 2008 | 213 min (3h 33m) | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| 9 | What’s Your Raashee? | 2009 | 211 min (3h 31m) | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| 10 | Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham | 2001 | 210 min (3h 30m) | Karan Johar |
| 11 | Swades | 2004 | 210 min (3h 30m) | Ashutosh Gowariker |
| 12 | Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! | 1994 | 206 min (3h 26m) | Sooraj Barjatya |
Runtimes are based on the original theatrical versions. Some films were later trimmed for TV, OTT or re-release, so the version available online may be slightly shorter.
1. LOC: Kargil (2003) – 4 Hours 15 Minutes
J.P. Dutta’s war epic is the longest Bollywood film to reach cinemas. It retells the 1999 Kargil War through the eyes of the soldiers who fought it, with one regiment and one mountain post after another. The cast reads like a who’s who of the time: Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshaye Khanna, Manoj Bajpayee and many more.
The length comes from Dutta’s choice to give space to almost every real battle and the personal story behind it. Critics felt it could have been shorter, but for many viewers it remains a sincere tribute to the soldiers of Operation Vijay.
2. Mera Naam Joker (1970) – 4 Hours 8 Minutes
Raj Kapoor’s most personal film follows Raju, a circus clown, through three stages of life and three heartbreaks. Rishi Kapoor made his screen debut as the young Raju. The film was so long that it was released with two intervals.
Mera Naam Joker failed at the box office on release and put Raj Kapoor in deep financial trouble. Over time, though, it has become a cult classic, and its songs, especially “Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan”, are still loved today.
3. Sangam (1964) – 3 Hours 58 Minutes
Six years before Mera Naam Joker, Raj Kapoor had already made a nearly four-hour film. Sangam is a love triangle between two childhood friends, played by Raj Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar, and the woman they both love, played by Vyjayanthimala. It too had two intervals.
Unlike Mera Naam Joker, Sangam was a huge hit. Its colourful song sequences, shot in European locations such as Venice, Paris and Switzerland, were a big draw for audiences at a time when foreign locations were rare in Hindi films.
4. Lagaan (2001) – 3 Hours 53 Minutes
Set in a drought-hit village in 1893, Lagaan follows Bhuvan (Aamir Khan) and a group of farmers who accept a British officer’s challenge: win a cricket match and the village’s tax is cancelled, lose and pay three times the amount. The final cricket match alone takes up a large part of the film.
Lagaan was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2002 Academy Awards, joining Mother India and Salaam Bombay! as one of the very few Indian films to get that far. It is proof that a long runtime does not matter when the story keeps people hooked.
5. Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026) – 3 Hours 49 Minutes
The newest entry on the list, and the most successful. Aditya Dhar’s sequel continues the story of an Indian undercover operative inside Karachi’s criminal networks, with Ranveer Singh leading a cast that includes Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal and R. Madhavan. The theatrical version in India runs 229 minutes, while the uncut OTT version is 232 minutes.
Despite its length, Dhurandhar: The Revenge earned over Rs 1,850 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film in India and the second-highest-grossing Indian film of all time. Dhurandhar 2 is now streaming on JioHotstar in India and on Netflix.
6. Mohabbatein (2000) – 3 Hours 36 Minutes
Aditya Chopra’s musical drama brought Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan face to face in a big way for the first time. Bachchan plays Narayan Shankar, the strict principal of Gurukul who bans love on campus, and Shah Rukh plays Raj, a music teacher who encourages three young students to follow their hearts.
The film’s length comes from three parallel love stories along with the main clash between the two leads, plus a long list of songs. It was one of the biggest hits of 2000 and gave Amitabh Bachchan’s career a fresh start.
7. Dhurandhar (2025) – 3 Hours 34 Minutes
The first part of Aditya Dhar’s spy saga released in December 2025 and surprised the industry with how well a three-and-a-half-hour action drama could do. Ranveer Singh plays an undercover agent working his way into a terror network, with Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal and R. Madhavan in key roles.
Dhurandhar collected over Rs 1,350 crore worldwide and became Ranveer Singh’s first film to cross Rs 1,000 crore globally. The Netflix version is about nine minutes shorter, at 205 minutes.
8. Jodhaa Akbar (2008) – 3 Hours 33 Minutes
Ashutosh Gowariker’s period drama tells the story of the political marriage between the Mughal emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) and the Rajput princess Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), and how it slowly turns into real love. Grand sets, costumes and A.R. Rahman’s music, including “Khwaja Mere Khwaja”, make it one of the most lavish films of its decade.
9. What’s Your Raashee? (2009) – 3 Hours 31 Minutes
This is the most unusual film on the list. Priyanka Chopra plays 12 different women, one for each zodiac sign, as Yogesh (Harman Baweja) meets each of them in search of a bride. Each sign gets its own track and song, which explains the long runtime.
The film did not do well commercially, but Priyanka’s effort in playing twelve completely different characters is still talked about as one of her most ambitious performances.
10. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) – 3 Hours 30 Minutes
Karan Johar’s family drama brought together Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. The story of a rich family torn apart when the elder son marries against his father’s wishes is packed with emotion, comedy, songs and festival scenes.
K3G, as fans call it, was a massive hit in India and overseas. Kareena Kapoor’s Poo and the film’s tagline “It’s all about loving your parents” are still part of pop culture.
11. Swades (2004) – 3 Hours 30 Minutes
Shah Rukh Khan plays Mohan Bhargava, a NASA scientist who returns to India to find his childhood nanny and ends up changing a small village. The film takes its time to show village life, which some found slow but many now call its biggest strength.
Swades was not a big hit on release, but it has grown into one of Shah Rukh Khan’s most respected films. A.R. Rahman’s “Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera” still moves audiences.
12. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) – 3 Hours 26 Minutes
Sooraj Barjatya’s family film starring Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit has 14 songs and several long wedding scenes, which many viewers see as one long celebration rather than a story-driven film. That is exactly why audiences loved it.
HAHK became one of the biggest blockbusters of the 1990s and set the template for the big Indian wedding film. Madhuri’s purple saree in “Didi Tera Devar Deewana” is still one of the most iconic looks in Bollywood.
Honourable Mentions
| Movie | Year | Runtime | Why It Is Not in the Main List |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamas | 1988 | 298 min | Made for television and later shown as a film |
| Sholay | 1975 | 198 min (209 min director’s cut) | Theatrical version is shorter than the top 12 |
| Animal | 2023 | 201 min | Just under the top 12 cut-off |
| Border 2 | 2026 | 201 min | Just under the top 12 cut-off |
| Salaam-e-Ishq | 2007 | 201 min | Just under the top 12 cut-off |
Interesting Facts About Bollywood’s Longest Films
- Ashutosh Gowariker directed four of the 12 films on this list: Lagaan, Swades, Jodhaa Akbar and What’s Your Raashee?.
- Raj Kapoor’s Sangam and Mera Naam Joker were both released with two intervals because of their length.
- Aditya Dhar has two films on the list, and both Dhurandhar films released within four months of each other.
- Shah Rukh Khan appears in three of the 12 films: Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Swades.
- Amitabh Bachchan appears in two: Mohabbatein and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
- Long films are not always hits. Mera Naam Joker, Swades and What’s Your Raashee? struggled at the box office, while Dhurandhar: The Revenge became one of the biggest hits ever.
Longest Bollywood Movies: FAQs
Which is the longest Bollywood movie ever?
LOC: Kargil (2003), directed by J.P. Dutta, is the longest Bollywood film released in theatres, with a runtime of 255 minutes, or 4 hours and 15 minutes.
Which Bollywood movies had two intervals?
Raj Kapoor’s Sangam (1964) and Mera Naam Joker (1970) were released with two intervals because both films ran close to or above four hours.
What is the runtime of Dhurandhar: The Revenge?
Dhurandhar: The Revenge runs for 229 minutes (3 hours 49 minutes) in Indian theatres. The uncut OTT version is 232 minutes.
Which is the longest Bollywood movie of 2026?
Dhurandhar: The Revenge, at 229 minutes, is the longest Hindi film of 2026 so far, followed by Border 2 at 201 minutes.
Is Lagaan longer than Sholay?
Yes. Lagaan runs for 233 minutes, while the theatrical version of Sholay runs for 198 minutes. Even Sholay’s longer director’s cut, at 209 minutes, is shorter than Lagaan.