‘Saiyaara’ crowned IMDb’s most popular film of 2025; Aryan Khan’s series 'The Ba**ds olf Bollywood' takes top spot

IMDb on Wednesday released its list of the most popular Indian films and web series of 2025, with "Saiyaara" and Aryan Khan's "The Ba**ds of Bollywood" taking the top positions.

The rankings are based on page views from IMDb's more than 250 million monthly global visitors, reflecting worldwide audience interest.

"Saiyaara", starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, has emerged as the most popular Indian film of the year. Produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by Mohit Suri, the film has been widely discussed for its emotional storytelling and chartbuster music. 

Calling the recognition a “moment of immense pride”, YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani said, “‘Saiyaara’ has connected with audiences across India and the world, cutting across geography, age, and culture. We are hugely grateful that it has become one of the most iconic films for YRF and for the industry… Mohit Suri brought a clear vision and deep emotions to the film, while Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda delivered confident, heartfelt debut performances.”

The Top Indian Films list also features the animated blockbuster “Mahavatar Narsimha” in second place, followed by Vicky Kaushal's “Chhaava”. Rishabh Shetty's “Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1” and Rajinikanth's “Coolie” secured the next two spots. Tamil coming-of-age comedy “Dragon,” Aamir Khan's “Sitaare Zameen Par,” Shahid Kapoor's “Deva,” Ajay Devgn's “Raid 2,” and Malayalam film “Lokah: Chapter 1” rounded out the list.

In the web series category, Aryan Khan’s directorial debut “The Ba**ds of Bollywood” took the No. 1 position. Reacting to the success, Aryan said, “Seeing the show at No.1 feels exactly like what we wanted to do — shake the room and own the conversation. The memes, the fan edits, the arguments, the obsession — that’s a show becoming part of culture, not just a weekend watch.” He added that the response has strengthened his instinct to tell stories “with no soft edges, no pretending.”

Following Aryan’s series were Vikramaditya Motwane's “Black Warrant” and Sudip Sharma's “Paatal Lok” Season 2. “Panchayat” Season 4 claimed the fourth spot, while psychological thrillers “Mandala Murders” and “Khauf” ranked next. “Special Ops” Season 2, “Khakee: The Bengal Chapter,” and the latest seasons of “The Family Man” and “Criminal Justice” also featured on the list. Crime thrillers dominated the rankings, with seven out of ten series belonging to the genre. Streaming platforms also had strong representation, with four titles each from Netflix and Prime Video, and two from JioHotstar.

Yaminie Patodia, head of IMDb India, said this year’s selections highlight a period of exceptional creativity across languages and formats. “The diverse range of storytelling, spanning from romance to animation, superhero epics to satire, reflects the industry’s vibrancy. It is especially exciting to see distinctly Indian stories and cultural narratives resonating with audiences around the world,” she said.