Rahul Verma

We need to talk about Bollywood. Not as a source of magnificently uplifting movies with great songs and flamboyant costumes – that’s a given – but as a term. For the purposes of this list, we’re using it as a catch-all for the full multitude of Indian film industries. This, we know, will upset purists who will point out – correctly – that it should only be used to refer to the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai. But rightly or wrongly, the term has come to represent Indian cinema more broadly, taking in everything from the Telugu-language films of Hyderabad to the very un-Bollywood work of Kolkata great Satyajit Ray. It’s an imperfect framework to examine a complex, multilingual film culture, but it’s a great way to introduce a tonne of worthy movies to dive into. Which brings us to our next dilemma, because choosing a definitive ‘best-of’ list is an impossible task. Our top 100 is a bulging, wildly varied collection of our favourites: there are rom-coms like Jab We Met, sports dramas like Chak De! India and Lagaan, ‘curry westerns’ like Sholay, black-and-white tragedies like Pyaasa and Awaara, coming-of-age classics like Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, and art-house staples like Ardh Satya and Ankur. Our picks are as diverse as our experts, ranging from UK-based Bollywood radio jockey Anushka Arora and Indian journalist-turned-screenwriter Aniruddha Guha. Our contributors also include writer-director Varun Grover who penned the lyrics for Gangs of Wasseypur (fe

We got our Stussy tees on and rewound to the most innovative UK music scene of the early ’90s: jungle. Recommended: The best songs ever

While we may have chosen 100 of the best Bollywood movies, with over six decades of popular Hindi cinema, it's nearly impossible to choose just 11 of the best Bollywood songs. So instead, we've picked just a taster of the world of Bollywood music, selecting 11 of the most memorable and important songs. With films dating from 1951 to 2014, this list will give you a glimpse into just how much Bollywood has changed over the last 60 years, while providing you with some absolute bangers you'll want to add to your playlists, too.  RECOMMENDED: The 100 best romantic films

From reggae and calypso to dub and dancehall, the sounds of Notting Hill Carnival have shifted and diversified over half a century – but whether it’s rocksteady or grime, Carnival is the place to hear the music of the Caribbean diaspora in London. If you can’t wait until the August bank holiday (and we don’t blame you) here are ten tracks that have earned their status as Carnival classics. RECOMMENDED: Read the full Notting Hill Carnival guide

Don’t know your Bollywood from your Hollywood? We’ve put together a handy guide to help you out. What exactly is Bollywood? Why is it wrong to think that ‘Bollywood’ simply means ‘Indian cinema’? Who are the biggest Bollywood actors, actresses and directors? And where can you actually watch Bollywood movies in London and elsewhere in the UK? Here, you’ll find answers to all those questions and much more. RECOMMENDED: The 100 best Bollywood movies