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I was going through the IMDb Top 250 to scour for my next watch, and I came across this. I had a bad experience with Indian films, all the ones I've seen were either horrible, cheesy or mediocre at best. That is not to say all of them are like that, of course not, but those are just the ones I've seen. So is "3 Idiots" a worthwhile movie for someone not used to Indian films?
Thanks a lot for the 100+ replies, y'all. I'm going to watch it expecting the usual Indian fair and I may or may not get pleasantly surprised. Thanks a million!
Its been on my watchlist ever since I saw it on the 250. I'm interested to see it, especially since it has the same lead actor from Lagaan, which is one of my favorite Bollywood films ever.
As an Indian and picky about the Bollywood movies, I approve any movies of Aamir khan after 2004. He came by nepotism in Bollywood early 90's but started making efforts to raise the level of the movies made in Bollywood specially his movies. After almost 3 decades and 100's of movies, he is hands down one and only best actor and entertainer.
Coming to the movie 3 Idiots, It explains the truth about the engineering colleges in India where only grade matters not the excellence. He acts a 23 YO student in 3 idiots when he actually was 49 at that time. Movie explains each and every scenario we as engineering students go through in our studies weather its a project presentation, mass bunks, some mischiefs and the life decider on campus interviews. All the songs in the movie is greatly written. Its great to see that you guys are reading the subtitles and trying to grasp the actual meaning. You guys are the best. Pls ask if you have any further questions.
It's nice to know it is a fairly accurate representation of engineering colleges over there. I assume you guys don't have soapy dance parties in the communal shower though.
Any other similar Bollywood movies you suggest?
I seem to really enjoy movies like 3 Idiots, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Chak De India.
Yeah no soapy dance parties. That was just a Bollywood cliche but the song "All iz well" is a great song so i didnt mind for that.
If you really want to take into Bollywood bests: go for Kahaani(thriller), Pink(court drama), Dil chahta he(friends journey), Zindagi na milegi dobara(sit back and relax), Ram-leela(country drama), Dangal(sport). I can't think of every movie that i would suggest right now. Will update this.
Do watch Gangs of Wasseypur, which is 5 hrs long but divided into two, favourite Bollywood movie of mine.
Even Dhoom 3?
Dhoom was crap but Aamir was good in it.
I didn't really watch Dhoom-3 so no comments.
How was he in Ishq?
He was good. Overall good movie.
Aamir Khan is usually a good bet for a decent movie. If you haven't watched Dangal, that has him in a lead and is well made as well. I think it is on Netflix.
Yes, very different from.usual bollywood. It's hilarious, touching , a little cheesy, well translated, and long as most hindi movies are. Worth 2 hours tho.
Agreed. Really enjoyable movie with some beautiful scenery shots and fun songs.
Nothing compared to Singham, I don't care what you guys say
It's one of the few movies that can make my eyes wet at certain points. The humor is on par as well. Rewatched it a few times and still love it.
I loved it. It covers a lot of ground — definitely a movie with a morality message, kind of like Shawshank.
Shawshank is like my all-time favourite film. Comparing this to that, an automatic must-watch.
So like most Bollywood films then?
No dancing was mentioned, big difference :)
There is dancing.
Oh well then thats bollywood
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I disagree. It's Bollywood through and through. Just a bit more thought-out. I mean it has long ass dance sequences, emotional manipulation, silly sounds to act as laugh cues, slapstick comedy... it's all there.
I put it off for a long time because it was a nearly 3 hour Indian comedy (hadn't seen any Indian movies at that point) and didn't think I'd like it. Honestly loved it. Hilarious and just a great movie, period. Would highly recommend.
All is well.
They do a hell of a 180 at the end of that number. It was almost absurd.
I remember watching this at film class back in the day. The whole class was all lively during the singing and dancing and then it went completely silent for 5 minutes after that thing happened.
Aal is vell
Aamir Khan is pretty good at picking the right projects. I also recommend Lagaan and Rang De Basanti.
Taare Zameen Par might be his best
It's an amazing movie, and definitely not cheesy in the slightest if OP is worried about that. The little kid was the true star of that movie, though. And the music.
The title song and Mera Jahaan (My World) are still my favourites!
Also Maa, which never fails to make me cry.
That movie will make anyone in the world cry, it should be a challenge.
He directed it too.
Yes, I totally agree.
And PK his 2nd best imo.
If you like his movies I would recommend PK and Dangal.
Yeah Pk is awesome as well
Dangal is cheesy as fk and betrays its own women empowerment message.
how?
If one of the movie's themes in women empowerment, why does it emphasize the fact that the daughter is always wrong and the father is always right. Every time they have some sort of disagreement, the daughter was wrong and it is later shown the father was right. Parents are usually the ones enforcing gender roles, so it would have been great if there was a scene where she taught her dad something.
There are other problems too. The part where he got locked in the room is ridiculous. The final line of the movie was something like, "He finally said something he never said before: good job." That is (1) really cliche and (2) never set up before.
The movie is also waaay too long completely unnecessarily. There are too many montages and too few legitimate scenes. 1st training montage, 1st fighting montage, daughter is happy/independent montage, 1st losing-fighting montage, 2nd training montage, 2nd fighting montage. Movies like Raging Bull are able to show progression with 2 montages, the rest being individual scenes where characters are explored.
The character of the coach was a legit cartoon character. Watching him literally give the exact opposite advice of what the father was yelling every single time was so cliche. The "bad guy" female wrestler was a cartoon too. "I already beat her before. Looking forward to beating her in front of her home crowd" muhhahahah.
I love Aamir Khan's movies. I just didn't want to write a whole essay about his movies because people tend to be put off by that. PK is his only movie in the past 10 years I haven't watched for some reason. Dangal was awesome.
If you are a pro-religionist or something then don't watch PK, if not , it will be a great watch.
I heard it was a bit controversial, but that sort of stuff doesn’t bother me, so I’ll probably give it a try.
His next movie, Thugs of Hindustan looks promising too
He's the only Bollywood actor who filmography I keep an eye on because I trust his movies to be good.
And Dhoom 3 /s
Just to echo the same sentiment, yes it is an overlong (within the 2h40m ballpark) cheesy film with a conventional narrative. It’s your typical “passion trumps all” story. That said, it is a great testament to the film that it’s humor never really ran out of steam throughout. The cast was also very strong, and it balanced humor and some really heavy drama quite well.
Agreed.
I also enjoy it just for the scenery and music too (including the music that isn't part of the musical sequences). Having watched it a few times already I will sometimes put it on in the background even though I don't know the language.
It's cheesy and mildly derivative, but still has heart and manages to get genuine laughs, which makes it a pretty good film in my mind. It's definitely a good introduction to Bollywood cinema. I don't like Bollywood cinema but still enjoyed the film.
it's very derivative but it's still worth watching imo
If you don't wanna take our word for it being good Spielberg has seen it 3 times. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/hollywood/news/Ive-seen-some-Hindi-movies-loved-3-Idiots-Steven-Spielberg/articleshow/18939951.cms
I really enjoyed it! They were screening it at one of the society events in my first week of uni - this film's part of a fond memory of a good time for me.
I've not watched that much Indian cinema, so can't confirm whether it conforms to type, but I'd definitely recommend it. Genuinely very funny, if a little over-egged on some of the drama aspects.
Gangs of wassepur or black Friday. Watch these instead. 3 idiots is good but if you're non India don't think you'll understand most of the jokes or the major plot point about IITs.
Saw that movie. Stick with it, it is a bit silly initially. Found it to be a good story with surprising arcs and some very poignant parts. Well recommended
My parents used to watch a lot of Bollywood movies so I grew up with them, and 3 Idiots didn't really impress me. If you're looking for a good entry point from a Western perspective, check out Like Stars on Earth. It's one of the best films I've ever seen, in any language.
Added to queue, thanks!
Same. Trying to broaden my film prospective.
I would recommend good hindi movies like Haider, The Lunchbox, Maqbool, they all are above usual bollywood standard
2 of those are Shakespeare adaptations and are really well made.
Can't speak to the other two, but can second The Lunchbox
You should watch Black Friday. One of the finest Bollywood movies of last 15 years.
3 Idiots is what got me into Bollywood! One of many few examples that shows how good Bollywood films can be.
Others films i love
Lagaan 2001
Rang De Basanti 2006
Swades 2004
Taare Zameen Par 2007
My Name Is Khan 2013
Om Shanti Om 2007
Talaash 2012
A must see list Dangal movie could also be added.
It's REALLY good! I put it at the same level as Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Slumdog Millionaire as the best feel good movies i have seen. It teaches some important lessons about life as well. The main song All Izz Well is just as catchy as Jai Ho. I watched it 3 times already and loved every moment of it. My church even had a screening of it before imagine that!
Aamir Khan = Quality over quantity. Any movie he does is worth watching IMO.
3 Idiots is a great movie. A more recent movie that was really good was Kapoor & Sons. Also check out Lagaan. That's a classic.
My Mom is an old Chinese lady who is kinda racist towards brown people but she absolutely loved this movie. She wouldn't stop recommending this movie to my sister and I.
Wow. That's good to hear!
3 Idiots is mostly on the IMDB 250 by virtue of it being a massively popular film amongst the Indian public and particularly the 16-45 young/hip/culturally dominant demographic bloc that votes on IMDB. If you’re wondering whether it’s actually some quality, particularly special non-derivative Bollywood cinema, it’s not. It’s no better than any other huge Indian comedy flick. It’s not bad, but it’s not better than any other Bollywood blockbuster. People who think it’s significantly better than it is would be surprised at what is actually out there in India.
There’s much better Indian cinema out there that’s much more deserving of being on the list, including others from the same actor in fact.
I'm apparently in the minority here but I hated it. It's certainly silly but not in a way I enjoyed at all. I'd say try it out, but if you're not enjoying it after a short while don't feel the need to stick it out.
Zoobie Doobie!
Pam para
...Pagal stupid man
While I haven't seen 3 Idiots, if you're looking for some Bollywood that doesn't follow the standard Bollywood formula (which you've described as cheesy and mediocre), I'd check out some of Anurag Kashyap's work. I made a thread about him the other day that didn't get much traction, but he's a super-innovative Indian director that blends elements of Bollywood with much darker themes and the result is some pretty solid stuff.
Would recommend Ugly, Dev D, and perhaps most of all Gangs of Wasseypuer
It's an enjoyable feel-good movie as long as you don't think too much about it. It is definitely cheesy in my opinion but you'll still enjoy it.
I loved it, it's one of the best Bollywood films imo, I haven't seen that many. You should also check out "Like stars on earth" I cried my eyes out to that one.
It still has some of the trappings and tropes of bollywood movies... it's got the regular fantasy song and dance scenarios, it's got a 40 year old actor playing a much younger character, the protagonist is sort of a Mary Sue type, etc. But overall I would say it's a very good movie, worth watching.
It's like a 1hr+ long compilation of puns and jokes from the internet. Basically every "smart" and funny "anecdotes" are from the internet and anyone would have heard at least half of it.
This one is very cheesy though.
Yea, but it's super cheesy.
Give a try to Drisham too.... Its good
The Malayalam one is better
3 idiots is more of the same.
This exactly. If OP did not enjoy the other Bollywood movies, I doubt he/she will enjoy this one
Really? Well, I guess I'll just give it a try. To clarify, one of the movies I've seen is Dhoom 3...so if this is better than that, it should be fine.
Oh Dhoom 3 is the worst. Makes 3 Idiots look like The Godfather
yeah if you can get over the fact that everyone in their freshman class of college is 40 years old. it's a great movie, one of the best indian movies i've seen.
Mate if you're looking for a Bollywood comedy give Hera Pheri(2000) a try.Probably the best modern Bollywood comedy.
My all time favorite comedy movie. Have watched it more than 10times
My list is growing, lol! Thanks.
Its the remake of 1989 malayalam movie named Ramji Rao Speaking.Its not so modern.
17 years lady and I still laugh at the phone scenes.
Star Fisheries...
Yes. Even though I’m Indian I don’t watch Bollywood movies. But 3 idiots is a great movie.
Rajkumar Hirani is a fine director.
Best
Really good
Watch 'VISARANAI' dude..brilliant film
It's pretty good. One of the few Bollywood movie I thoroughly enjoyed. There is singing and dancing but you could always fast forward those parts.