Cinema of India: My First Impression | Video Essay 

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I was an engineering student when i watched 3 idiots. First bollywood i have watched. Its a story that i really can relate with that time. I failed when i was third year then i persued my passion in art. Fast forward to this day. I am now a sculptig instructor and a painter and also a toy maker. I would have perseud a course i n college that i never have passion with. I know it is kind ridiculous but tht movie really hits home when ever watched it

you know? "it feels bad when a friend fails but it feels worst when he comes first" was like THE best and the most relatable dialogue of that movie

I had a class in college (Pace University) that covered “Asian Cinema” (an acknowledged reductionist term) which was taught by a Tamil professor of International Relations and a Hong Kong professor of World History. Most days we watched a film from either region and juxtaposed it with a lesson from either discipline. But my favorite was 3 Idiots, which we watched on our last day as “fun day” and I just remember that the post-screen discussion was the most insightful despite it being an “off day” because of its connection with us as students and the professors as products of the “success culture” in their respective birthplaces. At the end of the class both professors stopped us all and said “I hope you all recognize how dumb the term “Asian Cinema” is now, and don’t blame us, class names have a character limit.”

This guy clearly stated in his title that this is his "first impression" and just an intro to his possible further observations. And yet some are expecting him to know every side of Indian cinema by now.

So, calling Indian cinema just “Bollywood” would be like calling someone from west Africa “Nigerian” because it’s the most populated nation in the region (Nigeria is also the most populated country in Africa).

My elder brother and his friend has watched 3 idiots so many times that they can now exactly predict the number of steps a character takes. And the number of times Virus beats Rancho with his Umbrella. 🤣

You should also watch "Taare Zameen Par", meaning the stars on the earth. This cinema explores the Indian education system on the primary basis. Its about a child who had dyslexia, and how everyone around him made him feel that he was worthless. I will not give more spoilers, but here too you will find Aamir Khan. Its such a beautiful cinema, I still cry about it today. And definitely you should check out Bengali films. Especially by Satyajit Ray, the greatest Indian cinema director of all time. He even got Oscar lifetime achievement award...he is very very much respected in India and in our Bengali culture

I have been watching Indian cinema for twelve years now. Once I was drawn to it, I became obsessed. After watching Bollywood for several years, I saw Baahubali in 2015 and started checking out Prabhas' Telugu films. After that, I started watching Tamil and Malayalam. I loved the way you summed up the reason you enjoy them. I agree they are wonderful!

There is also a pretty good Hindi horror movie called 'Tumbbad' , made with a really low budget of $700,000 .

3 Idiots was my first ever Bollywood film and I can't agree more - it's a breakout hit and just absolutely wonderfully awesome. It's a gem of a story! After I watched it the first time, I endeavoured to learn how to sing "All is Well". I've seen it thrice now actually due to how fantastic this film is.

From Nepal, I grew up watching Indian movies and I love it...while I probably watched 100+ indian movies I only watched 10- Nepali movies..I know Indian culture and language because of Indian movies, it introduced me to ALOT of emotions lol when my family says let's watch a movies we watch an Indian one when my family talks about their favourite movies they're all Indian movies..lots of love to India~

Your view is 100% true. But u didn't mention Malayalam film industry. Even though it is small compared to others. Most of the " Orginal films" are made in Malayalam industry. Every other film industries in India are watching closely in Malayalam industry to remak into their language.Malayam film industry is clasic and orginal like Korean movies. "Drishyam" a movie made in Malayalam was even remaked by Chinese language and it is going to remake in korean soon with parasite actor !

I'm not indian. I'm Bangladeshi, which is a country that shares its borders with India on three sides. and with that comes the inevitable exposure to indian cinema and culture. I've grown up watching and absolutely adoring indian movies made in Hindi and Bangla languages. Then I moved on to discover the Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films which opened up a whole new world for me. Indian stories and the ways they're told feel incredibly close to home. This video makes me so happy (':

Everyone mad at him for not including Malayalam movies but we should also appreciate the time and research he invested to introduce indian cinema to the world. Let us show some respect to him, shall we? ❤️❤️🇮🇳

The apu trilogy by Satyajit Ray (R.I.P) is not only one of the greatest film series from India, but one of the greatest film series ever made.

Satyajit ray? Not just india, not just Asia, one of the greatest filmmakers of all times. And you missed his films? Devi, appu trilogy, player of chess, every single film is masterpiece. Martin Scorsese himself said satyajit ray is an inspiration for him. Akira Kawasaki once said, "not seeing satyajit Ray's films is like not seeing son or moon"

i'll be honest, i never thought anyone could speak about indian cinema satisfactorily in any amount of time but you've managed to do a splendid job in just 15 minutes. that's really a testament to your dedication and ability. thank you for doing such a great job!

One of the reason 3 Idiots became the cultural icon it is today was because it was one of the first mainstream movie to finally show what thousands of students were thinking everyday. I wish more bollywood movies tried breaking these societal constraints instead of always following a similar formula.

Hey brother! I Loved this video and as an Indian myself, I love exploring films from my country. I would however, highly recommend you to explore more of Malayalam and Bengali (my mother tongue) cinema. These two industries are making some socially relevant and realistic films which tell the stories of people from various stratas of the society. An early recommendation would be Labour of Love (Bengali) and Premam (Malayalam).

Deep inside we all know that "Hera Pheri" is the real Masterpiece

Sir I recommend you just watch any film of satyajit ray. Without his movie Indian cinema isn't complete

The whole comment section is about Mollywood, I would say he already done a great job on introducing Indian cinema, its a awesome introduction for anyone who only watched one or two Indian movies 🍿 I only know Bollywood before, so it’s an eye opening video, made me watch Super Delux right after watching this, it’s definitely great! I love it

Thank you. After years of exploring the cultures, arts, and histories of Africa, Latin America, and especially East Asia, I've been trying to expand my understanding of India. I came in contact with Indian cinema through its music and also traditional music (I've been trying to learn the bansuri), and the films you featured look great. I'll certainly give some of them a try.

14:14 "But not everyone can be successful... Hardly one in a hundred" This is the real translation, loved the video tho

Indian cinema where quality of Film making is concerned... 1. Malayalam Cinema(the experimental hub of indian cinema) 2. Tamil Cinema(where both Art house+ commercial films are well balanced) 3. Marathi Cinema(the most underrated industry in indian cinema) . . . Special mention to Bengali cinema!!!

There is a Singapore movie that have almost same storyline called "Me not stupid" about three middle schooler kids who do badly in school and also a criticism to outdated school system in Singapore where they focus on Academic instead of individual talents.

Aamir Khan Masterpieces With Social Message : 1 - 3 Idiots 2 - PK 3 - The Secret Superstar 4 - Dangal 5 - Taare Zameen Par 6 - Peepli Live (Produced By Aamir Khan) 7 - Rang De Basanti 8 - Lagaan 9 - Dhobi Ghat 10 - Sarfarosh

at 4:20 when you transititoned to Lagaan i thought you were going to say "if you haven't noticed, all the best Bollywood movies have Aamir Khan" ... having grown up with Bollywood as an American child of Indian immigrants, he is in a lot of my favorites films...

Ahh, yes, 3 Idiots in particular was a staple, a must watch for students where I live in. Everybody has seen it, and has definitely influenced a lot of young people to get into college. Or not, haha. I know it did for me, and I regret nothing. BTW, an underappreciated gem of a movie is Taare Zameen Par. A beautiful Indian film. Please watch it. Prepare tissues. You might cry your eyes out, especially if you yourself or someone you know suffered/suffers any neurological condition.

The probable next leap will be to MalayalamMovieIndustry.

The cinema in India is slowly changing. I wish unnecessary songs/item numbers were cut to allow telling more impactful and concise stories.

Interesting overview of the Indian Cinema and I have definitely learned more. Would love to see more of this! :)

The "little bit of everything" approach that you mentioned is properly called "masala cinema". It's probably the most immediately recognisable feature of Indian cinema, as most films would try to combine elements of several different genres.

Honestly as soon as I saw those Prem Ratan Dhan Payo scenes My mind immediately went "Ah shit, here we go again"😂

Thank you such an in depth analysis of Indian cinema. Much as I love Corridor Crew, I always feel the disappointment in how little they really try to research about any Indian movie. Even if they appreciate the VFx, I feel like they are mostly making fun of the movies without really trying to find out why the story proceeds the way it does. I think your channel is the first non-Indian channel that really goes into the depth and details of the industry and I can only imagine how much work you must’ve put into it. I liked your videos before, but with this one, you’ve made me a fan, and I’m going to subscribe and follow for a long time. Keep up the great work, and thank you.

Good one! But I think there should be a part 2 for this exploring another 4 good Indian flim industries. Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi!

Just another recommendation to jump into Malayalam cinema, truly a beauty. Especially a the newer ones and some older classics

When I was a kid in the 90s, there was Indian cinema & Chinese cinema and neither twain meets. In fact, neither cinemas ever acknowledged each other. For a longest time, I have long wanted for both nations to crossover. With how Internet has brought everyone together, it's only time before both worlds would come together.

If you are interested in Marathi movies I would recommend 1 Tumbbad (elements of horror and greed), 2 The disciple (journey of a extremely dedicated artist who could never reach his goals), 3 Killa (gentle and beautiful montage of a kid adjusting to the death of his father and moving to a new place) 4 Katyar kalajat ghusli (adaptation of a famous historical musical drama) 5 Muramba (modern urban love flick)

I just wanted to say your essay's are always a treat to watch and listen to!

If you ever make a film about Malayalam cinema, the recent movie Joji is superb, along with Drishyaam, which was actually replicated across the subcontinent and even China, where that remake was the 9th highest grossing film of that particular year.

How about an industry that doesnt have the budget of other industries but had challenged other film industries with just script and direction thats mollywood for you ..... you need a separate episode to understand the types and shades of stories malayalam film industry produces

I absolutely love the way you capture the emotion, theme and core of any cinema thread you choose to explore. I discovered the true depths of Hong Kong cinema from you, and rediscovered my cinema, all of it from you again. Thank you.

You are doing the world a big favour that you are connecting people together whom otherwise will not. Keep your endeavour it will bring you further than you can ever imagine!

Welcome to Indian cinema, if I were to recommend a film, I'd say Anand (1970s) or Taare Zameen Par. Both of which are Bollywood specific, but I think you'll enjoy them.

Do a Part 2 Covering other Industries Like Malyalam, Marathi, Bengali and Kannada. Mollywood even though small is one of the most remaked source of movies in other languages in India

Malayalam movies or Mollywood is something you should explore. A lot of bollywood movies that are content driven are remakes of Malayalam. Malayalam movies are artistic, story heavy and just marvelous cinematography to top it all off... You are missing out on some serious treasures if you don't check Malayalam movies out. I'll suggest Malik, Kumbalangi Nights, Koode, Drishyam & Drishyam 2, Lucifer etc

Thank you for the thoughtful representation ❤️ one of the many reasons I love your channel!

Well. That was a really good watch. My perception of Indian pop culture consisted mostly of memes of Indian soaps about glamorous rich people doing glamorous rich people things. I never in a million years would've thought the Indian industry would be so openly transgressive or so invested in the experiences of the common man. Can't say I'll be watching more Indian stuff because I'm not much of a film hobbyist, but I'm definitely a smarter and less ignorant person than before I watched your vid. Bahubali has big JoJo energy though.

Okay so I want to bring attention to something very specific to Bollywood. Most would notice that from India's Independence (1947) to well into the early 2000s most Bollywood films resemble some sort of fantasy. Its either outright fantasy, a love story cutting through religion, caste barriers or a struggle of the poor against the power. The only exception to this is the early cinema of the 60s, but lets not delve into that for now. The reason for that is until the late 90s, India for the most part was a very conservative society with societal values being pretty deeply embedded. The only way for the common man to see anything different, imagine a different world was through cinema. It was less of a medium to tell stories but more of a 3hr escapade from their monotonous unhappy lives. Thats the main reason these movies were usually 3hr long, its supposed to indulge you as much as it can. Hence, even though in the movie a Simran might finally get to be with Raj, for many Indian men and women this fantasy was their only way to experience a "love marriage" until they returned back to their lives where they had to go back to their own against their wishes "arranged marriage" life The protest of the poor against the apathetic govts and the crony capitalist was the only way they could ever imagine to see their anger be projected on screen, because for the most part real life isnt that easy and most cant afford to fight. And I think, for the most part, Bollywood did deliver on that expectations. Today it gets some flak for having being so fantasy like but cinema is a product of its times, and I believe Bollywood was just simply reflecting what the masses expected of it. In some ways watching this 3 hr fantasy like world was quietly a form of protest against their daily lives.

Just watch "Tumbaad" Oscar worthy movie It deserves its own movie analysis

The movie choices you took to explain each industry...... perfect.... just perfect choices

I love Indian Cinema, it's quite popular in Rwanda and Africa in general. I especially love Aamir Khan's movies, followed by Irrfan Khan(may he RIP) and the beautiful and talented Deepika Padukone. If any of you are interested in African movies I woul recommend "Nairobi Half Life" "Viva Riva" and "Lionheart" with a special mention for "Namaste Wahalla" a Nigerian/Indian production.

Thanks for the recommendations. I wanted to start watching Indian cinema, but didn't know what to watch first. So refreshing to hear positive reviews. I'm tired of hearing people bad-mouth and make fun Indian culture and cinema. The negativity really comes from a place of arrogance and ignorance. Both Indian and Chinese cultures are so deep, you can dive forever into them and never find the bottom. Cheers!

What a beautiful VIDEO ESSAY!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Come on we GOTTA get a part two for this, there’s so much depth here

You should watch Satyajit Ray's films. Without him Indian cinema is incomplete.

I'm glad you took the plunge into cinema of my country and not just explored Bollywood, but also regional cinema like Kollywood (which hails from my state). Most of the narratively dense cinema stems from Marathi, Malayalam and Bengali for the most part though. Yes Tamil cinema is slowly embracing its narrative roots from the 70s but still has a long way to go. Do check out the others mentioned as well.

Thank you so much .It is such a well made video .Keep doing it . Love from India 🇮🇳

Loved the video keep it up man

Aamir Khan movies have alwaysss been amazing, they always hit deep. I absolutely love his Ghajini, 3 Idiots, Dangal, Tare Zameen Par, Secret Superstar, Lagaan, etc. He’s the sole reason why I still watch Bollywood movies every now and then

I would recommend that you watch some Assamese films as well, for eg. Aamis, Village Rockstars, Kothanodi, Bulbul Can Sing. Also Kannada films as well, like Thithi and Chomana Dudi

As a non-Indian who has gotten into Indian Cinema in the past couple years, I think this is a great video. It breaks down the differences between some of the different industries, which I am still not even sure about. I can definitely recommend 3 Idiots and Baahubali (Although I personally consider the two parts as one movie) Another Indian film I highly recommend is Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota.

Great video .....really well made

I'm an Gujurati American so most of my Indian cinema has been bollywood movies, but I'd like to point out the Malayalam movie industry is home to many AMAZING independent movies. Jallikattu by Lijo Jose Pellissery was absolutely fantastic

It's so nice to see Super Deluxe get recognition here as a Tamil person. Its easily one of my most favourite films of all time. If you're interested on some more AMAZING Tamil films here they are: Aaranya Kaandam(By Thiagarajan Kumararajan same guy who did Super Deluxe), Nayakan(gangster classic MUST SEE), Jigarthanda and Sarpatta Parambarai.

Yasss accent cinema back again 💖💕

I heard someone is talking about Indian cinema without even mentioning Bengali films. Can't blame him, most of my fellow country men haven't watched masterpieces by Ray, Sen, Ghatak, Ghosh and many more. He's just a foreigner , don't expect much from him.

You need to look into malayalam cinema, objectively the best blend of realism, romance, satire, comedy and good stories of any Indian movie industry

I'm a telugite who speaks telugu and watches Tollywood the most but for me while you talking about indian film industry without referring Mollywood is incomplete

Great video. Can't wait to try this movies

Very well researched!!!! 💯💯🔥🔥

You should try the most CONTENT RICH industry of Indian cinema its Mollywood The malayalam industry.

Malayalam(Mollywood), Marathi, Bengali(Tollywood) also make some really amazing art movies, which are really way out of league compared to some crappy action films.

Thank you for making this.

A tremendous job to explain and sums up their first introductory experience in such a perfect manner abd explaining the key points of Indian cinema but the thing is its so huge, diverse & deep that almost 30-50 more videos might needed to cover them in a just manner. You have done a great job though. As an Indian we ourself not able to discover all our gems in a single life its impossible.

I don't know why but Indian shows and films are popular in the Arab world as well as Turkish dramas

Not Watching Kumbalangi Nights was a great miss🤷🏻‍♂️

Very well made sir. 👏👏👏

I just randomly clicked on this suggested video but it's one of the most educated videos on Indian cinema I have ever seen from a foreigner. All excellent recommendations. Granted it doesn't include some good Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali cinema but we are just so diverse, nobody can possibly make a single video and hope to include everything. I'll watch Super Deluxe now.

You miss the best cinema industry of indian cinema " Malayalam movies " Love from Tamil Nadu ❤

Bruh, there's this movie made in 1992, named SADHAYAM. Just search the name of the movie and then type 'Malayalam cinema'. The protagonist, a professional painter,finds out that a bunch of little kids living nearby are about to be sold into the sex-trade, and he just can't fathom the idea of them losing their innocence. So he kills them. And then they sentence him to death. Check it out bruh, and love your channel!

Love how Aamir khan is the most consistent actor in Bollywood! I think Saif Ali Khan is moving in that direction too especially after Sacred Games. Then there's Irrfan Khan! Man's legacy is cemented forever.

That was a fantastic Essay, Mate!

I highly recommend you Malayalam films Cinema of India is incomplete without Malayalam films You cd start with 'Malik', which was released a week ago starring Fahad fazil If u like the film make sure u watch 'joji', 'kumbalangi nights' ••donot miss classics like 'kireedam', 'dasaratham', 'thaniyavarthanam' (No masala, no item dance, raw life) ••

Malayalam industry is the best when it comes to current Indian cinema. Obviously this is a biased preference as that is my language and I relate with it more. But objectively speaking, they tend to portray more human stories. I watch movies from many different languages. What Bollywood makes now doesn't resonate with me except for a few exceptions. I recommend 'Kumbalangi nights' or 'Premam' to start with.

The best video done by any foreign youtuber.Especially the conclusion made me so emotional 👍

You have a great understanding of movies.

The Malayalam film industry is the exact anthesis of all the other Indian cinema. Curious to see your thoughts on it

Thanks for naming it Cinema of India ,rather than Bollywood

Very well done! I am an American of European origin who loves Hindi, Japanese and Cantonese movies. Your channel is fascinating.

This vedio is beautifully edited! Thanks for sharing your views on Indian Cinema.

My man, you'll be blown out of your mind when you get into malayalam film industry or mollywood. You'll be just bombarded by the amount of great movies. Start with: Drishyam Kumbalangi nights Ayyapanum koshiyum Memories Driving licence Mahshinte prathikaaram See u soon Sudani from Nigeria Parava Charlie Great Indian kitchen And those are just off the top of my head. As a malayali,we welcome you to the industry that is going through it's golden age right now.

You missed two of the arguably best movie industries in India : Bengali and Malayalam.

Cool first video on Indian cinema

Just amazing!

THANK you for not omitting Tamil films from the Indian film industry! Please also consider watch Mollywood, aka Malayalam films, originating from Kerala. You won't be disappointed by the Fahadh Fahsil ones!

so many high quality movies came out just this year: Joji, Nayattu, Karnan, Kala, Ray, Malik, Sarpatta Parambarai

Deepest understanding by a foreigner I have seen till now. I was even more impressed when you mentioned that Bahubali 2 could not maintain the style of first part. Even here, many people do not comprehend that as I express it. You really had the best experience you could get from here. All movies you mentioned were my favourites from each industry. Satisfied.