I Went To India To Learn About Bollywood 

A word of advice: do not turn this off at the ad read. Watch to the end.

WHAT A FANTASTIC VIDEO MAN!! Welcome to indian cinema now explore malayalam! and tamil and bengali and telugu and kannada and so many more

this is the video essay of our generation

Back when Sholay was in theaters, apparently robbers would send tickets to a family’s house pretending like they won a lottery and then rob the house when they were away watching the movie. My mom told me this story.

One fun fact about ddlj is that the director was so confident in his script, he even tried to approach tom cruise for the role of raj

Here's a list for anyone who wants to explore more of modern Hindi Cinema 1. Taare Zameen Par -- literally changed how people parent their kids in India 2. 3 Idiots -- literally changed how people parent their college kids in India 3. Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 -- Gritty crime movies with rich lore. You won't expect this from Bollywood 4. Barfi -- Raj Kapoor's great grandson is one of the best actors of this generation. He is at his best in this Chaplin-esque dramedy alongside Priyanka Chopra 5. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara -- Dil Chahta Hai but broader themes 6. Piku -- Modern Hindi Cinema is incomplete without Irrfan Khan. This is one of his most memorable movies 7. Masaan -- Real, raw, Indian story that will make you sob 8. Padmaavat -- Period drama with insane set design and performances 9. Andhadhun -- Dark comedy with crazy twists 10. Udaan -- Coming of age story of a teenager with an abusive father. Beautiful music by a gem also known as Amit Trivedi 11. Lakshya -- You'd want to join the Indian army after watching this 12. Munna Bhai MBBS -- The most heartwarming movie ever 13. Rang de Basanti -- Real, poetic, devastating patriotism 14. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag -- Inspiring biopic of a great Indian athelete 15. Chak de India -- Best sports movie ever with Shahrukh Khan in it 16. My Name is Khan -- Post 9/11 implications for Muslims in the West 17. Rockstar -- A.R Rehman's music in this one is transcendent Honourable Mentions: More Shah Rukh Khan movies: Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Main Hoon Na, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Swades Rom-coms: Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Tamasha, Jab We Met, Queen, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Bareily Ki Barfi, Namaste London Slice of Life: October, The Lunchbox, Karwaan Thrillers: Kahaani, An Action Hero, Baby, Airlift, Shahid, Talvar, Ugly, Raazi, Highway, NH10

American movie goers: "movies are getting too long". India movie goers: "hold my drink".

As a middle-aged white American woman who is a HUGE fan of Bollywood, I am definitely in the minority! This was an EXCELLENT intro and overview of Bollywood! I'm quite jealous of all your travels in India but you really had a great visit! I was lucky enough to work with the one and only SUPERSTAR SRK in one of his films and it was an amazing experience that still gives me goosebumps. I always love learning more about Bollywood and really appreciate your dedication in making such a great video essay. ❤

Those DVDs didn't work probably because it is in PAL, which is colour encoding format for DVDs and televisions (576i/50 HZ), which is largely used on DVDs and televisions that are published and sold in India, Europe, China, etc. USA DVDs are in NTSE color encoding format.

Video essays have become so ubiquitous on this site but there's no one doing it like you Patrick. This is top top tier stuff

Siddhant's dad showing up and expanding the PHW Cinematic Universe's parent roster like revealing Spider-Man in a Captain America movie.

I feel so satisfied by your decision to talk about that scene at 54:14 from Dil Chahta Hai. It is my Roman Empire. I think about that scene every now and then. I was watching this movie with my dad when that scene appeared and I was two seconds away from changing the channel when the reveal happened and we both laughed out loud. As a fan of comedy I will never forget that scene and how it set the tone for the whole movie. P.s Great video, I watched the whole thing.

I am not Indian but Indian cinema plays a big role in how I watch films because I grew up watching. They introduced me to music, great stories, and the undying love for superstars.

this video is a time travel thanks for the experience

Patrick's video essays can be described as "movies about movies"

Om Shanti Om was my first Bollywood film, and I was blown away and fell in love. Shah Rukh Khan is an absolute joy, in it and so is the music, the heightened drama, just everything. (I can't believe that though I've only seen 5 Bollywood films in my life, I've seen all 4 of the modern films on this list! I guess I had a good guide too.)

Wow Patrick! Being an Indian, I'm actually amused how you captured the essence of Bollywood in your video. I wish this was longer. It's actually so wholesome. Please do check out some non-mainstream OR contemporary movies of Indian Cinema. Cheers, my man. :)

The balls on this man dropping a near hour and a half video on his trip to India! I f**king love it

The fact that the end credits song is Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte, a dance number chronicling the evolution of romance in Bollywood films over the decades in a movie starring Shah Rukh Khan makes it the most fitting way to wrap up this great video essay.

It's absolutely incredible to see Patrick outdo himself in every big project- this is maybe his best video yet

I wish this video had more views, the team put so much effort in and its actually so good. Their usual videos get so many more :/

Massive shout out to Madeline Metolius, absolutely killed it with the title sequence

55:45. Damnit, Patrick! Lookout behind you! YOU CAN'T KEEP GOING TO THE BEACH ALONE AT SUNSET

I love movies. I especially love Indian movies and this felt like the perfect tribute. You could have just made a 10 Indian movies to watch reel but you made an entire hour long film and travelled to INDIA to shoot it. RESPECT. This video was a wild ride. I’m so glad it randomly popped up on my feed. Mad props to you and the whole team for making such a well produced video. This is the kinda stuff that should be in the documentaries section of Netflix. There are so many more movies I would like to suggest and I’m glad you mentioned one of them atleast during the Mubi plug. That film is Gangs Of Wasseypur.

Fun little behind the scenes tidbit about Lagaan. As this was a movie about Indian villagers learning the game of cricket to beat the powerful British colonizers, the director deliberately casted actors who had little to no experience in cricket to play the Indian team while the British cast were mostly actors with professional cricket experience. While this did have the effect of narratively fitting with the story, it did cause problems with the climactic cricket match since scenes where the Indian team manage to beat the British with spectacular moves were constantly being filmed and refilmed because the Indian actors just couldn't hit or catch the ball at the moment they needed. Also, because the British are known for being notoriously proud of their game of cricket, it was weird for British cricket players to deliberately lose...so the cast and crew held an impromptu cricket game that the british actors definitively won.

As a film maker in the Indian film industry, this was a blast to watch! I can't believe you came to India. Would have loved to meet you. Love your videos and I really hope you get to attend the MI world premiere.

Everytime Siddhant gets Patrick to talk about wrestling, an angel gets its wings.

I am Indian from Myanmar I grew up with all these golden age black and white movies. Happy to see that those masterpieces are getting attention.

For those looking for another great series of films, I'd highly recommend the Shakespeare trilogy - Maqbool (Macbeth), Omkara (Othello) and Haider (Hamlet). Absolutely amazing films.

As an Indian who hasn't been very receptive to indian cinema due to being brought up in the UK for my whole life, its surreal to see some pieces of bollywood I've only seen because of my mom's love for it. If anything, this episode made me want to get into more indian cinema in general, and this may have been one of my favourite videos that you've made which is saying a lot.

As someone from europe who watched a lot of SRK romantic comedies during my teenage years, I never actually really noticed the lack of kisses until I watch a lot of american romantic comedies.

This is an immensely comprehensive video for a RU-vid episode. I am truly impressed by the lengths you went to do this. Its insane !

genuinely such an immersive video and with so much dedication to the topic.. i dont remember the last time i got this lost in a video essay that an hour was gone before i realised

This is an excellent overview of Bollywood movie history and great choices. I started with DDLJ and Lagaan and I’ve now seen over 700 Indian films. I’m glad RRR made you delve deeper into Indian films. SRK made me fall in love with Indian cinema. Om Shanti Om and that song with all the cameos is my yardstick. Each time I watch OSO I catch more references and like you I’m so proud of myself. BTW my channel name means foreigner or outsider in Hindi and also is a famous Aamir Khan movie song.

From knowing literally nothing about Indian Cinema, to completing this masterpiece of a video, I am so damn happy to have all this new knowledge and have immense respect for the culture

This has been my favorite video by far Learning about the history of Indian cinema while we watch Patrick experience Indian culture was fun to see unfold. I never knew too much about Indian culture, so I felt that same wonder as Patrick did exploring the movies and city through this essay/vlog. Plus that dance sequence at the end to wrap up this video showing his new found love and appreciation of Indian cinema was just 👌

Holy moly, fantastic. More Siddhant on the channel, please and thank you. Loved his little silent appearances in the RRR video and he is magnificent here.

This is so well-made and fun to watch. Of course no documentary or video essay can cover the sheer vastness of Bollywood. However, the way you have covered it makes it a great introduction that is so "fresh" given your American perspective. Great job!

This brought me such joy to watch, had a smile on my face throughout. So damn good! Ever since you differentiated between Tollywoods in the RRR video and told me Sid was the reason, I knew you both wanted to get this right. What a treat from start to finish. The locations, the cricket, Goa! Along with Om Shanti Om’s references to Bollywood’s history, I am sure you also appreciated the penultimate movie, DCH’s, musical number charting the changing song styles. The pixelated intermission too 😂 Shabaash bhai, shabaash!

Ending just made it really good. This is not just a simple youtube video, this is a work of passion. Thank you, for exploring and sharing this perspective and I implore everyone, to be curious about other cultures as well (Trust me, there's a whole world out there)

First time I ever watched more than an hour long video on RU-vid without stopping in the middle or fast forwarding it. Your content was so interesting and entertaining to watch. Thank you

I’d love about the other Indian studios, it’d be dope if this became a series. Hell, start a side channel that’s just international film

I'm just so grateful you guys made this video. As an Indian, its heartwarming to see Hindi cinema's history condensed into a proper documuntary-style video. Can't believe content THIS high quality is free. Thank you so much!! Also, you should meet-up with Jaby Koay (Cinedesi) in L.A. He & his team know a lot about Indian cinema!

EPIC VIDEO. I was sooo hoping it would end with a bollywood dance sequence and you delivered man!

Wow, that was incredible! Might need to plan my family India trip around this video, so fun!!! Great job, from beginning to end, absolute loved every minute!!!

I am one of those 'anomalies", I have been watching Indian films almost exclusively for about 20 years. This is a great intro to Hindi films, really fun to watch! I hope you do more and get down to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Kerela as you explore some of the other Industries in India.

Never in a million years did I think Patrick would make a full length documentary of Bollywood movies

The time and resources you put out for this video was absolutely bonkers and it is absolutely great. Absolutely beautiful.... special the bit towards the end

This is such a good video! However, I really missed you mentioning 1994's "Hum Aapke Hain Koun" - a film about relationships and marriages in India - which impacted the weddings we see in India quite often. And, to have an immersive experience, you could have attended an Indian traditional marriage! That movie was also a milestone in Indian cinema and continues to do so.

One thing you missed is the comedy genre of Bollywood. So many jokes & references get lost in translation so it's almost impossible for a non-hindi speaker to watch these comedies but for me they are a huge part of Bollywood. For e.g. Movie Herapheri was released 20 years ago but it's still super popular among youth through memes.

You treated Bollywood with more respect than people in India nowadays. Great Dance number at the end btw.

OMG the amount of effort this guy put in to knowing the industry and also doing it the right way..u have my respect

I’ve watched hundreds maybe thousands of RU-vid videos. This is one of the best RU-vid videos I’ve seen.

I'm from Indonesia🇮🇩 now living in india (Mumbai), i started to watch Indian cinema since childhood . My whole family watches them with me In fact Indian cinema is pretty popular here but like many others i like the songs More than the movie , most people don't know like you said what Indian cinema industry is producing some of them think every movie is Bollywood but for me i know all their major Film industries and their actors Hindi cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema , thelgu cinema etc....... Out of all these industries my favourite is the Malayalam industry i can surely say that this industry is one of the best in Asia .

This might be my favorite video of yours. Informative, comedic, respectful, high production values, etc.

Omshantiom is also the song sang by playback singers from the past and present just like the actors. A true homage to Indian cinema!

That's some effort! 🔥Dance number at the end was cherry on the cake.

Siddhant's giggles after lines really make this for me. lol

@Patrick: A technical clarification about kissing on screen on Bollywood movies. While your point about kissing on screen being a taboo is true in spirit for most of Indian movies, there were instances of on-screen kissing, with the first one in 1929. Dimple Kapadia had a on-screen kiss in Bobby, with Rishi Kapoor and even Aamir Khan kisses Karishma Kapoor (sister of Kareena Kapoor, who was shown) in Raja Hindustani.

Patrick, you WERE amazing in the dance at the end 👏👏👏!

Ok this will go down as one of my most favorite video essays of all time. So full of heart!

As an Indian, I must say I’m very proud of your dancing at the end. I love this so much!

this video rules so hard. probably one of my favorites of yours. are there any other non-american film industries that you'd want to do a similar whirlwind intro on?

Thank you so much for reminding me how awesome our industry used to be. Now we are so tied up with finding a reason to hate the industry, we forgot how amazing it used to be.

Oh man, the ending! Not to be missed. Major props!!

Loved this. It's such a minor detail in the overall scope of the video, but I really appreciate how you attempted to pronounce words correctly instead of anglicizing everything. I actually did a double take at the start of the video when you first said "hindi" correctly with the softer "d" sound. It means more than you'd think!

Been following Pat for many years, that ending dance is genuinely one of the best things he ever directed, bravo! Didn't know Sid got such savage moves!

Wonderful work. Watched till the end. This should be a starter for anyone getting into Indian Cinema.

Loved it. Watching a good essay after a long time.

This has serious Lindsay Ellis goes to New Zealand Hobbit vibes, and I mean that in the best possible way. A video essayist deepening their knowledge on a topic in the most visually interesting of ways by flying across the world and digging into a foreign culture in order to present the journey as a glorious, inmersive, and unique take. Well done.

Here to shoutout The Music Room (Satyajit Ray, 1958) as an incredible Bengali musical film. Definitely has big Citizen Kane vibes. Great vid, Pat.

This was the best!! LOVE this video! Great job!!

You did such a fantastic job intergrating the trip with your exploration. It truly enhanced the video and elevated it from a neat exploration of Bollywood to something I will likely watch again and again.

This is without question the best video you've ever made. The musical sequence clinched it. I am in awe. Please make more videos about Indian movies in the future.

30:46 this whole sequence must have been super fun to shoot and edit for this video. Also the intermission segment is literally perfection! Props to Patrick for going all out to give a detailed account of Bollywood and Indian films overall!

i have no words, genuinnly this was one of the best videos i have watched in a very long time on RU-vid, everything from you exploring india to the dance in the end, i loved it all, never knew an hour passed watching it ❤

Rewatching this after The Vito’s and you’re right, this is one of the best videos you’ve ever made, I’d love to see you either tackle this topic again or do a different culture.

This was such a great primer! I’ve been living in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years and working in tech. There is such a strong South Indian presence here that I literally knew most of these by cultural osmosis; I remember seeing a 2 cassette VHS rental for “Lagaan” at my local Blockbuster when I first arrived here in the middle of my high school career 😂. Was also happy to see you made a nod to “3 Idiots” because that’s legit the first movie male Indian millennials always recommend

Being a Pakistani American who grew up primarily in New York, large parts of my early cinema were Bollywood films either at a theater or on home video with my parents. My childhood is filled with nostalgic memories of seeing some of the coolest Bollywood films and their soundtracks, with stuff like Dil Se, One2KaFour, Main Hoon Na and of course Lagaan. This video is a breath of fresh air for me as a chance to see a westerner who also appreciates Bollywood as much as I do, and it's given me a foothold to try and get into more Bollywood or Indian cinema in the future.

Incredible video!!! I'd love to see more things like this, either deeper into Bollywood or exploring other industries. Super fun to watch.

Damn, I was just expecting a funny thoughtful movie analysis laced with Indian food reviews and museum trips BUT NAH, I felt like you took me to India with you. This video deserves more love and views bc wow.... just wow

I don't know if people will believe this but the video brought tears of nostalgia and pride to my eyes. I'm left with mixed emotions. As an Indian culture admirer I started just like this but with Veer Zaara, Fanaa, Jodha Akbar and Devdas❤️ This is not a simple video... It's no less than a documentary. The Hindi film industry is the epitome of diversity. I remember few months ago a film by the legend Waheeda Rehman surprised me as it has a an innovative theme that was ahead of its time. It's Khamoshi (1970). Honestly I felt some jealousy too🙊 seeing you explore the beautiful valleys and corners of Mumbai and Goa.. Film city omg. It hit hard. I salute you and the whole team for the spectacular script and the matchless presentation. Thank you for introducing the true essence of Hindi films to the western audience. Huge respect 👏🏼btw I'm also crazy about RRR.

loved the part where you did parodies, reenactment of famous scenes and the little dance at the end, the was the longest video essay I've watched loved it ! Would be great if you could reviews more indians movies with the parodies of course I recommend : 3 idiots ( satire about the social pressures of education system, weirdly popular in south korea) Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham ( amazing cast, family movie) Housefull ( comedy movie, had 3 sequels after)

Coming back to this video before the Bollywood unit in my film history class. This genuinely has to be one of my favorite videos on RU-vid!!!

The ending 😂 Dude you put so much effort into this and it turned out fucking amazing! I hope your channel blows up and gets all the views and popularity it deserves. Keep it up!

I see Patrick is a man of culture

You should also see "Harishchandrachi Factory" a movie made in regional language - It's about how India's first full-length feature film "Raja Harishchandra" was made in the year 1913 by Dadasaheb Phalke, who's considered to be the father of Indian cinema.

This wasn’t only a great video about Bollywood movies but also a great travel vlog and guide of some of India

I'm new to this channel.. the content, the production value, the time and effort spent, everything in this video has been so amazing!! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for touching upon the legend that is Lata Mangeshkar. As an Indian woman who loves and learns Hindustani Classical music, Lata Mangeshkar's voice has been a monumental part of my childhood. She's sung songs not just in Hindi (for Bollywood movies) but numerous other Indian languages (including my native Marathi). After she passed away from covid complications last year we had a two-day period of national mourning. She may have died but her body of work spanning generations has made her practically immortal. If you want an intro to her voice, look up "Lag Ja Gale", her song from the movie "Woh Kaun Thi?" released in 1964.

Having lived in China in the late 90's / early 2000's - the traffic dodging brings back a lot of memories. It is an art, and there are lots and LOTS of hidden rules.

Thank you so much for appreciating the magic of Bollywood films✨ I discovered Bollywood when I was 15 and became so obsessed I lived in India for a year learning Hindi and became a professional Bollywood dancer. Indian cinema has a certain epic feel to it that western cinema doesn’t have. Every movie is like a love letter to their culture & country. Growing up I was teased a lot for liking Indian movies and it makes me so happy to see a fellow American who can appreciate the awesomeness of Bollywood.

This was such a blast from the starting to ending. Didn't even notice how an hour has passed and the final dance number absolutely brilliant. The Editing so good. Looking forward to more movie essays. LOVE FROM INDIA ❤.

It was Mani Ratnam, a Tamil director, that got me into Indian cinema. I'd seen a few Bollywood films, and they hadn't grabbed me, but since Dil Se.. (odd entry, I know) I find the classic Indian style irresistible. I've been hitting some Hindi classics more recently and watched DDLJ for the first time a few months ago; I was completely charmed.

Initially when you announced that you will be reviewing Bollywood/Hindi commercial cinema, I thought it was just a "gimmick" to cater to the large Hindi speaking and Indian audience. But I should say this was an amazing video with pointing out crucial elements in the movies, the generational departure points, and your own narrative style is stunning by itself..😊😊👏💕

I learned about Indian Cinema from my Senegalese roommate in college , apparently Bollywood is extremely huge in Africa

They re-released a bunch of movies this valentines month and DDLJ was one of them. Being a huge SRKian i had to watch the movie on big screen... a packed theater of ppl of all ages just wanting to watch this movie on big screen, a dream to many of them including me. Everyone in the theather felt like friends, we were laighing crying, dancing and reciting the dialogues together. Something that i have never experienced. Well that's probably how much the movie reallly means to us, that's probably how much SRK means to us❤ PS: I'm still waiting for RAJ in my life 😢

I think one of the most underrated film industry is Marathi film industry.First Indian film was made by Dadasaheb Phalke, a Maharashtrian. There are many gems like ,Sairat,Natrang, jogwa , Kaksparsha, Shwaas,Natsamrat,Fandry ,etc .They don't shy away from exploring many social problems and topic .There is also a connection between marathi movies being based on books. Maybe because Bollywood is based in Mumbai people forgot there is also marathi film industry. Would love if you will explore them.

This was an incredibly well made video! Kinda made me a bit nostalgic as you went through the decades of Bollywood. Reminded me of the days I watched these films in the cinemas and why I love Hindi films as much as I do. Also, Petition to get Patrick into South Indian Films next :)

When westerners think Bollywood, they think musicals. And when Indian movies win, until this yr, they've all been sad movies depicting poverty porn in India. Thank you for this beautiful video showcasing that our country is vast and diverse!

You missed the best - Gangs of wasseypur 1 & 2