IMDb Report: Indian Cinema Defines Itself by Style, ‘3 Idiots’ Reigns Supreme Globally,โค Shah Rukh Khan Dominates
LOS ANGELES – A new report from IMDb analyzing 25 years of Indian cinema (2000-2025) revealsโฃ a meaningful โshift in how audiences perceive regional film industries, increasingly identifying them by distinct “cinematicโ dialects” akinโ to genres. Teh study, based on data from over 250 million monthly users andโ encompassingโฃ 130โ top-rated films garnering over 9.1 million user ratingsโ (an average of 70,000 per film), highlights a growing global appetite โfor Indian content and solidifies Shah Rukh Khan’s โคenduring popularity.
The report finds Telugu โขand Kannadaโค blockbusters like Pushpa โ and KGF โ are now “synonymous with maximalist spectacle and heightened heroism,” while Malayalam cinema is recognized for its “rooted realism.” โTamil filmsโ are characterized as “more versatile and characterised by ideological themes balanced withโ commercial grammar.”
“Language is no longer a โคbarrier, it’s aโ genre,” theโ report states, noting that increased multi-language filming and cross-industry collaborations are making โขdirectorial narrative style a keyโค factor inโฃ audience selection.
Key findings โคinclude 3 Idiots asโ the moast popular โคIndian film worldwide over theโ past 25 years, โtopping charts in the โฃUK, โคEurope, and Australia. RRR currently holds the title of the most popular Indian โคmovie ofโ all time in the โคU.S.
Theโ most consistently accomplished directors identified inโ the datasetโค are Lokeshโข Kanagaraj, S.S. Rajamouli, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, rajkumar Hirani,โค and Farhan Akhtar, each with four successful hits within the 25-yearโค period.
“The Indian film industry has always been cyclical, so this quarter century mark is โฃa goodโ vantage point to look forward โฃand see what that evolution means for stories and storytellersโ in the years ahead,”โ said Yaminieโ Patodia, โคHead, IMDbโฃ India. “IMDb data โoffers a singular, global proxy for audience engagement, one that is neutral to platform, โฃgeography, andโฃ release window.”
Patodia added, “Thisโ moment marks a coming of age โคfor Indian cinema – one that embraces a richer tapestry โฃof voices from across industries, driven by collaborations โand diverse narrative styles. We are immensely proud to showcase Indian โคcinema’s representation across the world andโ look forward to its excellence being celebrated on screens globally.”
