The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has released a comprehensive report chronicling the biggest trends in Indian cinema over the last 25 years (2000-2025), a period that coincides with its own 25th anniversary in India. The study, which analyzed the most searched films and celebrities, highlighted the explosive rise of crossover films with international appeal.
The report definitively names Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots (2009), starring Aamir Khan, as the Indian film that has made the most significant international impact over the past quarter-century.
Unprecedented Global Popularity
IMDb’s analysis measured worldwide popularity based on two key axes: total global page views and the percentage of those views originating from non-Indian audiences. On both metrics, the Bollywood film 3 Idiots emerged as the undisputed leader.
- Perfect Global Popularity Score: The 2009 film achieved a perfect score of 100 on the global popularity index, indicating its near-universal resonance.
- Highest Non-Indian Audience: Critically, over 80% of the film’s page views came from audiences outside of India, demonstrating genuine crossover success beyond the Indian diaspora.
- IMDb Top 250: This sustained global interest is further evidenced by the fact that 3 Idiots holds the distinction of being the highest-ranked Indian film in the prestigious IMDb Top 250 list of all-time best-rated movies.
While other films like Dangal, RRR, and PK scored highly, and films such as Taare Zameen Par, My Name is Khan, Monsoon Wedding, and The Lunchbox share a similarly high ratio of non-Indian viewership, none could match 3 Idiots‘ global popularity rating, with their scores not even reaching 60.
IMDb observed, “Few movies truly deserve the title of crossover hits, and this quadrant is dominated by Aamir Khan movies. His dominance proves the might of culturally Indian yet emotionally universal storytelling in the global arena.”
The Lasting Legacy of 3 Idiots
The report notes that 3 Idiots was among the first modern Indian films to garner a sizable non-Indian audience beyond traditional markets like Russia and China.
- Box Office Record: It set a new record for an Indian film at the time, grossing $30.5 million overseas, including record-breaking collections in the US and Australia.
- New Market Breakthroughs: The film’s major triumph was its penetration into new markets like Taiwan and South Korea. Remarkably, in Taiwan, the film’s collections surpassed those of James Cameron’s Avatar.
- Cultural Phenomenon in China: In China, the film became a massive cultural hit, so much so that many Chinese universities reportedly began prescribing the movie in their coursework as a form of stress-relief for students.
The film, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, also featured a stellar ensemble cast including R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Kareena Kapoor, Omi Vaidya, and Mona Singh. It was the highest-grossing Indian film globally until it was surpassed by Dhoom 3 in 2013.