The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has released a special report marking 25 years of Indian cinema since 2000, highlighting the biggest trends, stars, and films that defined the industry from 2000 to 2025.
Among its key findings is the rise of Indian “crossover” films — movies that attract not just the Indian diaspora but also mainstream audiences abroad. And standing tall at the top of this global wave is an Aamir Khan classic.
According to the report, no film has had as much worldwide impact as Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots. Released in 2009, the Bollywood blockbuster scored a perfect 100 on IMDb’s global popularity index, making it the most popular Indian film of the 21st century.
The film also remains the highest-ranked Indian movie in IMDb’s prestigious Top 250 list.
What sets 3 Idiots apart is its appeal beyond Indian audiences: over 80% of its page views come from outside India. Few Indian films have achieved this level of international resonance.
While titles like Taare Zameen Par, My Name is Khan, Monsoon Wedding, and The Lunchbox also found overseas audiences, none crossed even a 60 score on the same index.
Other big hits with global reach include Dangal, RRR, and PK, but none match the universality of 3 Idiots.
“Few movies truly deserve the title of crossover hits, and this quadrant is dominated by Aamir Khan movies,” IMDb noted. “His dominance proves the might of culturally Indian yet emotionally universal storytelling in the global arena.”
3 Idiots broke barriers when it released, becoming the first Indian film to earn a sizable non-diaspora audience in markets like Taiwan and South Korea, where it even outperformed James Cameron’s Avatar.
In China, it became a cultural phenomenon, with some universities including the film in coursework as a stress-relief tool for students.
The film starred Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Kareena Kapoor, Omi Vaidya, and Mona Singh.
At release, it became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, a record it held until Dhoom 3 overtook it in 2013.
Even today, nearly two decades later, 3 Idiots continues to hold a special place as the Indian film that truly went global.