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these are the best movies i've seen in the last few weeks. i need to emphasize they were maaaaasssive hits in their country of origin, but here they qualify for your post. they aren't produced by any streaming company, however. pk was finally added to netflix recently, but 3 idiots i don't believe is streaming anywhere.
i watched 3 idiots first, and it surprised the hell out of me. it reminded me how much i love watching asian movies because they help me feel less alone in my thoughts, i just apparently live on the wrong continent. i can't remember why i rented this, and i didn't have high hopes because the few bollywood movies i can remember seeing didn't impress me much. this movie had everything. it is overall a comedy but is so much more. maybe if i spoke hindi and grew up in india i would have a very different reaction and be less impressed, but i'm not so sure. there's a reason it was such a hit there. i was very moved by it, and it is very funny even from an outside perspective because it touches so much on universal themes and ideas while still being very much about india and indian culture.
a few years after that movie was made, writer-director rajkumar hirani and megastar aamir khan (seriously, after watching 3 idiots, i was surprised how deep and varied his filmography is) reteamed for pk, which in hindi is a homophone for "tipsy" as in drunk. this one has a slightly shorter run time, more songs, a bit less innocence, and is about as ambitious. it is a satirical takedown of authority figures in government and religion but manages to be lighter than 3 idiots because the main character is a humanoid alien, whereas the setting for 3 idiots is a school.
for a director i had otherwise never heard of and who hasn't done many films, rajkumar hirani has a terrific sense of style and is able to justify comedies that run well past 2 hours, nearly 3 for 3 idiots. that's because they have so much more depth than the comedies we are used to seeing in the u.s., regardless of their budget or mode of distribution. these lengthy films are gripping and absorbing, a total joy and a journey to watch, with the nuance you get out of really good dramedy tv series, and i can't recommend them more highly.
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