South Asian Coming of Age Movies you should add to your Netflix Watch List!
By: Tamanna Sood ‘24
Have you been craving something new to watch lately? Is your current watch list going a little stale? Well fear not! As your resident Bollywood Movie expert (take this with a grain of salt), I’m here to help diversify your watch list.
The Indian Cinema industry is the largest film industry in the entire world and is composed of over 15 regional industries. The biggest of which is the Hindi-language industry, colloquially known as Bollywood! Here are some incredible Bollywood Coming of Age movies on Netflix to offer both a sense of comfort and entertainment!
3 Idiots
The first movie on this list is probably the most well known and loved movie of all! 3 Idiots is a 2009 Hindi language coming of age film that follows the friendship between three friends – Farhan, Raju, and Rancho – as they navigate life, love, and tragedy in their rigorous and prestigious engineering school. The movie unravels in flashback and follows Farhan and Raju’s journey to reconnect with Rancho after he leaves school.
The film is a great look into the pressure students feel in college to succeed, find themselves, secure their future, and meet the expectations of their parents. The best part of the film is that it explores the depth of college friendships and relationships and the impact they can have on you for the rest of your life.
3 Idiots is a cult classic and has been remade in multiple countries and languages due its universal reliability. The film will make you laugh, cry, and, most all, will force you to look at your own college experience in a new light.
Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na
Jaane Tu..Ya Jaane Na (Whether You Know or Not) is a 2008 Hindi coming of age rom-com that explores the relationship between two childhood best friends, Jai and Aditi, and the changes their friendship weathers. Similar to 3 Idiots, it plays in flashback with the movie beginning at an airport. Four of Jai and Aditi’s close college friends start the story reminiscing on their time in college while they wait for their plane. It unravels into a much more elaborate story.
The film focuses on dating and love in college and how relationships affect friendships. The film makes a point that sometimes you’ll try to bury your emotions, but they will always come out in the end..
The movie, while fairly lighthearted, deals with topics like sexual harassment, domestic abuse, and mental illness.
Wake Up Sid
Wake Up Sid is a 2009 Hindi movie following the life of Siddharth “Sid” Mehra who is a wealthy, lazy, unmotivated, lost college student who lacks passion for his studies and wants to do something creative with his life. The film begins with him having to repeat his senior year after failing his finals. The movie is a great representation of trusting your gut and fighting for your passion while also recognizing your weaknesses. My favorite part about this film is how grounded each character is. While you might be frustrated with some of their actions in the movie, each character’s motivations and reasons give them dimension. Wake Up Sid is a great movie to watch when you need a pick me up .
Dil Chahta Hai
Dil Chahta Hai (The Heart Desires) is an iconic 2001 Hindi film that follows the friendship between three guys – Akash, Sameer, and Siddharth – as they transition from college life to their careers. This movie is many things: a road trip film, a coming of age movie, a rom-com, and even, in some ways, a tragedy. The group of boys are as close as can be but begin to grow distant as they judge each other’s life choices. The film is multi–faceted and is an accurate portrayal of adult friendships. Dil Chahta Hai is a refreshing film that calls out its own characters and their flaws. If you ever need to watch a movie about healing, growth, and true friendship, Dil Chahta Hai is absolutely the right move!
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