[paisawalla]

Indian action films typically don't strive for believable action scenes, like American films do. Instead, they apply the effects and stunts excessively -- they go over the top in a major way.

The embarrassment is for the comparably unsophisticated tastes, and I don't share the feeling but I can understand. It's like everyone discovering that your uncle is addicted to something cheap and insubstantial that only children like, like junk food.

[aloknnikhil]

Being over the top is a unique characteristic of the Indian Cinema. If I wanted to watch "believable action scenes", I'd go watch a documentary. I honestly don't get this idea of standardizing everything as the West does. It's a great idea for some. For art? Come on.

[HyperSane]

At some point the absurdity of action scenes in Indian movies just makes suspension of disbelief impossible for me.

[notthemessiah]

I'm sorry, but the top US movies any better? Between Star Wars and Avengers, there's not much left in the way of believability. It's better when they don't take themselves as seriously.

[dsign]

> Indian action films typically don't strive for believable action scenes, like American films do.

I'm taking your "believable American action scenes" with a big semi full of salt.

[CrazyStat]

>a big semi full of salt

Let's have the semi jump off the end of an unfinished highway overpass and do a barrel roll. While the truck is slo-mo flying through the air we'll cut to a ground shot of a middle-aged dad about to salt some meat on the grill, but the barrel-rolling truck overhead spills just the perfect amount of salt on his burgers so he just looks up and shrugs. Finally we'll cut back to the massive explosion as the truck hits the ground.

[UncleMeat]

Quippy nonsense between wild over-the-top action is basically the calling card for Marvel movies.

[paisawalla]

Hah point taken, let me put it a different way.

In American films, if someone does extreme, superhuman stunts, the filmmaker typically feels pressure to explain that the character is actually superhuman in some way and not an ordinary guy with an office job. And he or she will be in peak physical shape.

In Indian film, an utterly ordinary character in "office job" physical condition will catch bullets, run faster than a full speed train, etc. No pressure to explain the seeming contradiction with ordinary reality. The film could be considered a romance, having ordinary people as protagonists, and these characters would be doing the above-mentioned stunts as part of the plot.

These aren't hard and fast rules, both sides of the divide deviate from them, but that's been my observation.

[dereg]

> No pressure to explain the seeming contradiction with ordinary reality

this is a feature and not a bug. The urge for excessive exposition is so tiring. Not everything needs an origins story, explanation, or a prequel. Hollywood has been leaning on that formula and you can see it in the product - the movies have become tiresome.

Nobody needs an explanation for their “powers”. Excessively qualifying a character more likely burdens then than lifts them. RRR was such a refreshing, thrilling watch parallel to Mad Max: Fury Road.

[HyperSane]

If bob the accountant lifts a car overhead I DO expect an explanation of how he can do that.

[glandium]

> In Indian film, an utterly ordinary character in "office job" physical condition will catch bullets, run faster than a full speed train, etc. No pressure to explain the seeming contradiction with ordinary reality. The film could be considered a romance, having ordinary people as protagonists, and these characters would be doing the above-mentioned stunts as part of the plot.

Kind of like anime...

[lenocinor]

It’s funny you should say that. RRR was the first Indian movie I’ve watched that felt like anime to me. I think it’s actually a very enlightening comparison.

[tomcam]

Some of us are very happy to pay for entertainment like that. I consider this exuberant style a worthwhile niche of its own, like wire work in Asian films.

[krama]

Exactly. When I saw the reaction to RRR, I was reminded of how “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” was received in the US back then. It would be akin to an Asian / Indian audience only watching A sub genre of movies made in Hollywood.

[ramesh31]

> Indian action films typically don't strive for believable action scenes, like American films do. Instead, they apply the effects and stunts excessively -- they go over the top in a major way.

This is precisely what Americans love about it though. Indian cinema comes from a completely different tradition than Hollywood, and it’s a breath of fresh air. Action movies should be more silly. It’s just entertainment.

A great analogy is to the Ugandan action films as well (go watch “Who Killed Captain Alex” right now if you haven’t). They are doing something completely new that breaks the Hollywood tropes. We really need more of this, because the American film industry has reached a creative dead end.

[GiorgioG]

I don't think American films strive for believable action scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elpUGB9Ap1Y

[gamblor956]

Tom Cruise actually performed that stunt. There is a highlight BTS reel showing how they composited that shot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZjsZCMBT-s one of several; just the first result in my Google search). As you can see, he's very well secured to the plane in the BTS footage; the cables and other protection are composited out in post-production. Similarly, in the water tank scene later in the movie, Cruise actually jumped 120 feet into water, and held his breath in a water tank for several minutes (though the fountain in the jump, and the arm in the tank were both composited into the scene in post).

In fact, Tom Cruise actually performs most of his stunts, especially for the MI movies. It's kind of his thing; while the context of the stunt might be CGI the action itself is real.

He's worth more than a billion dollars, so he can afford to pay specialists to train him; he supposedly spent over a year learning to hold his breath for several minutes just for the water tank scene.

[random314]

Except that it is claimed that Tom Cruise actually performed that stunt

https://youtu.be/afS5ks54tms

[GiorgioG]

He did, but he was strapped to the side of the plane (digitally removed to appear he was simply holding onto the plane.)

[michaelt]

American action movies aren't striving for realism these days - their output is 98% superhero movies.

Action movies have always been unashamed about having an element of lowbrow populism. You can enjoy seeing bad guys get their asses kicked in The Matrix even if you've never heard of plato's cave - and there's nothing wrong with that.

[sprkwd]

> Indian action films typically don't strive for believable action scenes, like American films do. Instead, they apply the effects and stunts excessively -- they go over the top in a major way.

That’s why I like them. So refreshing.

[UncleMeat]

I think the problem here is connecting "unrealistic and over the top" with "unsophisticated" without any introspection.