What Indian Movies & Shows Got Right About Engineering & ALL That They Got Wrong

When it comes to Indian movies and TV shows, logic can sometimes appear to be a rare commodity. While there are several movies that perfectly balance drama and dance with a good plotline and great performances, a fair share clearly missed the memo on using logic.  

Here’s a look at some of the scenes from Indian movies where science went MIA: 

Indian Movie Scenes Where Engineering Died A Slow Death

i) Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon

The movie that gave us the winner (s) of overacting performances and shocking visual effects also gave us the one and only, "Flying Dad". Defying gravity, logic and every other engineering principle, Sanjana’s father (Pankaj Kapur) flew - right into the arms of Prem (Hrithik Roshan).

Remember the famous ‘chidiya udd’ game from our childhood? Well, you can now add the dad from the movie Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon to the list of things that fly. Because he did! 

Heights of filmmaking! 

ii) Race 3

If dads fly, can ‘bhai’ be left behind? Of course not. Race 3 was a gem… of memes. And it made sure that their business had nothing to do with the business or rather, the science of engineering. 

Engineers refer to Bernoulli’s Principle to explain flying. The principle states that “when the force of lift is greater than the force of gravity, the airplane is able to fly, and because of thrust, the airplane is able to move forward in flight.”

However, the principle that the creators of Race 3 used was - it’s Salman! And that pretty much explains it. 

Because this is how Salman’s character, Sikandar Khan, traveled in the film: 

Source: YouTube

iii) Satyameva Jayate

When it comes to designing and building tires, engineers and R&D specialists spend a lot of time testing tires for durability. But, they should probably add the JAB test to the list of tests for examining the endurance of tires. 

Wondering what JAB is? It’s the John Abraham Bicep test. Because Vir, John Abraham’s character in Satyameva Jayate, can break tires with his biceps. 

It’s not easy for engineers to see movies in India! 

Race 2

Director duo Abbas-Mustan ignores physics and science even more than your crush ignores you. Because this is how a car stayed ‘afloat’ in the sky in Race 2.

You can see the complete scene here:

v) Main Hoon Na

Shah Rukh Khan may have entered his action-hero era now, but he’s been pulling off gravity-defying action scenes for a while now. 

Remember the time he rode a rickshaw from the sets of Main Hoon Na right into Matrix? 

Because we do!

vi) Singham 123

If you thought only Hindi-language movies defied basic logic, you’ve clearly not seen enough cinema. Like Singham 123 (Telugu) where our protagonist (Sampoornesh Babu) defeats goons with a banana. 

And here you thought Indian cinema only copied, never inspired! 

vii) All of Rajnikanth’s action scenes

Rajinikanth doesn’t enact action scenes, he creates them - out of thin air, moving bikes, burning clothes, animals, and anything else that you can imagine! 

He literally said it: 

And we haven’t even gotten to medical science ‘wonders’ that Indian movies pulled off. 

When Indian TV took it a step further 

If you thought Bollywood’s got it bad, then you haven’t seen the real gems - those that come out of Indian TV shows. We all saw, laughed, cringed, and cried when Gopi Bahu cleaned a laptop with detergent. But, in the Indian TV universe, that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Take a look at some of the most bizarre TV scenes that defied the laws of physics, chemistry, biology… and pretty much any and every logic. 

i) The logic flew away with the kite

I can’t stop laughing like WTF 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/CnXy6Gw5Fl

— 🦋 (@__beintehaa__) October 30, 2022

ii) In the realm of Indian TV, gravity is yet to be discovered

Is Indian TV ok? pic.twitter.com/fHoujDUwr5

— রাজ শেখর (@DiscourseDancer) November 8, 2022

iii) They see me rolling, they packing… a suitcase?

Christopher Nolan’s got nothing over Indian Soap writers! 🙆🏻‍♂️
pic.twitter.com/42mqp7ZyvN

— Pankaj Ahuja (@panku_) September 21, 2020

There’s fantasy, and then there’s Indian TV

Scenes Where They Got It Right - Yes, It Happened! 

They’re not all failed experiments in the world of Indian TV and movies. There are a few instances where the creators did get the science behind the scene right: 

3 Idiots

As one of the most famous movies on engineering and education in India, 3 Idiots got multiple things right (and a few wrong - because that’s just how Hindi movies work!). 

Most of Rancho’s creations, from the inventions in his school to the logic he uses to stop seniors from peeing on his door are all rooted in basic Science principles. 

Source: Pinterest

Mission Mangal

Based on ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission, the misguided biopic missed the mark a few times - but the one thing it did get right was the way it showed foldable furniture in use. Actor Nithya Menen played the role of a satellite engineer, Varsha Pillai. Her expertise is in creating compact, low-cost structures and her house is a testament to the same. 

Foldable furniture is a culmination of expert design and engineering which the film showed. 

Swades

From the real meaning of patriotism to the caste-class struggles that still plague India, Swades got a lot of things right. Including how a hydroelectric power generation facility works. As the movie inches to the climax, Mohan Bhargava (Shah Rukh Khan) helps the village get a consistent power source by setting up a hydroelectric power generation facility. 

Naturally, the movie doesn’t go into intricate details, but it presents a reasonable overview of the process. It’s dramatic but also realistic! 

Suggested Reads: 

• From Rancho To Chatur, 40 Hilarious Tweets That Every Engineer Will Relate To
• Check Out These 6 ISRO Programs Exclusively For Engineers
• UPSC ESE Recruitment 2024 Invites Engineering Graduates To Apply Online For 167 Posts