MovieChat Forums > Sholay (1975) Discussion > Another bad case of vote stuffing...

Another bad case of vote stuffing...

posted 8 years ago by lennyaran
27 replies | jump to latest

I gave this a chance because it was the last movie left to complete the Top 250, and also I watched all indian movies that appeared on the Top 250 before IMDB removed them.

I would like to know why did you guys up-vote this movie? Honestly it was really bad. Why not up-vote good stuff? This was extremely cheesy. It was atrocious from the start until they showed Gabbar, the moment the movie got a little better. But from Jai's incredibly stupid death until the end credits it went downhill again.

Add to it the extremely long run-time, so common in indian movies.

I'm happy I got to see all those indians movies before they were removed because I found a few to be quite good, but most of them are just bad, and Sholay takes the cake.

But seriously, up-vote good movies, not trash like this just for the sake of briefly having indian movies in the Top 250.

Sholay: 4/10

[–] akshayj001 8 years ago

Sholay happens to be one of the most beloved movies of India. It was declared as 'Film of the Millenium'. It has also been a part of top Indian movies lists by several foreign organizations. It is one of the biggest milestones in Indian cinema. Read the wikipedia page for this film and you will know what I am talking about.

Yes, you are right that the film was cheesy, especially the dialogues. But let me tell you that these dialogues have the biggest share in the film's popularity. You won't find a guy in India who isn't familiar with the dialogues of Sholay. Believe me, I too hate the cheesy dialogues in stereotype Bollywood movies. But still I loved this film and have rated it 8/10. There is something about this film that striked a chord with Indians, despite all the cheesiness and flaws.

Having said all this, I don't blame you at all for not liking the movie. I can completely understand you rating it 4. This movie is something which maybe only Indians will relish as they are familiar with setting of the film.

[–] lennyaran 8 years ago

So this is more a case of nostalgia among indians?

Im mexican, and there are old popular movies that get pretty much the same treatment you just wrote about. And those movies are very plain and cheesy too.

[–] Louis_Bacon 8 years ago

Yeah, same here in Quebec. Most of our "classic" are flippin' junk. They are not in the Top 250, WHY ARE THEY NOT IN THE TOP 250?! Because they suck, regardless of the history.

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[–] Cinema_freak 8 years ago

This is a plain copy of this movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353935/
It's a hundred times better than Hera Pheri. And yes, it's nowhere a movie deserving to be in the Top 250. Just another great comedy.
PS: I just rated Hera Pheri a 6.

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[–] Cinema_freak 8 years ago

Exactly why I stated it, for the northies to know.
And Sholay, well when I think of Sholay, the first man to come to mind is Frank, not Gabbar. :D

[–] Wonka2009 8 years ago

Louis ---- ever see Canadian Bacon? cheesy, cheesy yet one of my favorites

[–] akhillad 8 years ago

Nostalgia is the right word.

IMDB Top 250 is nothing but Hollywood nostalgia. I appreciate that many are fantastic movies. But then there are a few which can't even be considered as good movies, forget top.

I am sure there are many great Mexican movies which are not in the list simply because they weren't from Hollywood.

And I would like to make it clear, although being an Indian I didn't like Sholay that very much. But there are some movies that are worst than Sholay in that list. But IMDB will keep them, because those are Hollywood flicks.

[–] BecauseIAmBATMAN 8 years ago

Sholay is among the most influential Bollywood film ever made and is generally considered as the greatest bollywood film ever made. You could say this film is to Indian Cinema what Seven Samurai is for Japanese.

I can see why non hindi speakers won't enjoy this. The dialogs are poetic in nature and much will be lost in translation.

A Cosmic Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrStxwFA1MI

[–] Warpbudd 8 years ago

You could say this film is to Indian Cinema what Seven Samurai is for Japanese.

Except that The Seven Samurai is a great film on its own merits.

[–] BecauseIAmBATMAN 8 years ago

Finding a film great is subjective. Both have their own merits.

A Cosmic Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrStxwFA1MI

[–] Warpbudd 8 years ago

So do Pauly Shore movies. Let's vote them above Schindler's List.

[–] BecauseIAmBATMAN 8 years ago

You're taking a rather ignorant stance here. For some reason you think this is a bad film where when its not. You may not like this genre of Bollywood masala musicals but that doesn't make them inherently bad.

Sholay is a celebrated classic, it has the same cultural significance in India that Star Wars had in US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholay#Legacy

A Cosmic Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrStxwFA1MI

[–] Warpbudd 8 years ago

Star Wars has significance world wide which is why it deserves to be where it is. You all giving this 10s to get this into the Top 250 are the people taking an ignorant stance. I could get 25,000 people in Orlando to give 10s to Earnest Saves Christmas because it was shot in Orlando but that's not a legitimate reason for it to be in the Top 250.

[–] BecauseIAmBATMAN 8 years ago

Star Wars has significance world wide which is why it deserves to be where it is.

Star Wars has negligible significance in India, people look at it like an old cheesy space opera. I'd seen the new one on its opening weekend and the screens were only 1/3rd full.

You all giving this 10s to get this into the Top 250 are the people taking an ignorant stance.

So people giving 10s to films they love is an ignorant stance, why do people give Star Wars a 10 then? By the way I gave it an 8.

I could get 25,000 people in Orlando to give 10s to Earnest Saves Christmas because it was shot in Orlando but that's not a legitimate reason for it to be in the Top 250.

Thats a silly comparison. India is a large nation and Bollywood is a large industry, essentially 1/6th of the world's population is Indian, shouldn't such a large population's favourite be recognized. People aren't just voting it a 10 just cause its Indian, its mostly because its loved and considered one of the best Indian films ever made.

Anyway, this debate is silly because the IMDb top 250 is no prestigious list, just a popularity contest, a measurement of which films has the biggest fanbase. Its not like vote stuffing doesn't happen. Newer films like Vishwaroopam (2013),Bahubali: The Beginning (2015) etc are undeserving of the high rating, but inspite of the high rating and number of votes they are not in the top 250. I guess IMDb recognizes where vote stuffing happens. But Sholay is a genuine classic.

A Cosmic Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrStxwFA1MI

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[–] ilon 8 years ago

this debate is silly because the IMDb top 250 is no prestigious list, just a popularity contest, a measurement of which films has the biggest fanbase

shouldn't such a large population's favourite be recognized

Sholay is a genuine classic

Silly, no prestigious, popularit contest,... until you want "your" movie in there, I guess.

[–] mrduvall 7 years ago

No, Indian votes should not be counted for their Bollywood films in the real world Top 250. That is why IMDB made India the only nation to have its own Top 250.
Every other country in the world, no matter how tiny, can make movies the rest of us can enjoy. Yet India continue to churn out crap because they have a guaranteed market in the Hindi speaking regions.
This has to change.

[–] themanwithnoshame2016 7 years ago

This can't change and won't change.

Like Hollywood, Bollywood is a movie industry.

The American audience demands the 4th sequel of Transformers. And lo and behold, it gets made.

The Indian audience demands another vapid love story and Bollywood obliges.

That's how these things work. Capiche?

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[–] Warpbudd 8 years ago

Star Wars has no significance in India? I guess that's why trash like Sholay must be so popular there.

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[–] themanwithnoshame2016 8 years ago

Star Wars is a remake of The Hidden Fortress. Get a clue.

[–] ankit_n_gokhale 7 years ago

Your talentless music artists also have no significance in India. I guess that's why trash like Drake, Justin Beiber and Harry Styles are so popular in the West. I could go on and on. In short - get stuffed.

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