8 Bollywood Blockbusters That Were Well Over The 3 Hour Long Mark!

Playing with the runtime of a movie is too dangerous an attempt to make in this age! Gone are the days where viewers went in prepared to sit through the long tirade of over 3 hours in a movie theater and still come out happy. We’ve cut down on songs, we are keeping sub plots and forced comedy in check and we are making sure the narration sticks strictly to the point. By the time the duration of two hours gets over, you are happily out of the cinema hall.

However, it’s interesting how some of the epic blockbusters India has produced have come at the behest of being too long for the viewers. But as they say, a film is as long as its quality! While M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story has already created enough buzz for itself, some might not know that the film is set with a runtime of over 3 hours. Whether or not it may hamper its box office prospects is a subject of discussion for some other day.

Anyway, as we gear up for this long cinematic experience that unfolds on Friday, we compiled a list of films had their runtimes set well over 3 hours and yet they ended up as blockbusters. Here are eight of them:

Sangam – (4 Hours)

The first of Raj Kapoor’s colored cinematic venture Sangam was a film with a runtime of almost 4 hours. At 3 hours and 58 minutes, the film found significant acknowledgement and is believed to have been an inspiration behind the Hollywood classic Pearl Harbour. Four long hours and still a blockbuster!

Hum Saath Saath Hain – 3 Hours 48 Minutes

You must have watched this film a number of times since Zee makes sure to present this on every odd Sunday. Ever realized that while it starts off in the noon, it just doesn’t seem to find a landing at all? It is because of its runtime that’s just 10 minutes shy of hitting the 4 hour long mark.

Lagaan (3 Hours 44 Minutes)

224 minutes and it still almost won an Oscar! To say that Lagaan could have been conveyed in a much shorter space of time wouldn’t just be wrong but also unfair. Film’s cricketing portion itself occupied almost of half of its length and nobody has any complaints about it.

Mohabbatein (3 Hours 36 Minutes)

In 2000 when Aditya Chopra came up with his second cinematic outing, a lot of people were skeptical since it couldn’t find too many shows owing to its excessive lengths. However, it straightaway struck a chord with the masses and ended up as the second highest grosser of the year. All of this despite a duration of 3 hours and 36 minutes!

Saudagar (3 Hours 33 Minutes)

The Subhash Ghai drama that set records on fire was a film that had too much to say! The never ending drama with two of the stalwarts in the looks of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar, was so endearing that viewers just didn’t bother about its runtime that was half an hour extra of the standard 3 hour long pattern.

Jodhaa-Akbar (3 Hours 31 Minutes)

Yes we know Ashutosh Gowariker is known as a filmmaker who just can’t keep his cinematic fascinations short, but this time again he put his point beautifully. Despite being a long and heavy affair, Jodhaa Akbar found enough space in the heart of its audience and was a big hit.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (3 Hours 30 Minutes)

The epic Karan Johar drama that brought the most stellar star cast on screen back in 2001 was so overwhelming in all respects that it became a rage. The larger than life emotional family drama was set at a runtime of 3 and a half hours and yet it found audiences queueing up in numbers to get the tickets.

Sholay (3 Hours 28 Minutes)

Possibly the biggest cinematic drama India has ever produced, Sholay despite being a 70’s product was too long for its generation. At almost 3 hours and 30 minutes, the film was laced with every ingredient that Bollywood experimented with back then. One of the most loved films we have seen, the excessive runtime just didn’t come in its way to glory.

Just like we mentioned, a film’s runtime wouldn’t matter as long as it’s serving you entertainment! However, only a genius can make sure to not lose his grip over the audience for such a long time. With one of the most exciting sports biopic announcing its arrival with an excessive runtime, the makers would surely be just a touch nervous before it opens. May be this article can help them overcome the nervousness!