3 Idiots Review

Life is all about listening to your heart and chasing your dreams. Thats the essence of 3 IDIOTS, directed by the supremely talented Rajkumar Hirani. Let me come to the point right away. There are films and there are more films. And then theres 3 IDIOTS.

Come to think of it, 3 IDIOTS carries a huge urden on its shoulders: The urden of humungous expectations. And its not without reasons...

# 3 IDIOTS is Aamirs next release after the record-breaker GHAJINI.

# 3 IDIOTS is Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopras third film together, after MUNNABHAI MBBS and LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI, landmark films.

# Three actors from the path-breaking RANG DE BASANTI team - Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman - team up yet again. Plus, Aamirs teaming up with Hirani. It couldn get bigger!


3 IDIOTS is over-hyped and that could be dangerous for any film since its the expectations which kill a film if the content doesn match up to the hype. In this case, all izz well!

Now lets demystify the myths...
3 IDIOTS is not about idiots or nincompoops. Its about three engineering students who believe in Ill Do It On my Terms and thats what the three characters achieve in life and thats what Hirani, Chopra, Aamir eventually achieve at the end of the movie. Making a movie on their terms!

One more thing! You cannot draw parallels with any other film, past or present, successful or unsuccessful. And though people may draw parallels with GHAJINI or the MUNNABHAI series, it would be sacrilege to do so. 3 IDIOTS [based on a novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat] doesn tilt, it stands tall.

Heres yet another illusion: 3 IDIOTS belongs to Aamir Khan. Yes, it does, but also to R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Kareena Kapoor and Omi, the entrant in Hindi movies, who delivers an equally sterling performance. The film would be incomplete without any of these characters.

To cut a long story short, all youd like to say about the film is, All izz very, very, very, very, very well. Watch this film to know what it means!

Two friends [R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi] embark on a quest for a lost buddy. As they make their way through the perilous landscape [Shimla, Manali, Ladakh], another journey begins: their inner journey through memory lane and the story of their friend - the irrepressible free-thinker Rancho [Aamir Khan], who, in his unique way, touched and changed their lives.

Its a story of their hostel days that swings between Ranchos romance with the spirited Pia [Kareena Kapoor] and his clash with and oppressive mentor, Viru Sahastrabudhhe [Boman Irani]. And then one day, suddenly, Rancho vanishes...

Who was he? Where did he come from? Why did he leave? The friend who influenced and inspired them to think creatively and independently, even as the conformist world called them three idiots. Where is the original idiot now?

Hirani is a genius and that has been proved twice in the past. He proves it for the third time with 3 IDIOTS. Screenplay writers Hirani and Abhijat Joshi and screenplay associate Vidhu Vinod Chopra narrate a story thats straight out of life. A story that each one of us can relate to or identify with.

Very often, weve read news-reports of students committing suicides because theyve to live up to the familys pressure/expectations. This film depicts it at the very start, when a student commits suicide. But the issue doesn end there, for 3 IDIOTS raises a pertinent question: Was it suicide or murder?

Hirani balances the rough and smooth incidents in their lives beautifully. The sequences in the campus, right from the ragging sequence at the start, to Omis speech when the word chamatkaar is changed to alatkaar [superb; will bring the house down], to the trio getting caught in an embarrassing situation at the reception of Kareenas sister [Mona Singh], to the dinner sequence at Sharmans house, to Kareena and Aamir driving Sharmans seriously ill father on their bike to the hospital... the funny moments would make your jaws ache.

The interval point is a shocker. The point at which the first half ends will leave you stunned. Now what was that? Kahani mein twist!

The mystery is solved soon after the intermission ends and a new journey begins. Thats one of the USPs of the film. Just when you think that the story would be solved, a new story begins. Of course, the pace dips slightly in its second hour, especially during the delivery sequence of Mona [which may appear filmy to a few], but the immediate sequence, when the baby boy is born and also the subsequent sequence between Boman and Aamir bring the film back on track. The culmination to the film is novel and yes, its a master stroke from the writing point of view!

Every person behind the camera gives his/her best to the film. Hirani and Joshis screenplay is the mainstay of the film. If you fondly recall Gandhigiri from their previous film LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI, youd have a new phrase to chew on this time: All Izz Well. Muraleedharan C.K.s cinematography is awesome. Note the aerial view at the very start, when Madhavan and Sharman begin the journey to Shimla or the picture perfect look of Ladakh... the DoP does a magnificent job.

Shantanu Moitras music may sound plain ordinary to ears, but when viewed on screen, the score is just perfect. Give Me Some Sunshine, All Is Well, oobie Doobie are three tracks that would grow on you after youve watched the film. The choreography of All Izz Well [Avit Dias] and oobie Doobie [Bosco-Caesar] are eye-catching. The background score [Sanjay Wandrekar, Atul Raninga, Shantanu Moitra] is right.

3 IDIOTS belongs to everyone. But, yes, theres no denying that Aamir makes you forget all his past achievements as you watch the amazing actor play Rancho. To state that this ranks amongst his finest works would be an understatement. Madhavan is incredible, especially in the sequence when he explains his point of view to his father [Pareekshit Sahani]. Sharman is outstanding from start to end. This was a difficult role to portray and only an actor of calibre couldve pulled it off. Boman is superb as the vicious head of the institute. The scenes between Aamir and Boman are extra-ordinary and its a treat to watch these two powerful actors clash on the big screen, without getting overdramatic. Bomans appearance, mannerisms and dialogue delivery are exemplary.

The length of Kareenas role may not be as much as Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman, but she registers a strong impact nonetheless. Omi is excellent and the viewers are sure to love his acidic tongue and gestures in the movie. Mona Singh doesn get much scope. Jaaved Jaffery is competent. Pareekshit Sahani is decent.

On the whole, 3 IDIOTS easily ranks amongst Aamir, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopras finest films. Do yourself and your family a favour: Watch 3 IDIOTS. Its emotional, its entertaining, its enlightening. The film has tremendous youth appeal and feel-good factor to work in a big way.