Well trained Education System ( 3 idiots ) : Movie Review

If 2009 can begin with ‘Dev D’ and end with ‘3 Idiots’, it is indeed time to sound the seetis and taalis for one of the most exciting years of contemporary Indian cinema targeting education system of today’s generation. Truly, 2009 has been the year of the Idiot in movie lore: the intrinsically intelligent, downright smart, Inimitable, Original and Talented film maker, actor, story teller, musician, lyricist, dialogue writer and producer. ‘3 Idiots’ is a 2009 Indian coming of age comedy-drama film co-written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and screenplay by Abhijat Joshi. It was loosely adapted from the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. The film stars Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni and Boman Irani. 3 Idiots is the perfect end to an exciting year for India. The three idiots, Rancchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad (Aamir Khan), Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi) and Farhan Qureshi (R Madhavan), are perfect archetypes of the new age Indian who is essentially a non-conformist, questioning outmoded givens, choosing to live life on his own terms and chartering new roads that consciously skirt the rat race. Of course, they begin on the beaten track -- due to societal/parental pressure -- but refuse to become cogs in the wheel. Naturally, they end up as the Frostian hero (Robert Frost's Road Not Taken) who made all the difference to his life, and the world, by taking the road less travelled by. In a late scene from the film, 2 of the 3 idiots zip down their pants and pat their bottoms facing the third idiot and saying jahapana tushi great ho. Rather than feeling gross at that instant, you have a lump in throat. For the zillionth time in a Hindi film, a bride runs away from the pheras on her wedding day. But the scene still doesn't come across as clinched. For a group of all-male engineering students, to 'deliver' means to literally carry out a delivery operation on a woman in labour pain. And when the motionless new-born responds to a goodwill chant of 'aal izz well' in true-blue Man Mohan Desai mode, you fail to find a fault in the filmy formula. That's the golden touch of Rajkumar Hirani! So after successfully dispensing philosophies of ' Jaadu ki jhappi ' in Munnabhai MBBS and ' Gandhigiri ' in Lage Raho Munnabhai, Hirani incites a new philosophy of ' Aal izz well ' in 3 Idiots. And like his doctrine, all is well in his helluva film.

3 idiots

Loosely based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller Five Point Someone, 3 Idiots takes the plot much beyond the campus confines and the target audience much above the youth, for universal appeal. The story starts a decade after the graduation of college companions Farhan (R Madhavan) and Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi) who get a clue on the whereabouts of their missing third friend Rancho (Aamir Khan). As they set out on a road trip from Delhi to Shimla to Manali to Ladakh to find their friend, the narrative cuts to and fro into flashbacks as we are introduced to the three idiots in an engineering college. Rancho, Raju and Farhan enter the elite engineering college, only to learn lessons of life that cannot be taught through books and classrooms. Principal Viru Sahastrabuddhe is no help at all. The story begins with the entry of our threesome in the city's elite engineering college. It takes the first tryst with the mandatory ragging sessions which enunciate who the leader of the gang is going to be: new entrant Baba Rancchoddas, as his friends fondly call him. Rancho not only leads his friends through the maze of India's competitive, high-pressure, rote-heavy, illogical and almost cruel education system, he tutors them on several life mantras too. Like, running after excellence, not success; questioning not blindly accepting givens; inventing and experimenting in lieu of copying and cramming; and essentially following your heart's calling if you truly want to make a difference. Warm-up has Farhan Qureshi (R. Madhavan) getting a call from oily businessman Chatur Ramalingam (Omi Vaidya) that he knows where to find their former fellow student, Rancho (Khan), who mysteriously disappeared after graduation. Farhan rounds up his old friend Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi) and, with no choice but to take Chatur along, the pair set off on the long drive north from New Delhi to the hill town of Shimla. En route, Farhan’s mind goes back to their days at engineering college, where he and Raju felt pressured by family and society to succeed: Raju came from a poor background and Farhan (who really wanted to be a photographer) from a conservative, middle-class one. Their liberating friendship with roommate Rancho — aka Ranchhoddas Shamaldas Chanchad — gave them a whole new perspective on life. From his delayed entrance on, pint-sized Khan dominates the movie as Rancho, a pixie-like, free-thinking Gujarati who isn’t fazed by normal pressures (encapsulated by his catchphrase, “Aal izz well”) and has a talent for creative problem-solving. This leads to a running battle with pompous, know-it-all principal Viru Sahastrabuddhe (vet Boman Irani), nicknamed Prof. Virus, but attracts the romantic attention of the prof’s daughter, Pia (Kareena Kapoor).

So, you have the threesome embroiled, time and again, in a confrontation with authority, as represented through the domineering figure of Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Boman Irani), the unsmiling Principal who venerates the cuckoo because the bird's life begins with murder. Kill the competition, because there is only one place at the top, believes the Principal. Poor, mistaken Principal! Doesn't he know that competition is effete, model students like Chatur (Omi) end up as duns in real life and non-conformists (Rancho and Rocket Singh Inc.), who care about being on top, could end up as eventual winners. More importantly, they could be high not only in IQ (intelligence quotient) but in EQ (emotional quotient) too, never losing their humaneness and social networking skills. Rancho clearly is different from anyone else in the college with his individualistic thought-process and rebellious attitude, which invites the ire of the college principal (Boman Irani) and affection of his daughter Pia (Kareena Kapoor). The high point of the film is the fact that director Rajkumar Hirani says so much, and more, without losing his sense of humour and the sheer lightness of being. The film is a laugh riot, despite being high on fundas. Certain sequences almost have you rolling in the aisle, like the ragging sequence, Omi's chamatkar/balatkar speech, the threesome's wedding crasher sequence, their mournful meal with Raju's mournful mum and Rancho's sundry demos to prove how Kareena has chosen the wrong guy for herself. Add to this, the strong emotional core of the film that makes gentle tugs, now and then, at your guts, and you have an almost perfect score. Hirani carries forward his simplistic `humanism alone works' philosophy of the Lage Raho Munnabhai series in 3 Idiots too, making it a warm and vivacious signature tune to 2009. The second half of the film does falter in parts, specially the child birth sequence, but it doesn't take long for the film to jump back on track.

Coming from Rajkumar Hirani, there was clearly a risk involved in the film's setting and characterizations for having a deja vu effect with his first film. Boman Irani, as the principal, almost revives his disciplinarian dean characterization from Munnabhai MBBS which is more palpable with his disgust towards the rebellious protagonist, Rancho (aka to Sanjay Dutt) who is furthermore in love with his daughter (aka Gracy Singh). Nevertheless, Hirani's direction is so impeccable that without a conscious effort, the analogy never strikes your mind and the scenario never looks repetitive. In his trademark style, Hirani grabs your attention from scene one with an unconventional opening to the film. Thereafter every single scene written in the screenplay (by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi) is not just relevant but also has a clear set objective - to be funny or be deeply poignant which means it either makes you laugh or cry and at some superlative instances do both simultaneously (which is an achievement). The writers have kept absolutely no room for any intermediate option.

The introduction sequence of the principal is hilarious and so is an annual day Hindi speech of honour by an NRI student. Raju Rastogi's poverty-stricken family is introduced with such nonchalance in spoofy black-and-white frames that what could have ideally been a melodramatic tear-jerker scene is transformed into a laugh-riot. The short-n-smart suspense induced at the interval point teases your anticipation. Sharman's revival scene in hospital reminds of the inspiring carom board scene from Munnabhai MBBS while the delivery sequence in the pre-climax is tackled tactfully and tastefully. The excellence in screenplay can't be summed up in merely a paragraph. In fact even the romantic song Zoobie Doobie is one of the most creatively conceptualized numbers since ' Dhoom Taana ' (Om Shanti Om) or ' Woh Ladki Hai Kahan ' (Dil Chahta Hai). The writers also represent a lot of their ideologies through the thoughtful dialogues touching several academic issues from grading systems, parental pressure, student suicides, and conformist coaching to theoretical knowledge, without getting preachy at any instance. Sample a straightforward gem that says, "Even a lion learns to obey his ringmaster. But you call him well-trained and not well-educated". Several engineering jokes make way into the script and never fail to make you laugh.

A word about:

Performances: Believe it or not, but Aamir, Madhavan and Sharman actually look -- and behave -- like students. While Aamir pitches in a near-perfect portrayal of Rancho, the free-spirited innovator, Madhavan and Sharman are perfectly in sync too. Kareena as the independent-minded medical student is winsome; debutant Omi has a refreshing flair for comedy and Boman Irani doesn't ham or go over the top even once.

Story: Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi script a warm and humanist indictment of India's rude-crude education system that prepares rats for a rat race rather than thinkers for a new world.

Dialogue: Witty and wild, the film walks away with the best comic scene of the year citation with its uproarious `balatkar' speech.

Music: Shantanu Moitra may not have forced you to pick up the music album of the film but the songs do come alive on screen, especially Jane Nahi Denge Tujhe, Zoobie-Doobie and Aal Izz Well.

Choreography: Avit Diaz has the threesome -- Aamir, Madhavan, and Sharman -- kick up some wild fun in Aal Izz Well, while Bosco-Caesar rightly go retro with Zoobie-Doobie.

Cinematography: The streets of Delhi and the picture postcard beauty of Ladakh are captured in riveting images by Muraleedharan CK.

Styling: Designers Manish Mehrotra, Sheena Parekh and Raghuveer Shetty create the pucca campus look for our rumbustious kids on the block, complete with ganjis and capris. Kareena too is an archetypal Delhi girl with her trendy, not flashy ensemble.

Inspiration: Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Someone literally comes alive on screen, although the film does not kowtow the book verbatim.

Shantanu Moitra's music is in perfect sync with the mood of the film. C K Muraleetharan's cinematography and Hirani's editing are flawless. Manish Malhotra, Sheena Parekh and Raghuveer Shetty's informal styling succeeds in giving the film it's trendy campus feel and the 30 plus trio convincingly pass off as college students. Performances are a highlight with Aamir Khan clearly stealing the show in the role of the sharp, optimistic, livewire Rancho. He is so effortlessly natural in his act that you take a moment to analyze and appreciate this as one of his career-best performances. Sharman Joshi is as much competent showing brilliance in both funny and emotional moments. Madhavan has an easy screen presence and perfectly complements his costars for amazing companion chemistry. Kareena Kapoor may have less screen-time but this is amongst one of her most appealing acts. And that is beyond her gorgeous looks. Boman Irani is exceptionally good as the principal. Despite adding a lisp to his character, he doesn't make a caricature out of it, which is the usual tendency. His mannerisms so distinctively remind you of the professors from your college days. Omi as the nerdy NRI symbolizes the teacher's pet you encounter in every classroom.

Rajkumar Hirani serves you idealism but with utmost conviction. He is able to establish a compelling connect with his audience, qualifying himself as one of the finest filmmakers of his time. Who else can turn something as trivial as pudina chatni into a price indicator? The film redefines idiot as 'I do it on my own terms'. After watching the film, you won't mind being certified as an idiot. If you still don't approve of the film, you are a certified cynic. '3 Idiots' is one of the most entertaining films of the decade. Amongst the performances, Aamir Khan is stupendous as the rule-breaker Rancho. But the rest of the cast doesn't remain in the shadows. Both Sharman and Madhavan manage to carve their independent characters as lovable rebels too. Even Kareena shines out, despite the minuscule length of her role. A special mention for Boman Irani who is impeccable as `Virus', the vile Principal and newcomer Omi who perfectly slips into the stereotype of the best, albeit bakwas student. Shantanu Moitra's music score, which may have sounded pheeka in the audio version, comes alive on screen with lyricist Swanand Kirkire giving India its clarion call for 2010: Aal Izz Well. Rush for it.

3 IDIOTS belongs to everyone. But, yes, there's 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 could've pulled it off. Boman is superb as the vicious head of the institute. The scenes between Aamir and Boman are extra-ordinary and it's a treat to watch these two powerful actors clash on the big screen, without getting overdramatic. Boman's appearance, mannerisms and dialogue delivery are exemplary. The length of Kareena's 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't 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 Chopra's finest films. Do yourself and your family a favour: Watch 3 IDIOTS. It's emotional, it's entertaining, it's enlightening. The film has tremendous youth appeal and feel-good factor to work in a big way.