'3 Idiots' is a triumph for Aamir, Raju and Vinod

Film: 3 Idiots
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani and others
Rating: ****1/2

Life is all about listening to your heart and chasing your dreams. That’s the essence of 3 Idiots, directed by the supremely talented Rajkumar Hirani.

There are films and films. And then there is 3 Idiots. Come to think of it, 3 Idiots carries a huge burden on its shoulders: the burden of expectations. And not without reason.

* 3 Idiots is Aamir Khan’s first release after the record-breaking Ghajini.

* 3 Idiots is Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s third film together, after Munnabhai MBBS and and Lage Raho Munnabhai.

* Three actors from the path-breaking Rang De Basanti team — Aamir, R Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi — team up again. Plus, Aamir is teaming up with Hirani. It couldn’t get bigger!

The kind of hype that has been generated for 3 Idiots would have been dangerous if the content had failed to match up. In this case, however, all izz well!

Now to demystify the film: 3 Idiots is not about idiots. It’s about three engineering students who believe in doing things on their terms. That’s what they achieve and that’s what Hirani, Chopra, and Aamir achieve, too: making a movie on their terms!

You can’t draw parallels with any film, past or present. It would be sacrilegious. 3 Idiots [based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel Five Point Someone] doesn’t tilt, it stands tall.

Here’s another illusion: 3 Idiots belongs to Aamir Khan. Yes, it does, but it also belongs to Madhavan, Sharman, Boman Irani, Kareena Kapoor, and Omi, the new entrant in Hindi movies who delivers a sterling performance. The film would be incomplete without any of these characters.

Hirani is a genius and that has been proved twice in the past. He proves it yet again with 3 Idiots. Screenplay writers Hirani and Abhijat Joshi and screenplay associate Chopra narrate a story that is straight out of life, a story that each of us can relate to or identify with.

Often, we have read reports of students committing suicide because they have to live up to the family’s pressure/expectations. This film depicts a student’s suicide at the very start.
But the issue doesn’t end there, for 3 Idiots raises a pertinent question: Was it suicide or murder?

Hirani balances the rough and smooth incidents in the lives of the three characters beautifully. The sequences on campus, from the ragging at the start to Omi’s speech when the word ‘chamatkar’ is changed to ‘balatkaar’ [superb; will bring the house down], to the trio getting caught in an embarrassing situation at the reception of Kareena’s sister [Mona Singh], to the dinner sequence at Sharman’s house, to Kareena and Aamir driving Sharman’s seriously ill father on bike to hospital... the funny moments would make your jaws ache.

The interval brings a shock. The point at which the first half ends will leave you stunned.

Now what was that? Kahani mein twist!

Every person behind the camera gives of his/her best to the film. Hirani and Joshi’s screenplay is the film’s mainstay. If you fondly recall ‘Gandhigiri’ from their previous film, you would have a new phrase to chew on this time: All Izz Well. Muraleedharan CK’s cinematography is awesome. Note the aerial view at the start, when Madhavan and Sharman begin the journey to Shimla, or the picture-perfect look of Ladakh... the cinematographer does a magnificent job.

Shantanu Moitra’s music may sound ordinary, but when viewed on screen the score is just perfect. ‘Give me some sunshine’, ‘All izz well’, and ‘Zoobie Doobie’ are three tracks that would grow on you after you have watched the film. The choreography of ‘All izz well’ [Avit Dias] and ‘Zoobie Doobie’ [Bosco-Caesar] is eye-catching. The background score [Sanjay Wandrekar, Atul Raninga, Moitra] is right.

3 Idiots belongs to everyone. But, yes, there is no denying that Aamir makes you forget all his past achievements as you watch him 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 Sahni]. Sharman is outstanding from start to end. This was a difficult role and only an actor of calibre could have pulled it off. Boman is superb as the vicious head of the institute. The scenes between Aamir and Boman are extraordinary and it’s a treat to watch these two powerful actors clash on the big screen. Boman’s appearance, mannerisms, and dialogue delivery are exemplary.

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

On the whole, 3 Idiots is easily among Aamir, Hirani and Chopra’s finest films. Do yourself and your family a favour: watch 3 Idiots. The film has great youth appeal and a feel-good factor.