Hrishikesh strongly recommends '3 Idiots'.

3 Idiots

3 Idiots directed by Mr. Rajkumar Hirani is a mixed effort with the positives slightly outweighing the negatives. I wouldn’t say I was completely dissatisfied by the movie but leaving the theatre the only thought I had in my head was how much better it could have been in certain parts.

Now before I start the review let me state the obvious mindset of a movie-goer and what does a person want from a film that makes him or her appreciate the work. For most folks out there films are a means of escape-escape from their daily chores or sometimes even their lives. They view films as entertainment and not something to understand or ponder about-Lets leave that to the books .For others cinema is a profound art which makes them view and think and ask questions about themselves. Based on these two categories the impact of one film can be varying from person to person.3 idiots very much like the director’s previous ventures is socially relevant and has a message but it also goes about playing most clichés   in the book to the disdain of some.
3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan as Rancho-A happy go lucky student who stands apart in his belief that  the education system for the most part consists of a rote learning structure which not only takes a student’s freed of creativity but also their very foundation of a future. He is accompanied by Raju (Sherman Joshi) and Farhan (Madhavan, also our narrator)-2 friends he meets at his engineering college. The supposed “villain” is the archetype dean of the college (played by Bowman Irani) who beliefs in fact that stern discipline and tough competition are the only ways to succeed in life. Understandably he becomes rancho’s nemesis on the most basic principle. To make things worse Rancho has a burgeoning affair with Mr. Stern principle’s pretty daughter (Kareena Kapoor in a thankless role).

The film works on most levels and some scenes are hilarious in the first half but it’s the juxtaposing of the message and the “masala” factors that becomes an issue. Some “emotional scenes” like the delivery of a baby by our heroes with the help of a vacuum cleaner or an attempt by the main lead to propose to his girl are plain cringe-worthy moments hiding behind a visage of emotional curtains.

The cast for the most part works fine. Boman Irani is Ok as the headmaster although I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t belong in a mental asylum with the state he goes about things. Kareena Kapoor looks good (Am I the only one who prefers her in simple attire rather than the vixen she markets herself as) but doesn’t have much to do. Sharman and Madhavan do fine as sidekicks although I do get the sense that they will forever be typecast as such if they don’t move on. The scenes are stolen by newcomer Omi Vaidya who plays rancho’s competition thought out the movie. As for Mr. Khan himself-He is good enough and convincing enough to pass on as a 22 year old college student but I ponder why an actor of his artistic caliber should choose a role so “out there” and casual (I have seen another khan play a similar role in may of his films and I can picture him just as fine). The script is sound as far the message goes but could have done better on the more social front.

So all in all, I would recommend 3 Idiots to most folks out there. It has its head in the right place, just that some aspects of it feel less fulfilling. It could have been a great film, it is a good one.
 

- Written by Hrishikesh Jha