OK not really but that got your attention didn't it...?! I enjoyed the film a lot but the way people have been raving about it has me a little stumped. This is the problem not watching a movie during the release weekend - the hype tends to kill it a bit.
REVIEW:-
The 3 Idiots are Rancho (Aamir Khan), Raju (Sharman Joshi) and Farhan (R Madhavan) who're students in a premier engineering institute which is run by the Hitler-esque ViruS (Boman Irani). The movie begins with Raju and Farhan heading to Shimla to meet Rancho who dropped out of sight since graduation. On the journey to Shimla, the story unfold about how the Idiots met and their travails of living and studying on campus.
The movie centres around Rancho trying to change people's perception about studies, career and yeah even life. He's got mad MacGuyver skills which he uses to fuck with people when they pee on his dorm room door. Anyway the movie goes along with the flashbacks till when they get to Rancho's estate in Shimla and discover that "there-is-a-twist-here-which-I-don't-want-to-give-away-for-people-who-haven't-seen-the-movie-yet" (Man thats a LOT of hyphens...)
OK I'm gonna stop here coz there is no way I can write anymore about the story without giving away stuff which I hate to do to anyone who hasn't seen a movie. So let me talk about some of the hi and not so hilights of the movie...
First off, Raju Hirani and Aamir Khan is a combination we will see again sometime down the line. When two greats minds with the film sensibilites that these two possess come together you know you're in for something good. That said Hirani's is his own worst enemy because he raised the bar so high with the Munnabhai movies. You expect a certain level of writing and unfortunately 3 Idiots at times was very cliched. Well handled but cliched nonetheless. Despite all this Hirani knows what a good film is all about and he has delivered with 3 Idiots. People have been raving about the funnies in the film and if I seem a little jaded/cynical it's only because I see a lot of standup comedy where comediens are constantly pushing the boundaries and redefining the meaning of humour. Again I say Hirani does a great job despite all of this.
Sharman and Madhavan did well in their roles with Sharman getting the meatier of the two roles. The man needs to put himself out there if he wants to get plum assignments on a regular basis... I mean who else can boast about working in two movies with Aamir as second lead?! Madhavan might have marginally lesser screen time than Sharman but he is the voice of the movie narrating the incidents that happen. Kareena is an actress I honestly can't stand but when the woman restrains herself she comes across as completely natural and even endearing like in the drunken scene at the hostel. Boman Irani as the director of the institute was at times a bit over-the-top but kept it together for the most part. Special mention of another character... the 4th idiot if you will, Omi Vaidya who plays the heavily accented Chatur just killed it with his portrayal of a phoren-bred desi who competes with the Idiots.
And finally the man himself... It's unbelieveable how well Aamir Khan gets into his characters' skin. Firstly to play a character who is half your actual age isn't easy but he pulls it off effortlessly. Secondly his comic timing and lastly the sheer earnestness he imparts to the character. That is the hallmark of a good actor - how believeable he makes his character to the audience.
From a visual perspective, the movie looks quite good and it is positively stunning when they show Ladakh. Looks like something out of a fantasy novel. The music I thought was so so but that might have a tiny bit to do with my bias against its maker. L-O-V-E-D the scenes which featured Sharman's family and home... the BnW visuals, the typical dukhiyaari music and the gags. Hysterical stuff!
The theatres here already had an inkling as to how well this movie is going to do which is reflected in the number of shows and the jacked up ticket prices. 350 bucks a pop... jeez! I think I'll have to deposit my gaadi ki chaabi and ghar ke papers to freakin buy tickets next time.
PISS OFF ELEMENT:- -
Some of gags and dialogues had the whole been-there-done-that feeling. Some of the scenes were hilarious like the speech in the auditorium but there were others which were old and read a million times in some email forward or the other.
NICE COMMENT:-
Can't really pick one coz there are many in the film which is always a good thing.
RATING:-
***.5 - For all its flaws, this movie gets a solid 3.5/5 and if you haven't watched it yet, do.
