Rajkumar Hirani midas touch continues

At the heart of it 3 Idiots is a fun-filled ride that two friends, Raju and Farhaan, undertake to find a missing college mate. But 3 Idiots isn't merely about this journey; it's about a bigger adventure called life. The film starts with Raju and Farhaan getting a call informing them that Rancho, who went missing 10 years ago, has been located. They reach their college only to find out that Chatur Ramalingam, a fellow student they troubled, has orchestrated this meeting.



10 years ago Rancho or Rancchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad had challenged the boundaries that define the life of an engineering student. Rancho was a smart student who enjoyed the process of learning rather than just mugging up like Chatur who was Dean Viru Sahastrabudhhe's (also called Virus) blue-eyed boy. Rancho not only helps Raju and Farhaan find their true calling but also wins over Virus. On their graduation day when everyone's celebrating Rancho slips away forever. No one knows his whereabouts not even the girl he loved, Pia who happens to be the Dean's daughter. Now 10 years later Chatur, a very successful entrepreneur and businessman, wants to settle a bet he made with Rancho that he is better. Raju, Farhaan not only find Pia but kidnap her from her own wedding and along with Chatur set out to locate Rancho…



To put it simply 3 Idiots is just the kind of film you go to the cinemas for. While one shares the enthusiasm of millions of viewers who have been thronging to the cinema halls to catch this latest from Rajkumar Hirani, 3 Idiots does have its flaws. This isn't a rehash of the Munnabhai series but isn't too far off from it as well. The first interaction between Rancho and the Dean; how Rancho touches just about every living and non-living thing in and around the campus is a little too familiar with the ways of Murali, the friendly neighbourhood Munnabhai. The context of the film, the dismal state of our education system and how we are missing out on the real joys of learning is highlighted throughout the film just like the first installment of Munnabhai.



But that isn't some thing that mars 3 Idiots. Neither does its length hamper the proceedings. The film is a tad too long, some scenes and situations immediately after the interval could have been avoided but having said that the film more than rises from its shortcomings. This is largely thanks to an efficient screenplay that uses Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Someone as a springboard but follows its own path and of course, the performances. The leading actors--Aamir Khan, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Kareena Kapoor all are in top-notch form. Its fun to watch Boman Irani outdo Munnabhai MBBS…



But the film works mainly thanks to Aamir Khan. The chameleon of an actor slips easily into the character of a 22 year old engineering student by underplaying as if his life depended on it. He uplifts the film by allowing his co-stars, a la Rang De Basanti, to take centrestage at regular intervals thereby making 3 Idiots succeed as an ensemble. Kareena Kapoor enjoys wonderful chemistry with Aamir Khan and delivers.



3 Idiots might be a humour-filled film but in truth Hirani presents a very dark picture of this day and age. This is a film where students succumb to pressure, a film where society doesn't easily forgive people who follow their heart; parents stop short of nothing when it comes to pushing their children. However like Munnabhai MBBS Rajkumar Hirani uses humour effectively to put across some harsh truth.


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