‘3 Idiots’ earns high marks - Movie Review

December 24, 2009

By JENNIFER HOPFINGER

Starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi

Who would have guessed that slapstick and suicide could work so well together in the same film? Leave it to Bollywood to pull it off. After all, Hindi filmmakers are experts at “masala”—a culinary term that means “spicy mixture,” but in film, it refers to the blending of multiple genres, including comedy and melodrama. For the result to be pleasing—whether it’s a meal or a movie—there can nothing careless about the combining of ingredients. If your dish is too sweet, add salt; if your film is too silly, add sadness. The goal is to strike a perfect balance, and 3 Idiots does exactly that.

 

Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi—who previously appeared together in Rang De Basanti (2006)—play three college friends at a prestigious engineering school in India. The actors are at their career-best, even the giant Khan, who has portrayed Peter Pan types in coming-of-age stories before—including Rang De Basanti and Dil Chahta Hai (2001)—but here, his childlike character, Rancho, is wise beyond his years, even seemingly unreal, like a fairy godparent, who helps his pals grow up and then vanishes after graduation.

 

A decade later, the very human Farhan (Madhavan) and Raju (Joshi) think they may have finally discovered Rancho’s whereabouts, and they take off looking for him—with Rancho’s old college nemesis in tow. The film flashes back to their days as stressed-out, sophomoric students. Rancho isn’t like everyone else—he cares nothing about the opinions and expectations of others. He seeks knowledge, not good grades or a steady job, and he urges his friends to pursue their passions—and with joy, not fear. He has that luxury, it seems—he’s a genius with a rich father. Farhan, on the other hand, was forced to give up photography and go into engineering by his status-conscious, middle-class parents. Raju loves engineering, but struggles academically, and failure isn’t an option because he must support his impoverished family.

 

There are no hard-partying frat boys at this school—these kids are big nerds, but they manage to blow off some steam with wacky fun—when they aren’t killing themselves, that is. The head of the college, Viru (Boman Irani), exacerbates the pressure-cooker environment with his callous treatment and compete-or-die admonitions, which are shockingly irresponsible given that some students take them literally. Naturally, Viru and Rancho butt heads big-time—even more so when Rancho takes a liking to Viru’s daughter, Pia (Kareena Kapoor), and talks her out of marrying her materialistic fiancé.

 

There’s a surprising cliffhanger at the intermission that deepens the mystery of Rancho—why he’s so different and why he disappeared—and Farhan and Raju must figure out not only where he is, but also who he is, and there’s just the right amount of high jinks and heartache along the way.

 

3 Idiots is rated Must See.

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