Friday, December 25, 2009

3 idiots - and ALL IZZ WELL! with hindi cinema

usually it takes me some time, maybe a couple of days after watching a movie, to write something, if at all, about it. a few days to let it seep in, to get some more clarity on the technical aspects of the movie, the music, etc. but today, i am feeling an irrepressible urge to share the joy of watching a wonderful movie - 3 idiots. a hilarious riot of a movie that takes a jab at the flawed education system of the country and the pressure that students live under... and inspires to dare and make your own path.

rajkumar hirani and vidhu vinod chopra come together with aamir khan and you know the result is going to be the best. after munnabhai mbbs and lage raho munnabhai, expectations from hirani are high. he has managed to come out with movies with a strong story complemented with breezy dialogues, some good music, a script that never loses pace and direction that never loses focus. and to top it all the movies also have a strong social message without being preachy.

3 idiots is no exception. if a 'jaadu ki jhappi' could cure all diseases, and 'gandhigiri' could fight corruption, then 'all izz well' could help you go through life and all the pressure to 'perform' well at academics. the film is loosely based on chetan bhagat's bestseller, 'five point someone'.

the film begins with farhan (madhavan) bringing down a plane that has taken off, back to the airport, after receiving a mysterious phone call. and raju rastogi (sharman joshi) joining him wearing only a kurta and shoes as he forgot to put on his pants after getting madhavan's call. and from there the story weaves through flashbacks and the search of the 2 idiots for their friend, the 3rd idiot. the name is a misnomer, the three are not idiots at all... far from it as the end of the movie proves... it is what the rest of the world calls them for not following the diktat, for not running in the rat race.

rancho (aamir khan), is a student who joins the engineering college not to run the rat race, but to seek knowledge. as madhavan puts it, 'we had joined the college to fulfill our parent's dreams, to get the best grades and best jobs. but he was the only one who had come to study.' his unique approach to education and opinion about the teaching methods are seen as that of a rebel's. but he changes the lives of his two friends who learn to follow their passion and find happiness and success in life.

the movie is full of sequences which could have gone crass, but is either funny or poignant. like the ragging scene where a bunch of first year students are in their underwear getting their bums stamped - 'checked. ok.' far from looking cheap, the dialogues and treatment makes it one of the funniest scenes in the movie. or the scene where having finally decided to take rancho's advice, farhan and raju take their first steps towards following their passion and for the first time in life taste success. they acknowledge and salute rancho's philosophy by zipping down their pants and patting their bottoms in front of rancho. and you are left with tears brimming your eyes.

although the movie has some over dramatic scenes like rancho and his friends improvising and using a vacuum cleaner to use as a suction pump to deliver a baby on the college ping-pong table; but you are willing to believe in the director and go along with such scenes as well.

the characters are well developed with all the actors playing their bits. sharman joshi proves that he is a fine actor who has not got his due. madhavan is believable and lovable as the bespectacled and living under-the-parent's pressure farhan. boman irani manages to portray the strict dean without making a caricature out of the character. kareena kapoor manages to look gorgeous and yet convincing in her role. another interesting character is that of chatur, the bookworm hindi-challenged nri student, played by omi. but it's aamir khan who walks away with the best actor award. he manages to convince you with his curious-about-everything look and full-of-life character. and the three of them, at 30 plus also deserve credit to look convincing as college students.

shantanu moitra's music is definitely top of the charts. the songs are fresh and make you wanna dance and hum along. they also manage to merge with the narrative effortlessly. the lyrics are contemporary and yet have an ageless appeal. the picturisation of 'all izz well' reminds one of their college days and 'zoobi doobi' is reminiscent of the 60s and 80s movie songs. the dialogues are brilliant, full of wit and humor. the cinematography, especially of the drive from delhi to shimla to manali to ladakh are beautifully done.

finally, the movie proves its point - that passion begets success. that running the rat race only helps create machines not humans. so, go out and take the risk, to be different, to make your own path, to do what you dream and all izz well...