3 IDIOTS

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Note 1: I had 13 posts this year, which I thought was a lucky number of posts to have, but I am forced to make an exception for 3 IDIOTS.

Note 2: Go watch this movie if you still haven't.
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Tired of appreciating and being inspired and moved by global cinema, there develops a longing to see Indian cinema (for patriotic reasons), and along comes a movie that succeeds in making you laugh and cry at the same time, that connects with niche audiences and the masses at the same time, that is meaningful and 'idiot'ic at the same time, and there, there is the hope, and the joy, that Indian cinema is still alive, and breathing.

What Taare Zameen Par did for primary education, 3 IDIOTS does for higher education. You can see the faces of people around you in the characters of this movie, and when you see yourself, wonder strikes and you double-check if the celluloid has just been transformed into a mirror. Full marks to Mr. Hirani for not sticking to the book 'Five Point Someone'.

I forgive Raj Kumar Hirani for taking 'Aal izz well' over the top, I forgive him for the not-so-required dramatic climax involving the childbirth, I forgive him for not roping in an exceptional lyricist and an extraordinary music director (Prasoon Joshi and A R Rahman would have taken this movie to a whole new level), I forgive him for a clichéd characterisation of Boman Irani and a few clichéd dialogues and anecdotes in the movie. In the end, Mr. Hirani succeeds and has won the hearts of countless people.

'Rape' being such a common lingo at campuses for things that go bad in life, this was probably the first time in the history of Indian cinema when not one person in the audience flinched at the use of the word 'balatkar' on screen at the rate of 30 times a minute. There will be atleast one anecdote in the movie which will definitely remind you of your college days and your friends. For me, the movie struck a personal chord with the scene in which the three 'idiots' sit on the stairs and drink, and peek inside themselves to discover who they really are, and what they are meant to do, and then do really stupid things :D

Having visited the Chapora Fort (Goa) recently, which was the set for the famous scene in Dil Chahta Hai, I have added Ladakh to the list of places I want to visit, for the sheer beauty with which they have captured its landscapes in the movie, which goes on to prove, foreign locales are not required to deliver a hit, good script is, and that Indian locales can be as intriguing as, if not more, than any other place in the world.

3 IDIOTS...