Film Review: 3 idiots
by Sakhi Nitin-Anita
Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots has been toted as being the highest grossing Indian film ever. It has spawned a huge cult of ‘idiots’, who dream of defying the System and breaking institutionalized barriers in pursuit of the deepest truths. “Aal izz well”, its simplistic little motto, is the new anthem of the masses, blurted out whenever a desperate situation demands a beam of optimism.
The story begins with two friends, Raju and Farhan, who leave everything behind, from their trousers to an international flight, to embark on a search for their long lost friend who has disappeared into the mists shrouding the hills of Shimla. They are led by their once archnemesis, Chatur, who has his own agenda to look for Mr. Lost, Rancchodas Shymaldas Chhanchad (Rancho for short).
The narrative, like many great ones, is told through a series of flashbacks about these three idiots’ engineering college days together, their constant skirmishes with the principal (nicknamed by the students as ViruS) and their run-ins with the teacher’s pet, Chatur. These flashbacks, interspersed with happenings in the present, ultimately lead to unveiling of the mystery surrounding Rancho and his disappearance.
My friends, many of whom were engineering students, could completely empathize with the unfair trials, faced by the three protagonists. According to them, being someone like Rancho, who always stands up against the System, yet still excels in it — just out of his sheer brilliance — was possible only in their wildest fantasies. Most of my friends identified with the other protagonists: Farhan, whose real interest is in wildlife photography but is forced to get a degree in engineering by his ambitious father and Raju, who likes engineering but is scared of failing and losing out in the rat-race.
Through cheeky visuals and sharp dialogues, 3 Idiots makes some very strong critiques about competition, institutions and the Indian education system. “Was this suicide or murder?” Rancho asks the principal after a creative student commits suicide, because he was failed for missing a project deadline. Even the song lyrics are powerful: Saari umra hum, mar mar ke jee liye, ek pal ab hamein, jeene do jeeno do… (We spent our entire lives leading a dull and zombie-like existence, now, just for one moment, let us actually LIVE…).
Over the last one year, I have been plagued with questions about what I want to learn/do over the next few years as all my peers go about joining mainstream colleges to get professional degrees and certificates. A part of me is also attracted to that; experiencing ‘college life’ and having the security of a degree in my hands. But watching this film, I became more aware of the stark uselessness of a degree. I realized that if I discover my real passion — what I really, truly enjoy doing — and learn and understand that more deeply, I shall be happier than if I sat cramming over a textbook, in a desolate room, in a desolate college, amongst desolate people, all driven by the wicked desperation that only competitive exams can elicit.
I heard of a few people who, after watching this film, found the courage to quit conventional college and start following their hearts. However, many just watched the film for the sake of entertainment, let the questions it raised play around in their heads for a day or two, and then went back to being dumbed down by the routine of the institutionalized world.
So the question really is: can films like these that raise questions about institutionalization and thought control really motivate people to change? Can these films provide the encouragement to help people make that one final push? Or is that asking too much? Because, in the end, 3 Idiots is a commercial film, meant for entertainment of the masses and, from the perspective of the producers, for making lots of money.
As for my story, taking inspiration from this film, I decided to quit the formal system and am helping build a new real-world solution to the education crisis. I have joined Swaraj University to co-create an innovative learning community for young people. Instead of studying abstract theories in a college, I am giving myself the space to explore my diverse passions, practice my values in my life, collaborate with a vibrant community of idiots, and along the way, to let myself finally ‘jeene do’…
