"Aal izz well".

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2017)

Never would I have thought that a movie that looked this stupid on paper could have turned out so good. Just looking at the DVD cover would have been enough to turn this film back in but it shows up in IMDb's Top #250 so I thought I'd give it a try. It didn't start out that well for me but before long the movie's magic began to take hold. Not that there's anything daringly new about it's message; it all has to do with believing in one's self and doing what you really want to do with your life after one's formal education is completed.
Aamir Khan is a potent anchor for the story of three college friends attending the Imperial College of Engineering, and Rancho's ideas about success don't revolve around getting the best grades but actually learning something. I could see somebody like a younger Matthew Perry performing the role if this was an American film. I wasn't really expecting as much in the way of music from this story, but with the amount of song and dance you could almost call it a musical. The 'Zoobi Doobi' dance number was quite infectious and looked like a lot of fun.
Another thing that keeps you engaged is the non-linear story telling technique. But the thing is, you never really get confused when the time line changes from ten years ago to present day. With all the humorous situations presented, this could have easily fallen into slapstick, and it did get close at times, but then the story pulled back with a poignant message or a sobering decision one of the characters had to make. Story threads are tied up that one forgets along the way and that's another cool element. I just thought it was a uniquely creative film with a neat twist at the end with the identity of Rancho. There's even a romance thrown in for our principal player, and when it was over, I had the feeling that this is what "La La Land" could have been but never came close.