Chase excellence, and success will follow, pants down

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2010)

That's a line that's repeated a few times in 3 idiots, which I think says a lot about the film. Although a lot of films that hit big at the box office are lackluster and forgettable, 3 Idiots is actually a perfect example of the line it repeats several times. Those involved in the film have certainly chased excellence- they've made a great movie that entertains with humor and emotion, all while teaching some valuable lessons to students, their parents, and their teachers.
If you don't know already, 3 Idiots tells the story of 3 friends in college.Two of them are mediocre students, who's lives are changed when they meet Rancho, an eccentric, but brilliant student with an unorthodox way of learning and leading his life. The story is told in a flashback as Raju, Farhan, and their college nemesis Chatur (nicknamed Silencer) journey to find Rancho, who has been missing for the past 10 years.
I'll start off with the most appealing aspect of the film. It is hilarious! I watch both Bollywood and Hollywood films, and I can't remember the last time I saw a film from either that made me laugh this hard. I saw the film 2 days ago, and I'm still laughing just thinking about some of the scenes. And this is everything from the jokes, the comedic scenes, to the really funny and cool characters. But what's even better, is that rather than giving us yet another forgettable comedy, Rajkumar Hirani has managed to find an almost perfect balance between the comedy and the emotion, much like he did in the Munnabhai films. Similar to those, Hirani has put in some strong messages into the film. One, as I've mentioned, is the importance of pursuing excellence, rather than success. Another is the simple, "all izz well," idea-- that you should try and keep calm, rather than worry all the time. As a college student, I could relate a lot to both of those. But that's not all-- The film also provides a good lesson to parents, that you should let your children decide for themselves about a career, rather than force them into one. Further still, it shows us the problems with the typical methods of learning-- the mindless memorization of facts-- which is much less important than learning to apply concepts.
Next, let's talk about the characters. Right from the time I heard Aamir Khan and Madhavan were signed on for this movie, I've been hearing complaints that they were too old. I won't lie- neither of them look like they can pass for a 20 year old, but once I saw them on screen, I stopped worrying. Both give such wonderful and natural performances that I didn't even think about ages. This is especially true for Aamir, who just seemed like he was having so much fun with the role of Rancho that I just couldn't help but love him. Sharman Joshi also did a nice job with his role, especially in some of his more emotional scenes. Kareena's role was a bit small, but she still makes her mark. I really liked her character, and wished she had been in the film a bit more.
The film of course, isn't perfect. There were definitely a few moments that I thought were overly dramatic, and one even a bit tacky. Also, the love story, although it wasn't meant to be the focus, was a bit under developed. Overall, though, the film is really heart warming and inspiring enough for me to overlook the flaws.
I'd happily recommend this to anyone who wants to see a great comedy that both entertains and teaches. Looking at other comments on the IMDb boards and stuff, I'm reading a lot of complaints about how the film is unrealistic, characters are exaggerated, etc. Here's what I say to you folks- if you expected some kind of masterful art film, you came looking in the wrong place. This is a feel good commercial film through and through. So yes, Rancho comes off as unrealistically perfect, and the headmaster is a caricature. If this kind of stuff tends to bother you, I'd stay away from this film. BUT, if you're looking for a commercial, unrealistic yet relatable feel-good entertainer with some nice messages, I highly recommend 3 Idiots to you.