In general I don’t tend to watch many movies from India. I have seen a few, but the length is a major factor as is the fact that these movies tend to be very different (usually with lot of singing) means I often don’t connect as much to them. If you look at the IMDB top 250 there aren’t many Indian movies on the list. Actually there is only one and as I do like to still watch as many out of the list as I can I decided to check this one out.
With a title like 3 Idiots you might expect a movie similar to Dumb & Dumber, but this movie is far from it. It is about three university students who meet each other on campus and slowly become friends. The story is mainly told in flashback as two of the friends are trying to find the third one, who during their time at university liked to shake things up and question everything, which resulted in a lot of trouble with the director of the school.
The movie has a clear message, which might be hammered home a bit too much, but it is an important one: Follow your passion and dreams and don’t succumb to the pressure others might put on you. You shouldn’t be afraid to do what you love as that brings the most joy in life. 3 Idiots also looks at the school system where only the best performances are recognised, with the system feeling like a competition.
I was curious what I could expect from this movie and I have to admit I really enjoyed it. The main characters are entertaining and often end up in funny situations. Some jokes you will be able to see coming from a mile away, but I could forgive the movie for that. It’s not all fun though as there are some serious dramatic moments. The mix of comedy and drama works here and as you are watching you root for these characters. The movie has various choreographed sing and dance moments, but if you can not stand those there are not that many of them. The movie is a mix of a road movie and a coming of age movie (finding your own identity) and is well worth watching.
Huge hit in India. While most liked the film, I’m a bit indifferent towards it. May I recommend watching Udaan which is relatively short and no song and dance in it.
Thanks for that suggestions Raghav, have just added it to my watchlist.
Ok, I will admit I enjoy Hindi Cinema a lot! Loved 3 Idiots, loved Udaan. Have loved a lot of other ones. In fact my fav actress of all time is Rani. So…. What was my comment again? 🙂
Another vote for Udaan so I guess that will have to be the first one to check out.
Glad you loved this one. I also don’t really like Bollywood’s singing, but sometimes I’m amazed by the cinematography and coreography. I love 3 Idiots, some parts of it just too much, like the love story and the dancing I guess (not for me)
I can agree with you that it has its flaws but overall it is very entertaining.
Awesome Review Nostra. Agree with everything you said. At times 3 IDIOTS was too silly for me, but it’s forgivable given the good natured message of the film.
Run times are getting shorter in Bollywood, going just over 2 hours. The 3+ hour epic is becoming as rare as it is in Hollywood these days. Even song and dance routines are disappearing from the more serious, independent and art house films. Usually they’re irrelevant to the story though, so you can skip right past them.
Thanks Shah! Do you have any other suggestions of movies I should check out?
Hells to the YES! :p
OMKARA (2006) – Indian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. Some song and dance, but they’re not out of the blue and somewhat relevant to the story.
RANG DE BASANTI (2006) – Same lead actor of 3 IDIOTS. A modern story about a group of youth in India and how, while making a documentary about the country’s revolutionary history & independence, their lives change as they relate that history to the how their corrupt society operates today. It’s a little long, but very worth it. Songs are all background montage sequences. So no random dancing.
MY BROTHER… NIKHIL (2005) – 1st mainstream Indian film dealing with Homosexuality & Aids. A true story about a Gold Medalist swimmer being treated like a leper by his community after discovering he is HIV+ and how that affects his family and friends.
There are more, but I feel these would be a good start, and be relevant to you as a non Bollywood audience.
Thanks for these suggestiongs, will try to check out if I can.
Nice Post..
3 IDIOT is a funny movie in my opinion
Thanks Khafizh, it is quite funny 🙂
We usually agree about movies, but not about this one. I watched it almost two years ago and I really didn’t like it at all. But then I’m kind of picky when it comes to humour. I just can’t stand pee and poo jokes. The dancing was very good though. Here’s a shameless plug for my own post about it in case you want to read a different opinion on it.
http://thevelvetcafe.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/the-cafe-goes-to-bollywood/
It’s difficult with comedies as tastes are very different. I have to say there weren’t laugh out loud funny moments, but I thought it was charming. Will check out your post!
This was the first Indian movie I saw (Slumdog Millionaire doesn’t count I reckon). And it was very entertaining, minor flaws here and there but great message. After that I gave Indian movies a chance and watched quite a few good ones. If you’re interested, do watch Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, Rang de Basanti, Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek), Nayakan (1987). Some of them are quite long but good stories.
BTW, this is a splendid review. 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions. Will try to check them out! Thanks for the compliment Izzy!
Try Black.
So happy you liked this movie! Actually nowadays Indian movies are getting shorter while Hollywood movies are getting longer, so I think the average length is about the same. People here already recommended a lot of cool movies, but if you have the time check out some of Anurag Kashyap’s movies. He’s one of my favorite directors of Indian cinema. Or anything with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in it.
Thanks for the suggestions!