3 IDIOTS ***1/2
[24 Dec 2009] courtesy: www.stardust.co.in
STARRING
Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan, Mona Singh, Boman Irani, Parikshit Shahni, Javed Jaffrey and others.
DIRECTION
Rajkumar Hirani
STORY
The plot of the flick revolves around three main characters of Rancho, Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi played by Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi respectively. All the three were friends during their college and hostel days but now Rancho has vanished somewhere and Farhan, Raju are trying to locate him through their journey of Shimla, Manali, Ladakh etc.
Raju and Farhan recall that Rancho was a free thinker and had always inspired them to do something special, which should be different from the crowd. Rancho had also been in conflict with their guide and mentor Viru Sahastrabudhhe (Boman Irani) due to his independent methods and free thinking.
Rancho’s mantra was ‘I’ll Do It On my Terms’; this is the real meaning with which ‘3 Idiots’ takes its inspiration. As is clear from the above that it is not associated with the common meaning of ‘idiot’ which is normally taken to mean as ‘fool’.
Raju Rastogi and Farhan Qureshi were very indebted to Rancho for inspiring them, and still remember his romantic relationship with Pia (Kareena Kapoor). However, they are still wondering about the disappearance of Rancho from their midst without any information.
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It is to know the secret behind Rancho’s disappearance that Raju and Farhan have been searching the forests and undertaking the perilous journey. They still remember being called as ‘3 idiots’ along with Rancho during college days, but were not being able to trace Rancho.
What happens to their quest and if they were able to find out the whereabouts of Rancho, is revealed in the later part of the flick.
PERFORMANCE
Aamir Khan, who plays the central character of Rancho, is the heart and soul of the flick. He is simply brilliant in his enactment of an engineering student, who is not only free- spirited but also loves to do everything in his own unique style. He once again has justified the title of Mr. Perfectionist in this flick.
The way Aamir Khan walks in the film or the way he talks—everything seems so natural and necessary for the character of Rancho. His encounters with mentor Boman Irani are just superb, to say the least. Aamir Khan’s crackling chemistry with Kareena Kapoor is a treat to watch.
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After acquiring a dream physique for his last flick ‘Ghajini’, this time Aamir Khan has lost all his muscles to look a lean young man in his twenties, and convincingly carries the whole film on his dependable shoulders.
R Madhavan, who plays the part of Farhan Qureshi, leaves nothing to be desired. The ease, with which he switches to flashback and then comes into present to relate the story, is just amazing. The sequence, which has Farhan trying to convince his father Parikshit Sahani about his view points, looks so natural and believable.
Sharman Joshi, who plays the role of Raju Rastogi, comes across as a revelation. It must be his best performance till date. The sequence involving Raju’s family and his breakdown scene takes the cake among them all.
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Boman Irani, who plays the character of Viru Sahastrabudhhe in the flick, has made his character come alive on screen. His vicious nature, as head of the institute, reminds the audience of their own experience during college days. Boman is especially superb when he gets the opportunity to interact with Aamir Khan.
Kareena Kapoor, who plays the part of Boman Irani’s daughter Pia, is live wire. Her interaction and rapport with Rancho makes the whole flick a superb experience. In the limited time, that she gets Kareena comes out as a complete charmer.
Mona Singh, the television actress who had infused life into her character of Jassi in the serial, does not have much scope to showcase her acting prowess in the film. She plays Kareena Kapoor’s sister in the film. In fact, her delivery sequence only slows down the pace of the flick.
Omi, who plays the part of Chatur (the brainy student) and delivers the clever speech wherein the word 'chamatkaar' is changed to 'balatkaar', endears himself with the audiences. Javed Jaffery, Parikshit Sahani and others pass the muster.
The direction of Rajkumar Hirnai is brilliant. He fully lives up to the expectations of a director who had delivered a super duper hit Munnabhai films. His narration is so smooth that even flashbacks do not hamper the audience’s attention. Rajkumar Hirani has so cleverly interwoven different emotions in the film that its going is as smooth as possible.
The director has been ably aided in this venture by the superb script and screenplay of the film. Every scene and sequence seems so natural and true to life that viewers get engrossed in the film. From students’ suicide to ragging to secret drinking sessions all seem familiar to everybody.
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The music of the flick rendered by Shantanu Moitra brilliantly complements the mood and narrative of the flick. The audience will love the tracks of ‘All Izz Well’, ‘Zoobie Doobie’ and ‘Give me some sunshine’ even after leaving the theatre. Avit Dias has done superb choreography of ‘All Izz Well’ and Bosco-Caesar has done the same for ‘Zoobie Doobie’ number. Muraleedharan’s cinematography has beautifully captured the landscape of Shimla and Ladakh.
STARDUST VERDICT
Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor have given a superlative performance in this Rajkumar Hirani’s entertaining flick. The movie has everything going for it and would be lapped up by the multiplex- going generation X. Though the second hour of the flick is relatively slow, its superb climax more than makes up for that. A brilliant fare.