Review of 3 Idiots (2009) by Carlos G — 11 Nov 2012

Two friends, Farhan & Raju, set off on a journey to find their old college buddy, Rancho, whom they haven't seen in 10 years after being reminded of a drunken bet they made. From here the film flicks back and forth between their present journey and flashbacks to the trios college days at the Imperial College of Engineering where the brilliant and free thinking Rancho clashes with the school's Dean, Viru "Virus" Sahastrabuddhe. Rancho uses his immense intelligence to play pranks - sabotaging a fellow student's speech a particular highlight - which result in hilarious hi-jinks but with the story being so character driven this makes the laughs bigger and the moral message at the centre (despite being cheesy at times) all the more credible.

But as with all good comedies, 3 Idiots, goes beyond just delivering laughs to comment on the more serious aspects of Indian society: the Caste system, the importance on mindless studying over actual learning, student suicide and finally, poking fun at the obsession with money and status.

3 Idiots is the highest crossing Bollywood film of all time, both in and out of India and its easy to see why. Even at a lengthy run-time, coming close to 3 hours, the film flies by and never misses a beat despite juggling between all out laughs and social commentary. A must see!