After all the waiting, I finally managed to watch 3 idiots this past weekend. While the movie is kind of a feel good movie, it certainly does not live up to all the hype and the crazy ticket prices. I think the overall "message" from the movie was that our Education system and Parenting needs an overhaul. Good message, totally need of the hour with India progressing leaps and bounds and looking forward to another decade that could put it in the world leader league. The question is couldn't this have been better delivered without making a caricature of everyone? For example Raju rastogi's background. I am not sure if it was an attempt to evoke sympathy with that guy or just to have a good laugh at his expense. The former just doesn't happen, the latter was just in bad taste. Or Boman Irani, can we make him any more cliched and stereotypical? And the Chathur Ramalingam, poor guy, for him 3.5M house is a measure of success and why not? It is, for a vast majority of Indians. Maybe the intent was to ridicule the Indian education system and success metrics but given the lack of any viable alternatives in the film, I wonder if the joke is on the filmmaker. And what's with the whole Aamir is great scientist with 400 patents who also happens to have setup a school in a remote location in Ladakh? C'mon we expect a better closure than that. And why the delivery scene at all? Just to show that childbirth has arrived in mainstream cinema front and center? And to show that aamir can deliver a baby with vacuum cleaner and lens cleaner just guided by a powerpoint show, is perhaps mocking all the doctors and gynaes out there. I am surprised they didn't protest especially given that Kareena is being portrayed as a medical student but she only either constantly roams around on her scooty for no apparent purpose or gets into silly situations with her price-conscious fiancee (another caricature). I hardly see her even sporting a book let alone attend classes. Maybe they think the film doesn't even deserve a protest (and they may be right) :)
Don't get me wrong, I am not against the film. I like light hearted comedies. I liked munnabhai MBBS despite all its idiosyncracies. I like 3 idiots but I expect a lot more from Aamir. I equate Aamir to the likes of DCH, RDB, TZP. (I am happy to conveniently forget that he did Ghajini). The subject matter warrants a deeper thought and if any sensible filmmaker in Bollywood can give it the reasonable treatment that it deserves, I would have bet it would be Aamir (and I would have lost). Better Luck next time!
1 comment:
The issue I have with the movie is that the message of the movie will be interpreted by different people in different ways.
For eg. many kids might end up thinking that yes - you can actually afford to goof around in college, score really low grades, be extremely honest about it in an interview, and still get recruited! Or that anyone who is ambitious is as annoying as Chatur.
I dont like the whole 'black' or 'white' feel of the characters, and would have much rather seen some realistic greys instead. (Munnabhai, for instance, had greys - Munna Bhai himself was grey).
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