User reviews

I asked my co-workers to recommend a Bollywood movie. I expected "Dumb and Dumber" by the title. It wasn't that at all. It is more of an inspirational comedy with some serious but good messages. A more accurate title would have been "The Legend of Rancho".

Odd to me is that they speak in part English, part Hindi through the movie, kinda like some speak "Spanglish" here I suppose. I know none of the actors but the acting was good, and there was plenty of humor. The characters were believable. Most movie dancing I find a little silly but I even liked the dancing routines in the bathroom.

I will be asking my co-workers for more recommendations after this one!

Like Dead Poets Society but with Robin Williams as a student and some extra tonic and spice thrown in for good measure. Serious, sad and silly, often concurrently but overwhelmingly very, very funny and engaging, as engineering students at an Indian college end up teaching as much as they learn. Who could disagree with the distinction between education and learning while recognising the often sizable gulf that exists between the two after watching this. Who would dissuade those with aspiration and passion from pursuing their dreams and goals. Weighing in not too shy of three hours you'll be shocked how quickly the time flies as your attention is vacuumed up and your view of the world turned on its head, or inverted, depending what you've learned.

When I was 13, I had my first movie-love; There was nothing that compared to this movie; Nobody could eva stop me watchn this cult; It had me goin crazy, oh I was star-struck!

Watched every weekend, didn't need no other work; Made me laugh made me cry made me become what I am today; Inspired me, motivated me to achieve success every day;

I was choking in the crowd, it made me roar aloud; I was nowhere in my career, it made me a flourisher; I used to be havin a bad time, it took me to cloud nine; I was in pieces, it fixed me; It made me a it made me a believer, believer.

I was in pieces, it fixed me.

It gave me another chance, I grew up once again Na na na.... Na na na.... Na na na.... Na na nana na....

It's hard for me to review this film, as I have not seen a huge number of Indian films--probably no more than a couple dozen. Most of the ones I've seen were wonderfully entertaining but I am far from an expert on Bollywood. Because of this, I have a hard time knowing how good this film is relative to other films from this country. So, consider this when you read this review. This may be among the very best India has to offer or it just seems that way to me.

Like so many Indian films, this is a very, very long film--with a run-time of almost three hours. When a movie is bad or just okay, this can seem like forever, but since "3 Idiots" is a very, very good film I loved its length. And, like most films of the genre, it has its share of the usual singing and dancing so foreign to films from other countries. One thing you should know, however, is that defining the type of film it is isn't really easy. Much of it is a comedy, but it also has many poignant moments (keep the Kleenex nearby), some existential moments where they explore the meaning of life and work and it's also a tender film about friendship. And, as my daughter pointed out when she saw the film, she loved that the men in the movie are not afraid to cry--something you rarely see in western films.

As for the plot, it's very long and involved and I could recount what occurs. But I don't want to spoil a single wonderful moment, so my advice is just sit back and watch--and if you give it a chance, I can almost guarantee you'll have a great time with this poignant and funny film. Wonderful and well worth your time--with a delightful script, wonderful characters and lots of moments that made me smile...and a few that brought me to tears. See this film.

Awesome film man. Saw this with my family in a theatre. Worth every penny n worth every minute. Never seen such an amazing film from Bollywood. What is so great about the movie is that it moves you, it gives you hope. It is a simple film, yet it has an everlasting message. The last 30 mins were beautifully shot. Very good direction by Hirani. The star cast is good n Aamir khan steals the show. The editing is top notch. U don't feel bore for even a sec. Awesome screenplay. It's hands down the best film in the history of Bollywood.

Best of all. The way of narrating the story touches the soul in the heart because the college life which we go through it have shown so many rules when it will start imagining in your own real life that is really true in every life we have certain role and we have to go through it.

I was lucky to see the first day show of 3 idiots on Thursday in Dubai. Well the title of this post says it all. The movie is an example of classic film making. brilliant and highly entertaining.

Watch 3 idiots for a) amir khan's incredible acting b) intelligent and highly energatic screenplay & direction (Rajkumar Hirani has done it yet again!) c) amazing chemistry among actors, d) some of the best comedy scenes coming from Indian cinema in a long time and e) a heart warming story which keeps you spell binded right till the end.

I would rate it as among the best from amir khan (which obviously means among the very best from bollywood. I would also give a lot of credit to the director rajkumar hirani, who after this movie (and his previous munna bhai series) should rank as among the top in bollywood too. 9/10.

Because the movie had such a high rating on IMDb I was intrigued. Bollywood movies are not particularly on the top of my list I must admit. But I gave it a shot and I'm glad I did. It only has two scenes where they start singing and dancing so that was not too much. Why they start singing and dancing that I will never get. The story does not need that at all. The story itself was very pleasant to follow. Full of mixed emotions, happy ones and sad ones. The cast and the filming was great. All actors gave a good performance throughout the whole movie. Like in most American television series they want to give you a lesson in life and most of the time it makes me want to barf but in this Bollywood movie it works perfectly well. I had fun watching this and I get why I am not the only one. Certainly worth a watch.

"Whatever the problem in life is... just say to yourself 'Aal Izz Well'.. This wont solve your problems but it will give the courage to face it.." "Chase Excellence and success will follow".. " Life is not about getting marks, grades but chasing your dreams".. These are the golden rules which 3 IDIOTS teaches you in a very light and entertaining way.. The movie makes you laugh and in the process you learn many golden rules which can alter your life in a big manner...

3 actors from the path-breaking blockbuster RANG DE BASANTI( Aamir, Sharman, Madhvan) team up together with Rajkumar Hirani.. It couldn't get bigger! Loosely based on blockbuster novel ' Five Point Someone ' by Chetan Bhagat the movie deals with the present education system in India that whether getting more marks and better grades is better than gaining knowledge and is mugging up everything more useful than understanding it..

The movie has many hilarious scenes and everyone in the film form Aamir to Boman Irani to Omi Vaidya were superb in their roles.. Aamir has outdone himself.. Never in the film he has looked 44 year old... Film's music sounds mediocre but when viewed on the screen then the music sounds perfect.. Cinematography is awesome and so is the direction.. Raju Hirani's screenplay(you can easily ignore a few loose points) is a masterpiece and the film will achieve cult status for engineering students in a short period of time.. It has the soul which Five Point Someone had.. It is easily Aamir Khan's finest film to date.. The film's climax is fantabulous and is a shocker.. It takes everyone by surprise...

To conclude 3 IDIOTS has the potential to break all records and sweep all awards.. Watch it... You will Love it...

My Rating: 9/10

Thanks and Regards

I'm from the Philippines. For years, I have always been curious about Indian cinema. I've seen clips of Indian films on cable TV and to be honest...I just don't get it. I don't get all the silly dancing and singing in almost all movies. I find it so corny and irrelevant to the story. But don't get me wrong, Philippine movies back in the 80's were also filled with corny singing and dancing. But we have gone past those and transitioned into movie-making based on good scripts...rather than cheesy story lines.

When a friend of mine recommended this movie, I haven't really heard of it. I thought it was a Hollywood release but it wasn't. It was a Bollywood movie. He said it was really funny, so out of curiosity, I got hold of a copy.

My first thought was that it was nothing but a silly story of 3 guys doing slapstick comedy that I have all seen before. When they started singing "All iz well.." I told myself... I knew it! Just what I thought.

But as the movie progressed...I was amazed at the intelligence embedded in this movie. I was so impressed with the smart dialogues delivered by Amir Khan. It was so mature and thought-provoking. The life crisis all of them were in... the pressures at school..the pressures from society and the pressures from family as well... they rang so true. I was even at one time crying my heart out. I can't believe it! All the preconceived notions about a Bollywood movie were obliterated. I was so moved by this picture and I have no regrets seeing it.

"All is well," the three "idiot" heroes of 3 Idiots recite when they become frazzled or nervous, while frantically tapping their hearts. They know that reciting the oversimplifying phrase will not provide their problems with a solution, or even a catalyst, but it gives them the onset courage they desperately need at a time of uncertainty and despair. One character even tries to use the line after an amateurishly-given birth may have gone terribly wrong. It's times like that when the saying may not be so effective, even if its goal is not to provide certain relief.

But all is well, as they so often say. Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots, my introduction to the world of Bollywood cinema, is a comedy-drama unlike any one I've ever seen, long, but never drawn out, frantic, but never desperate, and emotional, but never manipulating. It provides us with three of the most likable characters of the last decade, and with insight to the culture of Indians and their parents. Rarely has a comedy had this big of a brain in its head and a canvas of opportunities in mind, while possessing a title not even fit for a farce.

Our title characters are ambitious but stunted Farhan Qureshi (R. Madhavan), jittery, fearful Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi), and borderline prodigy Ranchhoddas "Rancho" Shamaldas Chhanchad (Aamir Khan), three close friends who attend the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE), one of India's most prestigious colleges where only the best are accepted. The young boys already are facing some of life's greatest challenges, all of them pursuing the field of engineering when the only one who seems to have a passion for the material is Rancho. Farhan was forced to become skilled in the field because of his strict father, and Raju is pursuing the field with the goal of getting his family out of poverty, with his father's expensive health bills, his mother's fragile core, and his sister's inability to marry all on the table. Rancho is studying because he feels that one should pursue passion and make a career out of it, so it doesn't feel like work. If you're passionate and devoted to your work, success will find you - yet this is only one of the countless morals and insights 3 Idiots provide its viewer with.

The film chronicles their issues in college in flashback, with instances in the presence popping up to show Farhan and Raju searching for their pal Rancho, who has disappeared and avoided contact for several years now. This is not your typical flashback film, however. It uses this method much to its advantage, and doesn't feel like a narrative within a narrative. It seals both stories nicely, but it takes the viewer on a roller-coaster ride of emotions through carefully constructed events before it even arrives at those endings.

One of their problems in college is the professor/dean of the campus, Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Boman Irani), who the three derogatorily call "Virus" when his back is turned. Virus is strict and often largely unsympathetic to the problems of his students, which allows the film to explore a dark topic one assumes a comedy wouldn't dare cross paths with and that is the issue of Indian teen suicide. One kid had his father have a stroke, rendering him unable to focus on academics for months, falling gravely behind. Virus is grossly unsympathetic to his case, denying him an extension on a project he's work so unrealistically hard on but can not perfect.

If anything, we can say 3 Idiots is a message to the parents of the Indian youth and that is to stop applying pressure to an already stressed out demographic. I've read several articles articulating the point that Indian teenagers are among one of the highest in suicide rates, and that many parents put an unrealistic amount of pressure, duty, and responsibility on the child to the point of a physical and mental collapse. You're given the unalienable freedom to raise your kids with the method you choose, but not every method is perfect, and when your method is one of the ones that leads to suicide, mental health problems, and perpetuates fear and anxiety in the minds of teenagers, then you may want to reevaluate your methods.

3 Idiots also provides us with the idea that many Indian children are told what to become in life early and are discouraged from exploration or even personal ambition. This I can't believe. What an unhappy, uninspiring, completely wasted life to slog through everyday doing something you loathe all because it was the lucky career choice of your parents. Yet I'm sure millions have been lead through this same life. It's the worst way of "living through a person" that I can imagine.

The film runs ten minutes shy of three hours, which for few viewers may seem too long and uncomfortable. I was skeptical myself walking in rather blind. Almost every Bollywood film I've conducted research on seems to run an upwards of three hours, some extending and testing the waters to roughly five hours. If other Bollywood works have characters drawn along the same lines of being relatable, human, and easily accessible and not biased towards race or social class, I can't see it being a struggle to get through any of the industry's films.

Through every quick-witted song and dance number, through every comedic scene, through every instance of dramatic despair, emotionally alive moment, solemnly poignant sequence, suspenseful setup, to a lovely, heartfelt conclusion, 3 Idiots is a wonderful, invaluable endeavor in the world of film. Its actors are beautifully fitting for their roles, assisted by a script so human and true to life that it is honestly hard to believe, and captured through beautifully alive cinematography to collectively give us a beautiful package not just in the figurative sense. This is arguably one of the best comedies I've ever seen.

This is the very first time i write a review, mostly because I'm very lazy.

However I just watched this film and i gotta admit it...

I loved it!!!!

At first i was like well "lets see what this movie has to offer"

(btw its also the first Indian movie I've ever seen) and I was like okay

its funny and then... like wow so thoughtful and reflexive! It really

made me meditate about my career and my real dreams! Its a very good

movie! I'll recommend it to all my friends!

You must watch it!

All is Well!

The title may conjur up images of the 3 Stooges and the crude humour of the opening might suggest a Hindi "Porky's" but with a running time of almost three hours "3 Idiots" clearly has its mind on higher things. It's a Bollywood buddy-movie devised as an epic and determined to outdo all the competition and being a Bollywood movie is full of large-scale musical numbers as well as a lot of very broad and very funny comedy.

The 3 idiots of the title meet as engineering students, become life-long friends but are separated by that old fickle finger of fate. It's also bold enough to deal with such issues as suicide and poverty and, of course, the caste system and is lifted onto an altogether higher plain by a terrific performance from Aamir Khan as 'the idiot' the other two worship and who, naturally, isn't an idiot at all but the sharpest tool in the box and he's brilliantly supported by Sharman Joshi as his potentially suicidal friend and Omi Vaidya as his number one rival. Brilliantly directed by Rajkumar Hirani this is the kind of film Hollywood could learn a lot from and which, had it been a Hollywood film, might well have swept the boards come Oscar time.

Until recently my only exposure to Indian cinema was Satyajit Ray. Like a lot of Americans, my knowledge of Bollywood was based entirely on film clips and American take-offs of lavish musical numbers.

I searched a few lists of top Bollywood films and settled on 3 Idiots, which turned out to be a wonderful decision. The movie is terrifically funny and engaging, seamlessly moving from comedy to tragedy to musical numbers.

The story centers around a brilliant, iconoclastic technical student who spends the movie telling people to follow their dreams. While generally lighthearted, the movie strongly addresses the apparently terrible stresses on Indian college students. But in spite of some dark moments, overall this is about as feel-good as you can get. Feel-good to an absurd degree? Sure. But what's so bad about feeling good?

When I think of Bollywood I think of big musical numbers, and there are a handful here, although they're a tiny part of the three-hour running time. Still, they are tremendous fun.

To sum up, I saw a Bollywood movie, I laughed, I cried, and now I want to see more.

UPDATE: I saw more. So many good movies out there!

I'm an IITian myself and hence, needless to say, was looking forward to this movie as it is based on the life in IITs. I went with my family and watched the first-day-first-show and was I pleased ? In one sentence - The best Bollywood movie ever ! If you are into movies, then this one is not to be missed unless you are the 4th idiot. I cried, I laughed and I enjoyed every moment of the 3 hours that I spent watching this gem. The songs that seemed mediocre before watching the movie, feel like perfect for the movie. They are so ideal for the situations that I just loved them.

As you can understand, they could not bring the name of any IIT into the movie to avoid disputes. But trust me, whatever they have shown about the life in IITs, it's all true. Right from suicides, cold-hearted Professors to lack of encouragement and support for talents who can really bring serious change in this world. The movie successfully depicts how once inside, your life is only about meaningless grades, go get into the race before it's too late.

Take my free advice and avoid any reviews or words from people who have already seen the movie. Don't let anyone spoil any scene from the movie. Rush to the nearest theater and experience the phenomenon for yourself. You'll bless me for this advice !

I have a 17 year old daughter preparing for college;this morning i told her to watch the movie and even to invite her schoolmates to watch it together.The movie is really entertaining,very well directed,the actors trying to do their best.İt has all the features of Indian cinema,colorful,bright,dancing sequences,songs.

I want to believe in rancho's philosophy,though unfortunately i am aware that those thoughts are very naive regarding the real world of jungle.

all college students,the ones preparing to be and most importantly,their parents should spare some time for this movie.if all the people in the world behaved like that all would be so fine:)

thanks to all the production and casting crew..

Plot Two idiots Farhan (Madhavan) and Raju (Sharman) sets outs on a journey to find their lost friend and the 3rd idiot Rancho (Aamir).. As the journey starts off, their college life and old memories of their friendship, with a unique free-thinker Rancho who inspired them and changed their lives, are unfolded through flashbacks and followed with some twists and turns...

My Views 3 Idiots looks at our educational system which pressurizes the students and does not allow to chose his destination by his own wish, in a satirical way and brings out some of the flaws in it... On parallel there is a love angle between Rancho and Pia (Kareena)... Many of the situations/characters have resemblance or inspiration to "Five Point Someone", blockbuster novel penned by Chetan Bhagat...

Both humour and emotional quotients are amalgamated in the right proportion, full credits to Raju for that... Film offers lots of quality rib-tickling moments throughout.. The intermission point offers a twist that is totally out of the blue and keeps you hooked to the movie ! Just when you think this feel-good comic caper is leading to its culmination, there is another surprising element at the climax which is brilliantly weaved out by Hirani...

Technically, it rocks with astounding and visually arresting cinematography, the aerial shots of Shimla and Ladakh are a pleasant treat for our eyes... Editing was good... Song visualizations were cool... Music was good and well placed with the flow of the narration...

Coming to performances, all of them comes out with convincing portrayals, but it is Aamir Khan, the real showman of Bollywood, steals the shows with yet another stellar portrayal and will go down as one of his best performances. His looks and mannerisms as a college student was genuine and consummate.. Madhavan and Sharman adds up with commendable performances... Kareena does her part well... Among the supporting, Boman Irani as the eccentric head of the institution was too good...

On the downside, there are some unbelievable filmy situations which can be excused as writer's liberty and the episode of Mona's delivery was a bit far stretched.. Still these minor negatives does not affect this wholesome entertainer ! In short the basic theme of the movie is that "chase excellence and success will follow".. Just like that Aamir and Raju has chased excellence and success is following them...

So to sum up, Aamir and Hirani has delivered the best movie of 2009... Do yourself a favour by seeing this highly emotional and feel good comic entertainer...

Verdict : THE BEST of 2009 ! Rating : 9/10

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Unlike many other Bollywood movies, 3 Idiots was enjoyable - at some points.

Firstly, the film provides a useful message - do what you love rather than what someone else thinks you should do. It also has a clever and quite unpredictable plot which makes the film certainly watchable.

However, the reason for this film's downfall is due to its comedic aspect. The jokes and comedy to this film is super immature and childish and wouldn't make 99% of adults laugh. I genuinely believe that if this film had little to no comedic aspects, or at least a less childish comedic aspect, and was a serious film it could be comparable to Good Will Hunting.

Had the potential to be a global success but only succeeded domestically.

I got to see this movie at a special screening before it hit the theaters. The high expectation was palpable. After all, Aamir Khan has been producing successive hits over the years. Now for the movie - which starts in an engineering college in India, goes on to show the lives of three of its students through the years till they graduate. This being a Bollywood film, obviously has a smattering of romance and song and dance sequences. Right from the start where Aamir jaywalks into the college building without a care in the world to the time he starts questioning the teaching methods in class, its just a matter of a couple of days. Some cheeky guy this is! Unfortunately, all his antics and funny lines are as old as the college building he is in. You would have heard these jokes a hundred times over. Anyways, that is the best part of the film since it at least elicits a few laughs. The rest of the 3 hours is filled with stereotypes and melodramatic scenes which are ridiculous at best. It seems that these days in India, anyone who can make the audience cry can laugh all the way to the bank. Aamir has this knowledge and isn't afraid to use it.