I saw “3 Idiots”. That is obvious. The unobvious is that I didn’t like it. I found the movie overhyped in some daring proportions. Well I am sure I will be booked for this culpable offence and hence I would like to put up my defense.
No issues with some typical bollywood style story in which a hero never ever loses, in which medical miracles happen at every step, in which there always is chronological chaos and everything happens at whim. Neither do I have issues with some flaws in the technical prowess shown by the hero. I take it that neither Mr. Vidhu Vinod nor Mr. Rajkumar Hirani took engineering classes and if they did they must have flunked them. The issues are with the basic premises movie is built upon.
Anger swept over me when in the end chatur is once again ridiculed by the cool hero. I am still unable to grasp that why a certain kind of individual has been mocked so thoroughly in the movie. I always find my college life, in retrospect, to be a collage of good and bad, cool and uncool yet different individuals with different attributes. Why is the success defined as the hero likes it to be. For every individual in this world it may have a different sense, even if he may end up with a bank job after doing engineering.
The book (Five point someone) from which the movie is allegedly inspired gives a contrasting picture, which says that you don’t need to have a chatur to make life of 3 friends beautiful. You don’t need to denounce someone in order to glorify other. In spite of alienating themselves from the book and the author, film makers could have had his inputs which I assume would have made it better.
In retrospect I felt that the message which movie must have wanted to deliver got lost somewhere in between the commercialization of the movie and coolness of the hero. In fact the absence of a clear cut message poses a danger as it will be open to interpretation to the masses who will be stepping into their college life. I am unable to fathom the consequences right now. But frankly all is really not well. I rest my case.
11 comments:
Excellent Criticism and very logical too. I do agree that there are some hips and exaggerations. Also Film motivates for ragging and Malpractices of Delivery which is very dangerous. we should not be an instruments in the hands of so called Hippocrates of Bollywood.
Congrats Sachin....... for being so bold and putting your views differently... as I use to say start on some News paper as a columnist.
look forward to see you in Hindu ot IE or TOI..... soon.
Blessings.
Good Perspective from your side.
But, as a whole movie is not about success or failure, or about the coolness of the hero.
It was about how one should think independently while he learns and preaches one should be capable to apply the knowledge he gains. It asks audience to think, to be creative just like human are expected to be not.
Chatur here is been highly criticized not of its success, but because he do things, like machine, which knowing what is doing, he just take in the command and give the results any programmed software. (Ex: Teacher's Day Lecture).
In more general term, movie has criticized "Success", which in society is valued in monetary terms. Chatur in the movie glorified, more its Lamborgini and multimillion house rather than what he actually has done.
I agree was movie was little overhyped and was at times self contradicting. The grounds on which it criticizes one engineer for ending up for a bank job and on the other hand encourages other engineer for a photography is baseless. Just like the latter, former may wanted to be a banker.
But still "3 Idiots" make one of the greatest movie, for it has given many of the important and crucial messages, leave aside the great entertainment of 3 hours it has to give.
Contrasting characters to show special qualities of the 'Hero' is a dramatic device ... Raju Hirani and Vidhu Chopra may not have studied engineering - but as students of cinema they know what works on screen. It wasn't necessary - but its more entertaining and easier to put the message across.
Again the message is not that pursuing banking after engineering is bad - its more about the definition of success..
i know people who saw the movie and came to the conclusion that they wouldn't mind being Chatur as he is the one who ended up with the fancy house and car.
However the point the movie is trying to make is that we should
a) try not to trudge blindly on the tried and tested path to success - and instead find our own way
b) not define success purely in material terms
The contrast between the characters is on these two basic points. Find your own definition of success and take your own path to it... when you get there, the world will realize your worth.
Lets just first start with the basic message of the movie, which was- "Chase excellence and success will follow". The most important point where I would like to contradict your criticism of the movie regarding its "Message Content" by comparing it with Five Point Someone at some point is that the later was just a Diary on IIT days of three students without taking a STRONG STANCE on anything and without INSPIRING anyone to change our educational system, isnt it? The character 'Ryan' in the book was a rich guy who doesnt like the IIT education system but DOES NOTHING to change it. And that is were the central differnce lie.Just like there is no meaning of light without darkness, rediculing "chatur" was required in the movie to portray the central message more beautifully and practically . In the book "Chatur" was missing because there was no STRONG message to begin with, so the very need was not there.
The makers of the movie have done a great job in providing a Statement in a more entertaining and commercial way without getting too much critical. Yet it does retain a very strong messsage for those who care about it. Rest others can have there share of fun with the laughter or many other entertaining moments. For me this was the cinema at its best.
"Maaster ji, aap chinta na kare, main raatt lenge" , this attitude of chatur was ridiculed, message i thot was pretty clear, ya on that bank comment, well i feel students are not much clear about the path at that age, well some of them (like me )are still not clear and following the trend... :P, but then there is flaw in system too, for ex, i liked maths, science , so went for engineering, but once u land up there, u realise its not maths or science, it totally different, so why not go in a bank... :D :D
I agree very much with you, I didnt like the portrayal of the characters, story was haywire and there was a serious chronological mess.
Success varies from person to person a farmer succeeding to make his ends meet might be the most successful person to himself. And a banker fired from Lehman might consider himself as a failure..
And the funda follow your heart has always been the mantra that we lived by so it wasnt something very new to us, that is why we didnt get the aroma of the movie which is driving people nuts..
I even went back to my college days because it wasnt well portrayed in the movie..
I agree on your points of criticism. Movie was good as a movie. Leave apart message, it was carrying bunch of impractical incidences shown as very obvious. Stretched for three hours & bollywoodized. I seriously doubt 300 crores business and people going crazy. You can call it very entertaining movie but not one of the best. Exploitation of brand Aamir. BUT still with the current status of bollywood movies it was great.
agree with you for the most part. I liked the movie as good entertainment, but nothing inspirational. It could have been more relate-able if Amir's character wasn't larger than life.
well put up...
i think the path depends entirely on the individual. It does not matter if you follow your heart or join the rat race...all that matters is that you should not have any regrets in the end.
And one very important fact that a lot of junta must have missed is that the hero walked a different path...good...he gave you a message...good...all is well in his life...good...BUT
he being a scientist, all the hard work, his rigour behind that is not shown in the movie...and that's what will exactly mislead ppl, if any.
As astonishing as it might sound... I haven't watched the movie as yet. But since everybody who watched it, gave it a more than 3 rating .. i thought I'd give it a shot but didn't manage to find time. I wasn't that entralled with the promos, so wasnt that excited to watch it either. Moreover I dont like any of chetan bhagat books, so..
About the review,
Frustration vented with perfect blend of words. Nicely put.
Though i have no idea what you are talking about, I get the picture!
Cheers,
Anu
the point u have highlighted is debatable and subject to interpretations,the way u wanna see it as.though i like the idea of 3 idiots being criticized for a change
watching thousands of hollywood movies and being an avid bollywood fan too,ihave learnt one thing.
a movie is good ,only if it is well made, that is it has some breathtaking performances,great setings or great direction
i am not a fan of any message being delivered or not.
if the movie is wel made with good characterization,it will make people think and they can have there own interpretations to suit themselves.
so my ground for criticizing 3 idiots ,is predominantly on its weak settings and being too much of a cliche
i didnt like the direction,aall characters were wasted,aamir too good to be human.
i like humans.sharman was best for me and the sunshine song.
love chemistry was aweful,madhvan wasted,improbable and shocking sequences and poor music
in all,film lacked a masterful touch.though i admit it is well written but dfinately not well directed.
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