Introduction: A Review of the Film 3 Idiots

Introduction: A Review of the comedy Film 3 Idiots
The film Three Idiots is one of the most thrilling cinematic experiences I have ever had. Sharman Joshi plays Raju Rastogi, Aamir Khan plays Rancho, and R. Madhavan plays Farhan Qureshi in Rajkumar Hirani's film. The film aids in the comprehension of sociological viewpoints and cultural theories in the field of art. Farhan and his friend Raju get a call from an old schoolmate, Chatur, asking them to confirm the outcome of a bet they made ten years ago. Rancho, the bet's subject, does not show up, so they go on the hunt for him.On the way, the memory of Farhan reveals how their lost friend Rancho touched and changed their lives back at the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE).

The narrator presents the story through flashbacks, the memory lane of Farhan. Along the way, they recall their college days when he and Raju were overweighed by pressures from their families to succeed. The free thinking Rancho gives his friends an entirely different perspective of life. They recall the many times Rancho was in conflict with the College Director Viru Sahastrabuddhe, and his relationship with Pia.The mystery surrounding their friend deepens, and they begin to doubt if they knew their friend

This film had the intention to criticize India's higher education system. As Shyam Menon, vice-chancellor of Ambedkar University in Delhi says, the examination system and the process of selection into higher learning institutions have placed a lot of pressure on students. Indeed the number of students contesting for admission into institutions of higher education continues to increase each year thereby heightening the completion levels too (Mukherji 20) The system lays emphasis on ranking as opposed to the development of knowledge and skills. On the one hand, the writer portrays Rancho the protagonist as a successful student, always winning. He comes first in his class and always wins the clashes he has with the professors. Additionally, he becomes a scientist worth four hundred patents ten years later. On the other hand, the writer shows Chatur a faithful student of the bookish cramming system as also being successful. At school, Chatur comes second none but Rancho. Ten years later, Chatur boasts of a large mansion with maple flooring, heated swimming pool, and a Lamborghini. To top it all, he is the Vice President of a company. Therefore, the two rivals are both successful, and it becomes unclear if the writer fulfilled his intentions.

The presentation of this story in flashback indeed affects the contents. The screenplay jumps back and forth in time over a ten-year duration; it, therefore, becomes difficult for the viewer to understand whether the scenes are from the past or the present. A major scene that helps in the development and understanding of the story is when the two friends arrive at Ranchhoddas Shamaldas home. It is here that we get to unravel the mystery surrounding know that Rancho. The story brings out three key points. First is the need to have a passion for one's work. One can never be successful at doing something they hate. Rancho excels at school because Engineering is his passion while Farhan comes last because he loves photography and not engineering. The second point is that one should not treat life as a race just because of a set timeline. One has to get the meaning or value of the competition first. A secondary point in the story is about having a positive attitude when dealing with challenges. The famous chant by Ranch" all is well, "gives them the courage to face problems. An unintentional result of this movie is that the writer ends up portraying both antagonizing sides as being successful in the end. The only difference being the protagonist earns more money hence more successful than his rival.

A central popular cultural theme in the story is self-actualization, constructed in the character of Rancho. He knows what he wants to become and honestly pursues it as opposed to his friend Farhan doing the opposite of his aspirations. Rancho excels in his studies and achieves success ten years later as a renowned scientist Phunsukh Wangdu. As Amitabh Bachan said "I was lucky I knew I wanted to become an actor from an early stage of life. I have since met several people who do not know what to do with their lives." Therefore, chances of success are high where there are real passion and strength.

Technology and Innovation are dramatized to us on many occasions in this movie. Rancho completes Joy Lobo's previously rejected helicopter. It's sad that Joy doesn't live to see this success. He makes the Virus' power inversion machine that saves the day when heavy rains throw the entire institution into a power blackout. Finally, Rancho's school in Shimla emphasizes skill-based education. We can see this in the shear for sheep driven by a bicycle dynamo.

To dramatize the importance of creative thinking is shown in the electric shock administered by Rancho to the college bully. Here he employs the knowledge from sixth-grade science that salt was a good conductor of electricity. Farhan remarks that other students studied it, Rancho applied it. Another instance is the use of vacuum cleaner to deliver a baby. To summarize this point, he met every challenge with answers that were the product of creative thinking.

Sociological/Cultural concepts

Social interaction is the whole process of how we get along with each other in the society. It embodies our actions and reactions to those around us and their responses in return. The categories of interaction include competition, exchange, conflict, cooperation, and coercion. In the three idiots, the school system and life, in general, is portrayed as a contest where one has to outdo others to survive. Chatur, for example, believes the only way to get to the top is by elevating his points or by sinking his enemies. He thus resorts to distracting others on the eve of examinations by sneaking in pornographic literature at their doorsteps. Cooperation is also very evident among those with a common goal. Rancho and Farhan work together to demonstrate to Raju the adverse effects of mindless cramming.

Sociological change is the alteration or transformation of social institutions or culture. Social change may be brought about by an invention, new ideas, and discoveries among others. It is sometimes intentional or maybe unplanned and also controversial. The movie clearly presents this concept with the protagonist challenging the system that has existed in ICE for thirty-two years. The film calls for reforms in the educational system that would transform schools from emphasizing on ranks and focusing more on building knowledge and skills.

Social stratification is the grouping of members of society into categories based on their income levels, wealth and social status. Rancho represents the upper class. He comes from a wealthy family, and his father is renowned and respected business man. Farhan is from a middle-income family thus represents the middle class. Raju represents the lower class coming from a low-income family. His father is a retired postmaster and the mother a former teacher surviving on a pension. The narrator remarks that their house resembled scenes from the 1950s.

Social culture is the collection of people's way of life comprising of their beliefs, values, customs and norms. The movie is rich in Indian culture portraying dances, songs, attire and social events. The trio gatecrashes an Indian wedding and Farhan and Raju kidnap the bride from the altar in the second instance. When the duo reaches Rancho's home, they find mourners preparing the body of Rancho's father being for final burial rites. The movie, therefore, captures the culture of its geographic setting adequately.

The strongest issue emerging from the story is the rising number of suicide cases in the institutions of higher learning. Joy Lobo, a finalist, quits the race of life when the director calls off his graduation because he did not meet the deadline for the submission of his project. The Director’s son made three unsuccessful attempts to receive an admission at ICE. The result of this pressure is that he jumps off a train and dies. Raju attempts suicide because he fears facing the disappointment his rustication from the college would bring upon his family. Mukherji notes that data released by the National Crime Records Bureau reports 5857 deaths in 2006 with the figures parachuting to 7379 in 2010.Health professionals and academicians have laid blame on the flaws in the education system that has created a pressure cooker environment in most schools. (Mukherji 20).

The role of education in alleviating poverty is another issue that emerges, although weakly. Farhan parents want him to be serious with his studies to be able to get a good job and earn a hefty salary. Raju's low-income family are very much worried about his performance at school. His mother complains of the high cost of living and implores him to study hard and pay his sister's expensive dowry. Much as the film may be pro-education, it's not clear whether Raju maintained the employment after graduation considering him and Farhan always came last in every examination. Another Indian movie that I watched with similar themes is Body Guard. The film features Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor as lead characters. Technological change and creative thinking are well constructed and developed. Self-actualization is however not brought out clearly. All said and done; I must confess that" 3 Idiots" moves me. It can inspire any viewer, and it can be a good movie to recommend to anyone who would want to get a real entertainment.































Work Cited

Mukherji, Anita. "Student suicides soar 26% in 5 years, education system blamed." The Times of India. Disponível em< http://articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/2011-11-02/india/30349474_1_student-suicides-education-system-higher-education>. Acessado em 20 (2011).



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