Bollywood Bite
A monthly column dedicated to the Indian film industry
Out on DVD
3 Idiots
Starring: Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor Director: Rajkumar Hirani Synopsis: Two friends go down memory lane as they find a lead to track down their college buddy
It’s finally here! If taken individually, Hirani’s third film is a heart-warming story packed with laughs, emotion and great acting.
But not long into the film tat you start to realise how similar the themes are to the director’s first film (Munnabhai MBBS): arduous student life, a cruel college dean (played by the same actor), parents’ expectations, rebel student conflicting with the professors, bringing joy and compassion to a somewhat militant-run campus, mocking the “geek” and mistakenly falling for the dean’s daughter. I suppose two films with such similar themes and settings can work if treated differently but when they share the same tone and look too, it becomes difficult to differentiate. I also fail to see why Rancho (Khan) needs to hide his true identity from his friends and the woman he loves, and disappear as if he never existed once his master’s plan is fulfilled. There is no logical sense as to why, when there is no longer any real risk to his “mission” per se, he would sacrifice such meaningful relationships.
And so I can’t help but see this as a more refined version in parts of his first with a different core plotline and that, along with the strange plot, I feel, takes away from its brilliance. Nonetheless extremely enjoyable!
Snippet Reviews
Game ** Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut, Jimmy Shergil Director: Abhinay Deo Synopsis: Crime thriller involving 4 strangers invited to play a game by a wealthy tycoon Review: Interesting concept that eventually becomes very tedious and predictable
Thank You * Starring: Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Sonam Kapoor Director: Aneez Basmee Synopsis: A private detective aims to break up the marriage of his employer after falling for her Review: Once again I’m praying this will be the last of Akshay’s nonsensical and cringe-worthy comedies.
