If you have seen Dil Chahta Hai and Rang De Basanti (which you should have, if you understand Hindi and appreciate even a bit of quality cinema), you are in for a dissapointment with this one.
When it comes to an Amir Khan movie, the expectations are always sky high. I guess, this weight of expectation might compare with what Sachin Tendulkar would have felt in the 90s when he would come in to bat. Due to Amir's past of Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, it's but natural to expect 3 Idiots to be of the same calibre. Unfortunately, in my frank opinion, 3 Idiots doesnt fit in that same league. In fact, in comparison, it's quite bad.
Throughout the movie, Amir Khan's body language doesnt seem that natural; he looks rather concious of his appearance or his acting, than he should have while carrying off that character of a 20-something. And contrary to what people are saying, I felt Amir, at ~45yrs, didn't look a 20-something at all. He looked a bit too mature and reserved for his age and character.
Worn Out Jokes
3 Idiots being a movie about engineering college students, being based on the amazing 5-Point-Someone book, obvious expectations were a laughter riot with quality jokes. But even on that front, the film doesnt deliver much. There was no novelty in most of the jokes, as they were heard/read/seen before. Like, for example, the space pen or the induction motor startup and many other.
Way too Much Masala
The thing that surprised me most was the amount of masala scenes that defy logic and sensibilities in order to appeal to the mass public. This movie is full of such blatantly masala scenes. Something that people hardly expect from an Amir Khan movie. Time and again, you are reminded that you are watching a Hindi movie; like when Amir Khan drives the moped right into the hospital, or when baby is delived using a vaccum cleaner running on an inverter which in turn is running on car batteries or when the delivered baby doesnt cry but kicks on 'hearing' "all is well"!! Even a Mithun Chakravarty movie would have made more sense. Another thing I remember in the last scene, when the newborn baby doesnt cry for a long time, everybody thinks the baby is dead on delivery and then, this guy tells the mother to keep her hands on her heart and say 'all is well'!! I mean, there lies this lady whose newborn baby is supposedly not alive. Imagine the trauma she would have been going through. And in such a situation, how insensitive it is to tell her to say 'all is well'...?? What nonsense!!
Brownie Points
Though the overall impression of the movie is pretty bad, there are few scenes which are really hillarious. First scene that comes to mind is the chamatkar-balatkar-dhan-stan scene, which though seemingly little manipulated, generates huge laughter. Another would be one when both Rancho and director Virus throw the keys to director's office for fetching some instruments. Boman Irani, as usual, creates a masterpiece of character as Director Viru Sahastrabuddhe aka Virus.
Conclusion
All in all, I would say the movie is definitely a one-time-watch, but at the same time, dont expect too much from it. To reiterate, it's not in the league of DCH or RDB, as one would like to expect. This time, surprisingly, Amir slips on the high standard that he has set for himself.
Rating?? If I were a film critic, I would have given it 3 stars out of 5.
When it comes to an Amir Khan movie, the expectations are always sky high. I guess, this weight of expectation might compare with what Sachin Tendulkar would have felt in the 90s when he would come in to bat. Due to Amir's past of Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai, Rang De Basanti, Taare Zameen Par, it's but natural to expect 3 Idiots to be of the same calibre. Unfortunately, in my frank opinion, 3 Idiots doesnt fit in that same league. In fact, in comparison, it's quite bad.
Throughout the movie, Amir Khan's body language doesnt seem that natural; he looks rather concious of his appearance or his acting, than he should have while carrying off that character of a 20-something. And contrary to what people are saying, I felt Amir, at ~45yrs, didn't look a 20-something at all. He looked a bit too mature and reserved for his age and character.
Worn Out Jokes
3 Idiots being a movie about engineering college students, being based on the amazing 5-Point-Someone book, obvious expectations were a laughter riot with quality jokes. But even on that front, the film doesnt deliver much. There was no novelty in most of the jokes, as they were heard/read/seen before. Like, for example, the space pen or the induction motor startup and many other.
Way too Much Masala
The thing that surprised me most was the amount of masala scenes that defy logic and sensibilities in order to appeal to the mass public. This movie is full of such blatantly masala scenes. Something that people hardly expect from an Amir Khan movie. Time and again, you are reminded that you are watching a Hindi movie; like when Amir Khan drives the moped right into the hospital, or when baby is delived using a vaccum cleaner running on an inverter which in turn is running on car batteries or when the delivered baby doesnt cry but kicks on 'hearing' "all is well"!! Even a Mithun Chakravarty movie would have made more sense. Another thing I remember in the last scene, when the newborn baby doesnt cry for a long time, everybody thinks the baby is dead on delivery and then, this guy tells the mother to keep her hands on her heart and say 'all is well'!! I mean, there lies this lady whose newborn baby is supposedly not alive. Imagine the trauma she would have been going through. And in such a situation, how insensitive it is to tell her to say 'all is well'...?? What nonsense!!
Brownie Points
Though the overall impression of the movie is pretty bad, there are few scenes which are really hillarious. First scene that comes to mind is the chamatkar-balatkar-dhan-stan scene, which though seemingly little manipulated, generates huge laughter. Another would be one when both Rancho and director Virus throw the keys to director's office for fetching some instruments. Boman Irani, as usual, creates a masterpiece of character as Director Viru Sahastrabuddhe aka Virus.
Conclusion
All in all, I would say the movie is definitely a one-time-watch, but at the same time, dont expect too much from it. To reiterate, it's not in the league of DCH or RDB, as one would like to expect. This time, surprisingly, Amir slips on the high standard that he has set for himself.
Rating?? If I were a film critic, I would have given it 3 stars out of 5.
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