3 Idiots

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.