All Izz Well. All? Hmm

Here is something to reflect on. Well as much as the movie 3 Idiots as created history at the box office and continues to entertain one and all, the movie definitely has some critical grievances. I ll try to address some of them. Some of these are directly related to the movie, some to the entire project, and some to the marketing of the movie itself. Ofcourse I will try to highlight some other worthwhile points too. Well perhaps grievances is a strong word…but lets see.

1. Heart-warming and entertaining, but predictable at many points.
Director Raju Hirani and Abhijat Joshi have definitely spent a good deal of time in writing the script. The duo paired up for Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai before this, and definitely had stellar stories to tell. This time however, the script gets predictive at many points. The “Russians invented a pencil when Americans were trying too hard for the anti-gravity fountain pen” is a cliched old story for the classes if not for the masses. And when Rancho raises his hand to make a point to Virus, you are almost sure of what he is going to say. One woud have expected something more inventive from Hirani. The suicide of Lobo, the character of Pia, parents reactions,..are also pretty predictable. You almost know whats coming next at some points. And then again, the drama of the pregnancy at the end is another unrealistic interpretation- i mean…this is what convinces you that “hey this is a movie after all”, from your initial belief in the director of the movie that this is the real truth – and Hirani and Aamir with their tremendous story-telling and acting skills respectively, have taught us to think just that way! I guess this was the biggest drawback of a film that has otherwise broken all records.

2. Male-chauvinist? May be
College. Without girls? That was kinda surprising coz the movie hardly had moments that reflected on this aspect. Yes, there was Pia- but she was there mainly as Virus’s daughter, which is fine as thats what Chetan Bhagat wrote. But there could have been a more female touch in the plot or story lines. agreed that its different from a regular bollywood…but come on, you need to know that the movie is intending to capture everyone’s hearts (read next point)

3. Too much of it!
There was a tad too much of guys in their innerwear or peeing and the like. I mean…if you are sitting with your girlfriend i am not sure you want to see too much of that in the movie. Well not that its a big issue coz a lot of girls and women (i went to watch the movie with my two young cousins-girls) did have a laugh themselves…but i am not sure if they really wanted to see a lot of that. In the same vein the use of some of the words in the plot…as i mentioned..it appeared a little cliched for the classes rather than the masses. But hey, who said the movie was meant for the classes only.

4. Classes and Masses
Which brings me to the point that, as much as the movie is extremely entertaining, critics probably would have expected more from Hirani given the brilliant reputation he has built up post the Munnabhai movies. This is basically a movie that dealt in cheap comedy. The movie rings a bell with the young audience (read Guys!) who are in college or just out of it. It is this niche group of people (college youngsters – boys typically) who have contributed to the movie becoming an all-time record grosser at the box office in just 3 weeks. So much for the hype and marketing of the movie!

5. Serious flaws in the script
The movie shows Madhavan or Farhan with an avid interest in photography. And this is shown in the scene where Rancho is drawn to the brilliant wildlife pictures in Farhan’s living room. Well those pictures definitely look like pictures from the wildlife in South Africa/African Safari. So does that assume that Farhan has already toured Africa with this passion for wildlife photography? If yes, then we need to ask which Indian parent of an average engineering student would allow him to tour Africa and prevent him from engaging in his passion for the same. I mean..think about it!

In a similar vein, the movie shows Raju has being extremely serious about engineering but is scared and is pressurised-and in typical bollywood style he comes last and Rancho, first. Also, the pigeon or bird in Virus’s nest is a living bird right? i am not sure, coz it doesnt move an inch! Pia says Virus wanted the sons to be engineers and daughters to be doctors. So was Mona a doctor or med student too? not sure. may be i missed it. Well its questions and thoughts like these which kinda make u feel let down. Especially when its the director of the Munnabhai series with Aamir Khan in the mix. Ok i agree some of these are kinda very harsh, and do not subscribe to such a detailed analysis of what is but a Bollywood movie.

6. The VVC-Hirani seal in the starcast
U had to find a Boman Irani. One main hero (Aamir for Sanjay Dutt). One sidekick (well we had two-Sharman and Madhavan for Circuit). One lady who has previously not acted in the earlier movie (Kareena for Vidya Balan or Gracy Singh). Jimmy Shergill was there in both Munnabhai movies. The cameo role here was taken by Jaaved Jaffery. Shantanu Moitra for the music. Some form of cult transportation ( if it was the tri-cycle scooter in Lage Raho Munnabhai, there was the hospital ward room barging red scooter here). Hmm…some pattern. But not a bad thing – well thats the making of a brand.

7.Dialogues- Brilliant
Without a doubt, Hirani and Joshi have scripted dialogues brilliantly. ‘Aal Izz Well’ has gone onto become an anthem in itself and the characters have carried them very well. Reliance, the distributors, have cashed in well on the tag-line in their insurance business. Sure enough, Hirani knows how to make us laugh. But then again, the comedy is kinda stale at many points.

8. The Chase
The movie has a plot where Raju and Farhan (Sharman and Madhavan) go in search of Rancho (Aamir). Only after seeing the movie would you be able to associate the ‘Catch Me in you can” game that Aamir fed the nation with in the weeks before the release. Well much has already been written about Aamir and his marketing for the movie here on stratin so i wont really elaborate on that more.

The Controversy:

Ah..this was something we could have avoided. But i actually found it very interesting! Chetan Bhagat did have a point in not getting his name at the start of the movie in the ‘Story’ credits. Not fair to relegate his mention right at the end after talking about all the spotboys and assistants. Having said that, Chetan’s has got his share of fame already. May be it was a lost battle. All the same, it will be interesting if Hirani or VVC or Aamir decide to kiss and make up with Chetan should they (and most definitely they will) win an award or two at the Filmware night

Final thoughts:
Aware of the risk of sounding like Rajiv Masand, I would not really claim credibility of my viewpoints, but i guess its a fair observation made purely from a first impression. The movie by itself is a stellar piece of entertainment. Aamir’s acting has been brilliant, the script awesome and the casting just perfect. Flawless? i am not too sure. Did we really expect Hirani-Aamir to be flawless? Well may be!

Shantan

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