10 Lessons From 3 Idiots

December 30, 2009
By

The latest Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots is being widely acclaimed as one of the best movies of recent times. I managed to catch a show last week, and came back impressed.

Not just impressed. I learnt a lot from the movie. What follows is ten important lessons in life that the movie taught me.

This is not a review. Millions have already been written so i wont go there. If you want a positive review try here, and here. If you want a bad one, check this out, and for a really nasty one, read here.

Ok. So back to the ten lessons i learnt from 3 Idiots.

Ageing can be stopped. There is after all, such a thing as the elixir of life. Obviously Aamir Khan has found it; there’s no way a 44 year old man can look so incredibly young all of a sudden. If only he shared some of that with Madhavan…

Or science has really made immense progress over the past years. They probably stole the face of a college kid and stuck it on Aamir’s.

Those tiny, baby scooters come in handy in medical emergencies. You can drive ahead of an ambulance clearing the way for it to pass, or if an ambulance isn’t available, just use the little bi-wheeler as one. As an added advantage, hospitals will let you drive the scooter right up to the operation theater so it works out quite nicely.

Poverty and illness may be touchy topics, but if tinted in sepia tones they become funny. All you need is a mom cribbing about the family’s pathetic financial condition in black and white, while the paralyzed dad lies in bed, and audiences will roll away in their seats. Some will ROFL, while some others may even ROFLMAO.

A movie can break box office opening collection records and win wholesome praise from all and sundry, but still some critic holed up in a dinghy cabin will manage to come up with an absolutely scathing review that tears up everything about the film. After all, isn’t that what critics are paid for? (Writing reviews, i meant! If you are a critic, please also note that such reviews may be followed by thousands of comments by readers questioning the sanctity of your comments.)

The farmhouses of Chhatarpur are passe. The Delhi wallah who really matters would go to a fancy hill station to get married.

On a related note, it is way easier to run away from a wedding in desolate hill stations. Imagine the lady runs away from the wedding mandap only to get caught in a massive traffic jam due to the latest flyover construction. Dad catches up, and shoots both runners with his rifle. What started as a romantic comedy suddenly ends up a horror flick.

If you had any doubts on the Mahabharata/Abhimanyu/Chakravyuha story, this movie should clarify all your concerns. Babies can listen and understand you, even before they are born. So get that Java book and start teaching your kid the basics of software development before his competition catches up.

This one’s important. You may be drunk and dirty, but if you are Aamir Khan, the girl will readily fall for you when you try to sneak into her bedroom in the middle of the night.

Please note the if - if you don’t pass that very important condition don’t even dare think of trying.

And the solution to the problem of men peeing all over the place - Electricity.

No man in the right frame of mind will risk his all-important apparatus. Just keep a battery and wires handy, and they will run like monkeys on seeing a langur.

Be a rebel. Fight the system. Educate yourself. Don’t waste the opportunity for education by just cramming from books. If you must mess with the principal of your college, make sure he has a pregnant daughter(-in-law) and be prepared with an inverter and a vacuum cleaner.

Lastly, think outside the box. If you just counted and this list was less than the promised length, well, that was intentional, and not because i ran out of points.

Didn’t you know - the rebel always ends up a winner?

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40 Responses to “ 10 Lessons From 3 Idiots ”

  1. Liju Philip on December 30, 2009 at 6:14 am

    hahaha…..good one.

    loved the movie too. Easily the best to come out this year.

    • leofer on August 27, 2010 at 3:20 pm

      aal is well

    • suman jaan on August 27, 2012 at 10:28 pm

      i like this movie.

    • harsh shekhawat on December 28, 2012 at 3:13 pm

      all is well :)

  2. Vikram on December 30, 2009 at 7:11 am

    Well, I felt this movie had its heart in the right place, it does try and talk about something that me and many of my friends feel strongly about. I remember me and my cousin having a big discussion with my mom after we watched Dil Chahta Hai, I feel/hope that this movie can provoke similar discussions.

    The major problem in this movie seemed to be the extreme and rather irrational stereotyping and typecasting. Of course, the writers and director should do what they want to, but having claimed to have made an educational movie, they could have atleast taken a more nuanced approach to the ‘culprits’, i.e. not dump all the blame on the parents and the administrators, and potray the students as innocent lambs put to slaughter.

  3. shail on December 30, 2009 at 8:33 am

    Enjoyed your post thoroughly. Now I have to see whether I feel the same way about the movie! :)

  4. kavi on December 30, 2009 at 9:46 am

    yes winner ! :)

    Will have to catch up with the movie ! But Aamir Khan has built his reputation and his image through some real work and difference.

    This is one bollywood star that commands some respect. Thats for sure !

  5. Haresh on December 30, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    When I read the title of the post, I thought it would be a rather serious post. Got disappointed after reading the post (?) :P

  6. bikram on December 30, 2009 at 2:51 pm

    He he he .. Going tonight to watch this .. But have heard great reviews … Reading yours has made me more curious now. My cousin has come from india to stay with me .. so me and him are going for a Boys night out :) movie-pub-food WHAT ELSE can a MAn ask for.. oh yeah Hope it snows so bad I dont have to come to work tomorrow :)

    Nice post…

  7. RAJINDER on December 30, 2009 at 11:57 pm

    finely given the ten lessons made out of 3-idiots
    and now so in view of this, I am planning to see this movie .

  8. Akshay on December 31, 2009 at 12:13 pm

    Like:
    1.Humour.
    2.Acting performances of the male leads.
    3.Kareena Kapoor.
    4.Clear social message and relatable characters.
    5.Excellent dialogues.
    Dislike:
    1.Mediocre screenplay. There are some gaping holes, such as why didn’t the 2 idiots ask Javed Jafferi Aamir’s real name and etc.
    2.Too much melodrama. All the crying could have been avoided.
    3.Kareena Kapoor’s acting.
    4.Lack of original jokes. I mean, copying internet fwds like the astronaut pen joke was a bit lame.

    I’d say the movie is surely worth a watch, particularly for vegetating engineering students.

    • stanley on November 27, 2012 at 4:18 pm

      timma-i sabaw

  9. Reema on January 2, 2010 at 9:37 pm

    LOL :) great points!! there was just too much drama at times. thanks for linking my post!!

  10. Chikki on January 4, 2010 at 1:37 am

    I liked the movie and I feel the point is well conveyed. I also like the fact that they used jokes to cover up for a dry topic. I agree that it is typically “bollywood” at lot of places, which producer might have insisted on, u know to make it commercially successful which in a way is good because now you have millions of viewers to whom you can convey what should be conveyed to billions anyway. Its what Krishna preaches in Geeta, concentrate on the end result whatever be the means.

    I liked your post too, because even it conveys what it wants to , by adding humour. :-).

  11. amreekandesi on January 5, 2010 at 12:24 am

    @Liju - Certainly this movie was by far much better than the regular bollywood fare!

    @Vikram - I agree in that the movie tried to send out a strong message, and yes not everything seemed very realistic and moral, but i guess for the sake of entertainment you can take some creative license?

    @Shail - Thanks! I am sure you will enjoy the movie!

    @Kavi - Agree. Aamir Khan stands out from the crowd.

    @Haresh - You mean this wasnt serious? So many learnings from the movie, and you find it un-serious?! Grrr!

    @Bikram - Having fun, eh! And making people jealous?
    Thanks for the appreciation, though!

    @Akshay - Insightful analysis, like always!

    @Reema - :)

    @Chikki - Precisely. This movie talks about a very serious issue behind all the goofing around. And yes, the humour greatly adds to the reach and impact of the movie.
    Thanks for the appreciation!

  12. David Lee on January 5, 2010 at 3:54 pm

    Keep up the good work. And i’m highly convinced of keeping the things to a certain reality.

  13. uberVU - social comments on January 5, 2010 at 6:17 pm

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by amreekandesi: Latest on the blog. 10 lessons i learnt from 3 idiots: http://bit.ly/8h55X5

  14. ms on January 7, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    only one important lesson learnt from 3 idiots - avoid the next VVC-AmirKhan offering!

  15. Dung on January 9, 2010 at 10:59 pm

    Nice article !!!!

  16. Amit kumar on January 10, 2010 at 3:09 am

    I watched the movie last week and totally depressed that how the producers ,directors and actors are ruining the life of students..yeah it is true that ….one has to go in that field in which you are interested…but for study you have to pay a lot …..there are not only bollywood ..there are other things also exist …..IN THE MOVIE IT SAYS THAT …STUDY FOR SOMETHING NOT FOR SUCCESS …BUT WHAT AMIR WILL DO IF THERE MOVIE NOT ABLE TO MAKE 200 CRORES ….(BUSINESS…SUCCESSSSSSSSSSSS)….THEY ARE JUST TOUCHING THE LIFE OF STUDENTS AND IT IS NEW WAY TO MAKE MONEY AND GETTING SUCCESS……ONLY THEY ARE DOING IS BUSINESS…….

    AMIR ONLY WANTS IS SUCCESS …NO MORE THAN THAT…..

  17. Jasmeen on January 12, 2010 at 1:16 am

    Usually i do not comment on any blog i read… but yours was a catchy one…

    Easily comprehensible.

    :)

  18. Smitha on January 14, 2010 at 8:32 pm

    That was classic! Haven’t seen the movie - but your lessons learnt sure was fun :)

  19. shiba on January 19, 2010 at 3:50 pm

    gr8 movie … i cudnt stop laughin … fantastic job man…

  20. Hindi Radio on January 22, 2010 at 3:19 pm

    amazing movie. I believe this is one of the greatest hits of bollywood ever. There are so many lessons to learn for the youth! Nice work.

  21. dinu on January 22, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    lol !! good collection ;)

  22. Anirudh on January 23, 2010 at 12:25 am

    No doubt, the movie is superbly done. Even with the copied jokes and borrowed (and not so…) script, its a good study in a school. Your post surely takes a good shot at it- both ways:)

  23. Mysoul on January 23, 2010 at 5:19 am

    I thoroughly enjoyed reading what you learnt (still laughing) but now the Brain Refuses to work..Does this mean the Movie was Good or that the Movie was Just like any Usual Bollywood Movie? Hmmm.. well, I will back on you being Impressed and learning lessons, so will watch when I get a chance to.

  24. amreekandesi on January 23, 2010 at 10:17 pm

    @MS - Really! You didn’t like the movie?

    @Amit Kumar - Aamir maybe doing business…but he does make a very valid point in the movie. Whats so bad about it?

    @Jasmeen - Welcome to Amreekandesi. Thanks for the appreciation…hope to see you around!

    @Smitha - Thanks. If you still havent seen the movie, then it maybe a good idea to go check it out now!

    @Shiba, @Dinu, @Anirudh - Thanks!

    @Mysoul - Thanks. On your question - this movie was super fun, and had me in splits. Satire apart, I think it is commendable that these guys were able to come up with a movie that is so funny, and so relevant at the same time.

  25. RAJINDER on February 3, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    i have seen the movie and appreciate the ten lessens which you have nicely brought out in plain words.
    This movie is fantastic for all types of viewers. in all compelling circumstances always one should look to his/her heart and say sweetly and lightly ‘all is well’.This will save lot of problems which otherwise would be ready to take serious turn.

  26. Prince Movie on March 2, 2010 at 11:35 am

    3 idiots is a lovely movie and one of my favourites in bollywood. Amir as usual made a splendid role in movie and the other friends (Madhavan and Sharman Joshi) also played their best role in the movie. There is a mixture of comedy, centiment and everything in the movie and it was like viewing a real life story.
    Well done to the team. Nice written content.

  27. arunii on March 26, 2010 at 8:53 pm

    good tips from 3 idiots ! i really appreciate the points you have mention in this post !

  28. Aahna on March 27, 2010 at 11:20 am

    This my is one of my fav movie from Aamir Khan..

  29. asdasdasda on December 21, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    Great post. I used to spend alot of my time sailing and being involved in games. It was probably the most special sequence of my childhood and your content kind of reminded us of that period of my life. Cheers

  30. Scott on March 18, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    Thank you!!! Think outside the box, thats what I keep telling my kids 2 days a week, then the stupid teachers spend the next 5 days teaching it out of them!! We would would never have accomplished as much as we have without “out of the box thinkers”.

  31. yee rei on September 29, 2011 at 11:37 am

    ^^ the movie was really a nice one!!

  32. Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child? | AmreekanDesi on January 19, 2012 at 11:02 pm

    […] then “3 Idiots” happened. Suddenly, good old slogging was a bad thing. Wildlife photography was in. You […]

  33. preetam on April 3, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    i like that………

  34. Brittney Caelie on September 6, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    it’s really an interesting post and 3 Idiots is very nice movie no doubt …

  35. navya on January 26, 2014 at 11:25 am

    Do anyone know, is there any school in India which is there in 3idiots movie thought by ameer khan?

    Can anyone provide this information for me?

  36. maharajan on April 5, 2014 at 2:56 pm

    3 Idiots is a great Movie reflecting the elections of 2014 , The TV presenters Arnab Goswami , Sardesai and Prannoy roy are the three top characters who show up the wrong Indian expectationso biased s and making BJP/RSS behave to the World as LTTE behaved in Srilanka . LTTE did a foolish mistake killing a Indian ex Prime mister antognising the support of India . Accepting Vaiko as an ally , who even as an Indian MP traveled without Passport as an bravodo( putting all the rule makers of India in shame) and Trying to form Govt with Vaikos opposite Camp AIADMK . All can happen in India , with its Prestigious Editors and Yarrukkum Vekkamillai- Cho . Building a Temple and cause disharmony with all nations and Muslim nations in particular where at least one in every indian family is connected by Trade. Stop a prestigious and Great rameshwaram project by citing religion, when you still preach god is every where. Lots of Millions of Job opportunity goes to Srilanka and Singapore , because of this lapse is known, But we will see what we want to see is not a disease, but a great sin on this country of India and Poor Indians by the TV media . Let us all pray to God, Forgive these sinners they dont know what they do.

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All content on this site is the personal opinion of the writer. It is in no way related to their employer or their official policies. Most of what is written here is in a satirical tone. If it hurts your sensibilities, I sincerely apologize.
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