3 Idiots Movie Preview

This Christmas sees the advent once again of jingle bells, mulled wine, gift-purchasing frenzies, too much alcohol, office party faux pas and yet another marquee movie from Aamir (Midas) Khan (Lagaan, The Rising). The notorious stickler for perfection started the trend of actors working on one movie at a time in India, his uber-selectiveness (and stratospheric rise to super-stardom) means he now only churns out one film a year, if we're lucky...

When it does land though, of late he seems to always crash the birthday of the Son of God, seriously - some ego's have no limits... Cases in point: Taare Zameen Par and Ghajini, which went on to become the biggest grossing Indian film ever last year, racking up bigger ticket sales than Sholay. Any Aamir movie is an event in itself and 3 Idiots is no different. Based on Chetan Bhagat's cult novel Five Point Someone - What not to do at IIT, 3 Idiots tells the story of three friends whose dismal grade point averages at their University helps define their friendship, romance and career choices.

One of the highest selling English novels published in India, it's set at the notoriously coveted Indian Institute of Technology, (think Cambridge / Harvard in Delhi) and focuses on the adventures of three mechanical engineering students who fail to cope with the tough grading system of IIT. Before they know it, they are at the lowest echelons of uni society, with a five-point-something gross point average out of ten, ranking near the bottom end of their class.

The three friends whose elation in making it to one of the best engineering colleges in India, are soon deflated by the rigor and monotony of their academic pressures. There are numerous pedantic attempts by the trio to cope with and / or beat the system, whilst frequently lamenting how the internationally lauded system has stifled their creativity, and uninspiring teaching and numerous assignments continue to add to their woes...

This should be a great fun film for the festive season, what with a solid spine from Bhagat's bestseller and with Hirani at the helm; Director of the classic Munnabhai series, it should be damn funny. With the eponymous Vidhu Vinod Chopra producing, it's also sure to be a polished piece of cinema. All said and done, the promo's look hot, and we're sure it'll add some warmth and welcome cheer to this season.