Rajkumar Hirani is a filmmaker with a 100% success track record, known for his highly entertaining, concept-driven, and impactful films.
While he has delivered many blockbusters, it was in 2009 that the world woke up to a courageous take on the education system, presented in the most entertaining way, with Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots. The film arrived as a fresh change in people’s lives and went on to become a cult success. Today, as this masterpiece completes 16 years, it is indeed worth reminiscing about the impact the film created upon its release.
As 3 Idiots clocks 16 years, the makers celebrated the milestone by sharing a short video on social media, compiling the nostalgia into a few seconds. They further added the caption –
“Celebrating 16 years of 3 IDIOTS. Here’s to Rancho, Farhan and Raju, for the courage to say “All Izz Well, even when life isn’t.❤”
3 Idiots was not just a film, it was a revolution. It challenged the so-called norms of perceiving education and introduced a new concept of learning. The film went on to become a voice for millions of young people, encouraging them to pursue their dreams instead of going along with the prescribed flow of the education system. Narrated through two parallel timelines, one in the present and the other set ten years earlier, the story follows the friendship of three students at an Indian engineering college and serves as a satire on the intrinsic paternalism within the Indian education system.
Bringing all of this together in the most humorous way, Rajkumar Hirani once again proved his magic. Featuring a stellar cast including Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi, along with Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Mona Singh, and Omi Vaidya, the film offered the most entertaining treat for audiences of all age groups. While the film won hearts with its entertainment quotient, it also delivered some of the most loved and evergreen songs such as “Aal Izz Well,” “Zoobi Doobi,” “Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh,” “Give Me Some Sunshine,” and “Jaane Nahin Denge Tujhe,” all of which remain cult favorites today.
The film received widespread critical acclaim, with praise directed towards its direction, themes, humor, story, screenplay, soundtrack, and performances. It was the highest-grossing film in its opening weekend in India, had the highest opening-day collections for an Indian film at the time, and also held the record for the highest net collections in the first week for a Hindi film. It became one of the few Indian films of that era to achieve major success in East Asian markets such as China and Japan, grossing around ₹450 crore worldwide. Moreover, the film also won the National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.