An International Take on 3 IDIOTS

3 Idiots is Rajkumar Hirani’s newest directorial venture and has become the biggest grosser in the history of Indian cinema in a matter of days after its release. The 3 members of our international film review team at the Hindi Cinema blog have watched the film in each of their respective locations around the world and are eager to give their take on it to you, our readers. Given that they are known to interrupt each other constantly, they have roped in journalist Woogie McFinklestein, correspondent for “Idiots Weekly Magazine”, to try and collect their opinions in the form of a civilized interview. Let us see if he succeeds.

 Warning: This interview contains spoilers.

What was your reaction upon seeing “3 idiots” for the first time?

Joanna: I had the biggest goofy grin on my face!

Aline: You look like that all the time, Joanna.

Joanna: Well, bigger and goofier! I wanted to immediately walk back up to the box office and buy tickets for the next show.

Pushker: I thought: “Brilliant! Enchanting! Lively! Got to go back again!"

Aline: I wanted to shout "I am an Idiot!" and then tell bystanders: "aal izz well, aal izz well" and take pictures of them all with their astonished faces, advising them to chase excellence and make viruses happy.

Did any part of the story make you cry?

Pushker: I don’t cry! What kind of question is this?

Aline: Pushker, weren’t you crying a minute ago screaming “I don’t want to give an interview!”? We had to pull you through that door…

Pushker: That was not me. That must have been Joanna who has a bad hair day.

Joanna: My hair is fine thank you and says hi!

Pushker: Well, to tell you the truth, my heart skipped a few beats and I got a lump in my throat when Raju's mother visits the hospital in her new sari.

Joanna: Honestly, I didn’t cry the first time I saw the film. However, upon second viewing I also cried during the sari scene and when Virus gifts Rancho his pen (gets weepy). See? I am getting emotional all over again, let me find my handkerchief.

Aline: I cried during several scenes and got goosebumps on Joy’s final scene but was mainly moved by the baby delivery one and entirely wept my way through it...

Joanna: Aline, seriously? You didn’t think it was a bit…filmy?

Aline: To me, if the whole film had not worked for me but there was still this one great scene, I would recommend watching the whole film just for that.

Joanna: (Blows her nose) If Rancho was coming at me with that home-made vacuum contraption, I wouldn’t just cry…I’d scream in horror! (Pushker leaves the room).

What made you laugh?

Aline: So many parts of the film were a riot! Rancho’s first appearance, the exam paper mixup and…

Joanna: I loved the scene where Pia (Kareena) compared the names of Gujarati foods to missiles. "Bush just dropped two Dhoklas on Iraq....." That was a great piece of writing and she delivered it well.

Aline: …the machine definition scene and the urn scene will become classics. So many to choose from! It is an extremely well written script. I was also itching to dance to Zoobi Doobi. Such a fun and sweet depiction!

Joanna: I keep getting interrupted, I wasn’t done with my list of fun scenes.

Aline: You interrupted me first.

Pushker: (back in the room, hands a hairbrush to Joanna) Here Joanna. Better hair means better mood.

Now, do you think Aamir Khan was really able to convince the audience to forget his true age?

Pushker: Age? What age? My wife and both my daughters wouldn’t mind going out on a date with him!

Joanna: They aren't the only ones. (Everyone looks at her.) I mean my friend...you don't know her. She lives in Utah.

Aline: Sure, Joanna. We believe you (winks at Pushker.) It was quite something to see Aamir with such an innocent look on his face. Even his voice sounded younger, to such a point that I forgot it was actually him.

Is there one particular scene that…

Joanna: Hey wait, I haven’t answered the question yet!

Well yes, but…

Joanna: Aamir Khan was brilliant. I think a lot of it comes from who he really is at his core. I’m so happy that he still seems to have a deep connection to his inner child.

Fine. So… is there one particular scene that defines the film?

Aline: Apart from all the moments in which Rancho thinks out of the box, which I think was the whole point of the film, I would say the birth scene.

Joanna: Not again! (Leans back against the chair and rolls her eyes.)

Aline: It has all of the power of Rancho's "aal izz well" in it and then... I always marvel at watching a birth, even fictional.

Pushker: That is too sentimental, Aline! I personally feel the scene that made it for me was the “Balatkar” speech. I was falling off my seat with laughter, like the rest of the audience.

Joanna: Silencer! (Laughs)

But guys, for me, it was more of a sequence than a single scene, beginning with the main suicide attempt and ending with a forgiving father. These were to me the crux of the statement that the director was trying to make. It was the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs. What do you think?

Aline: Did he just answer the question for us?

Pushker: It is the “Balatkar” speech yaar, what are you talking about!

Joanna: (upset) Hey Mr. McFinklestein, no offense, but you are here to interview us and now I have no answer because you just took the words right out of my mouth!

Sorry.

Joanna: What sort of an interview is this? I refuse to be a part of it. (storms out of the room.)

(Aline and Pushker shrug)

What other character apart from Rancho stands out in the film?

Pushker and Aline: Chathur!

Aline: And Virus. He was a wonderful creation and it had outstanding work by Boman Irani.

Joanna: (screams from the neighboring room): Rajuuuuu!

Describe the message you took home from "3 Idiots."

Pushker: Much more than a comedy, “3 Idiots” asks questions and gives insight to the basic need of self realization, opening up the human mind and reaching out to the natural instinct of growth.

Aline: How am I ever going to give a better definition than that? This is unfair! (leaves the room, crossing Joanna at the doorway, who was on her way back).

Can you get her (Aline) back here?

Joanna: No. I can’t stand her today.

Pushker: Let her be.

You people keep leaving the room! I am determined to win my challenge of keeping you all together throughout the interview. Go get her! (bangs his fist on the table) Now!

(Pushker leaves his chair and heads to the neighboring room. He reappears grudgingly pulling Aline behind him. Aline is leafing a book).

Aline: I have a quote to summarize the film message! “Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day”!*

Joanna: So which one are you, Aline, stupid or idiot?

Aline: The film also says that we need to fool our hearts to think positive when dealing with difficult situations and people (gives Joanna a dark stare).

Do you want to add anything?

Aline: We all would like to say that Rancho made us think of a grown up Ishaan**… Right guys? And that I found even the background music really good.

Joanna: The film is also very well cast. Everyone including the secondary roles did an excellent job.

Just one last question, how would you rate the film?

Joanna: Ok guys, ready? 1… 2… 3!

All: AAL IZZ WELL!

It seems as if Woogie McFinklestein has succeeded in making these 3 international idiots remain friends during an entire interview (phew!). Check out the video in which they pay homage to the way 3 Idiots was promoted before its release, featuring an incognito Aamir Khan (Rancho) travelling throughout India. Did these three reviewers and budding investigators manage to find him before the film's premiere? Find out here! 

* Original phrase by Samuel Goldwyn.

** The name "Ishaan" makes reference to Ishaan Awasthi, the main character of Aamir Khan's acclaimed film ‘Taare Zameen Par’.

 
Film: 3 Idiots
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor
Producer: Vidu Vinod Chopra
Duration: 2 hours 50 minutes

Rating: 5*

Official Website

Buy Music Album from Itunes store
3 Idiots lyrics translations by Ashu

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SWANAND KIRKIRE SAYS ‘AAL IZZ WELL’!!

A man of many arts, Swanand Kirkire is lyricist, writer, singer and actor. He is behind the freshly delightful song lyrics of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's upcoming release, 3 IDIOTS, starring Aamir Khan, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. He graciously agreed to tell us more about the songs that are currently winning hearts among film and music buffs across India.

AC: Random question, so what is playing in your Ipod right now?

SK: I am not listening to the 3 Idiots soundtrack obviously because when I was listening to it nobody else was listening to it (laughs). Now the world is listening to it and I am listening to something else like lots of Indian classical music… I am also learning to listen to a lot of Western classical music. Apart from that, my all time favorites are R.D. Burman, Gulzar sahab songs, and that kind of music is well, like… my food!

AC: You have repeatedly worked with Shantanu Moitra and Rajkumar Hirani. Please tell us a bit about what makes you feel comfortable working with them and how you came to be a team.

SK: The association with Shantanu and Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) is old now, with Vinu Vinod Chopra too, for that matter. We really go a long way. I've done four films with them. This is my second film with Raju and my fourth with Vinod Chopra. If you see our filmography, it is me and Shantanu. Lage Raho Munna Bhai we did it with Raju.

We are mostly friends, we're likeminded, we like each other's space… and unlike all the Bollywood "whatever happens" (philosophy) we were involved in this film right from the script level. When (Raju) was writing the script, we were making songs, we were trying to find the sound of the film. So that is how 'Give Me Some Sunshine' came much before he started writing the script. Raju wanted something exclusively for that film and if you listen, all the songs are very musically and lyrically simple. We did not try to make them complicated at all, we wanted to keep them very college like, easy for any college student, just as they play guitar at college and come up with some tunes.

AC: What would you say each of the singers apart from yourself have brought to the 3 Idiots soundtrack?

SK: All are wonderful singers! They brought a lot of things to the soundtrack. See the song 'Jaane Nahin Denge', no one else but Sonu can sing it, no one else. It is a very high and low song, the amount of passion reaches that high and then comes really down also at the same time. Shreya is also an awesome and fantastic singer. Shaan… well I mean their contribution is amazing and takes everything beyond. For a lyricist like me, the biggest moment is to hear (them sing), because we write a song on pen and paper, the music composer sings it with you and a guitar, then it goes to a recording… but the final moment when the singer is singing… that's a magic moment because the singer is transforming (the song) into something else, into a piece of art that becomes complete at that point of time. Sonu and all, they really made me cry.

AC: How would you say the experience of making this soundtrack is fundamentally different from your past soundtracks?

SK: It is very different. If you listen to 'Parineeta' the words are a little more lyrical and Lage Raho Munna Bhai was more Bombay tapori. In 'Khoya Khoya Chand' I was doing much more Urdu poetry because (the movie) was about the 50s or 60s Hindi film industry. That is something that I am trying to achieve in my life: you should change your clothes according to the film or the script. '3 Idiots' songs are very casual and are straight from the heart. There is no ornamentation or poetic smartness. In them if you have to say something you say it, it does not matter if you say it in English, Marathi or whatever. The songs get the point straight with as minimum possible and there is no concern about the language. There is not much decorative poetry but there are philosophy lines in it. 'Aal izz well' is a philosophy.

AC: How did you come up with the 'Aal Izz Well' theme for the title song? Was its fun spelling already a part of the script?

SK: 'Aal izz well' was in the script. It is a big idea of the film itself. Aamir (Khan) says it to everybody, whenever you are going through a bad time… Basically, Raju as a child used to live in a smaller town and there used to be this colonial watchman who used to say 'Aaaaal izzzz well!' in the night. So what used to happen is kids would think 'if all is well, let's go to sleep', and everything was well, you know (laughs). So that is the theory of the film. Whenever you are in a bad time, just tell your heart that 'aal izz well'. It is written as the colloquial pronunciation (proceeds to tutor the foreign interviewer into how to pronounce it properly). Aal izz well!

AC: We know Sharman Joshi's voice is used in 'Give me some Sunshine'. Did the director, producer and/or actors contribute to the soundtrack? How?

SK: The best part about working with Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and everybody is that it is a team effort. We decide on the songs and lyrics. There were contributions from here and there all the time. In 'Give me some sunshine', Shantanu almost wrote all the English part.

AC: Tell us a bit about Sonu's interpretation of your lyrics in "Jaane Nahin Denge".

SK: He is really amazing and he did a great a job. He understood the particular situation in the film and he heard it once and said 'I need some time to prepare'. He took his own time, about half an hour or 45 minutes, locked himself in a dark studio room and asked all of us to go out and then he came in and he sang. Sonu is always like that, he is technically the best singer we've ever had.

AC: Was there any personal experience that inspired you to write 'Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh'?

SK: It came very naturally when they told me the situation (in the film). There are people in your life who live life really beautifully and happily. They do not compromise at any level and just do whatever their heart says is right. They don't follow stupid norms. So I had some people like those in my mind and actually it came very easily to me because I was comparing myself with them. Because of them I became another idiot (laughs).

AC: Are there any new soundtracks in the pipeline?

SK: The 'Paa' soundtrack has released. That was another kind of experience, different songs completely. It is on the market and on the Internet and the film is releasing on the 3^rd of December. There are also two or three other films but it is early to talk about them now.

Interview by Aline Cinehindi in collaboration with JoannaCh

3 IDIOTS releases on 25 December 2009

For more lyrics by Swanand Kirkire, check out the following soundtracks:

Paa

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

Eklavya: The Royal Guard

Khoya Khoya Chand

Lage Raho Munna Bhai

Jai Santoshi Maa

Sehar

Kal- Yesterday & Tomorrow

Parineeta

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

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3 IDIOTS SOUNDTRACK REVIEW

Composer Shantanu Moitra and lyricist Swanand Kirkire (of 'Parineeta' and 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' fame) are making a comeback with a jovial bang!

Unconventionally entertaining. Authentic. Endearing.

These are expressions that one associates with Rajkumar Hirani's films and currently extend to the 3 Idiots soundtrack. The carefree and down to earth album takes listeners on a journey to merry college days and the memory of friends that matter.

A sunny day kicks off with an early rising rooster and a waking melody in which students express their wonderful philosophy statement: Yes indeed bhaiyya, 'Aal Izz Well'! Guitars and a myriad of percussions join cheerful campus voices repeating a catchy "doom kechiketa yeah" or similar youthfully rhythmic jabber, whistling all your worries away in 4 and a half minutes flat!

(Videos posted here are available in higher quality in Aamir Khan's official Facebook fan page.)

Next comes one of the soundtrack's moments of genius with a sparkling 'Zoobi Doobi', a gypsy-jazz style swing. Sonu's dash accompanies Shreya's pizzazz along with a brass section, strings and accordion. The picturization of this promo song is doing the rounds on the Internet, featuring everyone's dream girl and boy, Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan. The tune is likely to stick with you once you happily lap up its upbeat spiral of sweet lyrics and easygoing rhythm.

'Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh' is a soft melody with a slight mantra-like feel that allows its nostalgic lyrics to seep in. Shaan's stirring vocals shine fully in this ode to life-changing friendships that are long gone, making this one of his best tracks up to date.

The remaining two songs may initially surprise a trained listener and non Hindi speakers may want to enjoy them to the fullest by reading the lyrics translations*. The fact is that Hindi film soundtracks tend to often put aside the situational power of their songs, given that the commercial value of the music must guarantee box office success. 3 Idiots is an album with a difference that chooses to place an unconventional bet ("no risk… no brain"!): its tunes sound catchy or moving but remain authentic enough to seamlessly fulfill their cinematic purpose.

A good example of this choice is 'Give Me Some Sunshine'. Soft piano droplets give way to a peppy college anthem that could be sung by any generation of graduates. Unsophisticated vocals, clapping and harmonica notes spruce up the simple chords, making this a perfect song for student parties and sleepless dorm nights with your best friends. Incidental film monologues delivered by Sharman Joshi give the tune its extra feel good quotient.

An almost unrecognizable Sonu Nigam finalizes the album with 'Jaane Nahin Denge', boasting a high command of emotional variations. The instrumentals and his voice echo soft ripples of resolve that intermittently fluctuate into waves of life-infusing arguments. The song's last note leaves the listener in a quiet and sustained bedazzlement.

It then dawns on us that naughty or nice, Christmas will deliver us a soulful and thought provoking film, brilliantly presented in a light and entertaining envelope. Not surprising coming from director Rajkumar Hirani, who has the art and science of blending these elements to create bewitching magical potions.

Get ready to greet Santa Claus saying "Sab thik thak... Aal izz well, chachu!"

Outside links

* Bollywood Hungama video interview with Shantanu Moitra, Swanand Kirkire and Rajkumar Hirani Part 1 and Part 2

* Buzz18's footage of the online 3 Idiots music release

* 3 Idiots official website (music samples in the canteen)

* Pre-release lyrics translations by Ashu and more lyrics translations by TheBollywoodFan.



Album information
Music: Shantanu Moitra
Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire
Singers: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan, Swanand Kirkire, Shantanu Moitra, Suraj Jaggan, Sharman Joshi
Label: T-series
Tracks: 7 (5 originals + 2 remixes)
Album release: 09 Nov 2009
Available on Itunes

Film information
Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Starring: Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Mona Singh, Parikshit Sahani, Javed Jaffrey

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