Thursday, January 14, 2010

aal izz well...

I've never watched a Hindi movie in totality before. On any medium. So watching a Hindi movie in a cinema, on a planned outing, was really a first for me. And I think there was no better movie to lose that virginity to than 3 Idiots.

I didn't know at the time of agreeing to watch the movie right up to the time I got home and googled it, that Aamir Khan's 3i was already the highest grossing Bollywood movie of all time... it was released on Christmas Day, less than 3 weeks before! It had, in fact, obliterated Ghajini's top box-office standing within days of release. Aamir Khan wrote on his blog on 4th January:
Last year GHAJINI had broken all records and had gone on to become the biggest grosser in the history of Indian Cinema. No film since has even come close to the business. In fact very few films even before GHAJINI are close, just a handful. Examples Gaddar, Hum Aapke Kaun, DDLJ, Raja Hindustani.

Now hold your breath, and take a seat.


3i has already crossed the business of GHAJINI even as you read this post!!!


In less than 10 days 3i has overtaken the ENTIRE business of GHAJINI!!!


India, Overseas, everywhere!!!
Wow! What an achievement. 3i was breaking records everywhere and not just in India alone.

Anyway, we found ourselves looking like the three idiots going along this outing. And between Sonya, Tzee and myself, I joked that there were exactly 2.5 Chinese audience in the hall that day; Sonya being the 0.5, of course.

The movie was thoroughly enjoyable. It was a coming-of-age comedy which had excellent lines within a superb script, with a tight story-line to boot that didn't leave any nagging questions unanswered. It all came together spectacularly. The three main protagonists were excellent in their respective characters, with Aamir Khan, at the ripe old age of 44, managing to play a 19-year old engineering student flawlessly.

And I was told that Kareena Kapoor, for once, was not playing a role that made her annoying to watch. Another notable member of cast was Boman Irani's cantankerous, no-nonsense character as Professor ViruS. Truly unforgettable.

The story also revolved around the reality of paper-chasing amongst middle and lower income Indian society. Aamir's lead character, Rancho, says in the movie that "people study engineering, then management and then become bankers; so what is the whole point of studying engineering?" Rancho challenges conventions and mind-sets in the movie, much to the chagrin of Prof. ViruS. And Rancho shows his two closest friends how to break out of their own inhibitions and fears.

One apprehension that I did have going into the movie was song & dance sequences... it is a Bollywood production, after all. If you are not big into twirling around palm trees, spectacular changes in scenery on a dime and world-record attempts at wardrobe changes in a number, then you will be heartened to know that this movie contains minimal amount of bursting into song and I can also assure you that those handful of occasions were very situational and entertaining.

And while I am on the subject of scenery, one cannot help but be awe-struck by the beauty of the northern Indian city of Shimla and the breathtaking Ladakh regions, including Lake Panggong in the final scene of the movie.

Another thing that I was wary of were subtitles. I generally don't like reading subs as I am watching a movie unless it is done well. And Malaysian standards of subtitling are notoriously known for anything but well. But to my delight, the subs for 3i were done in-movie and were thus, studio-controlled. And it was excellent. It was great to watch a subtitled movie so seamlessly where the difference in language was hardly noticeable. It's not quite the same experience to be watching, say for example, a Raymond Chau slap-stick with subs, if you know what I mean. Some things defy translation and subtitling. Perhaps it's in the intricacies of language. I don't really know.

All said, it was a highly enjoyable and entertaining movie and I recommend a watch, whether you are a hard-core Aamir Khan fan or someone like me, a first-timer being introduced to Hindi movies for the first time. And the verdict on the excursion from a first-timer, borrowing a line from a song in the movie, aal izz well... very well indeed.

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