3 idiots : A great way to end the year !!

Ragging.. tick.

Eccentric roommates... tick.

Common batchrooms.. tick.

Front bench teacher's pet.. tick.

College terror... tick.

Death in the campus... tick.

Drinking on rooftops... tick.

Gate crashing weddings... tick.

The girl you covet dating a weirdo... tick.

People learning to follow their dreams... tick.

The fun gang of 3 idiots ... tick.

ONE SUPER HIT... TICKETY TICK TICK.
Rest assured.. 2009's gonna end well for Bollywood, not just Hollywood (with Avatar ) ... after all, All izz well !!

3 idiots takes us on a journey into the past, into our college lives. 2 members ( Sharman Joshi and Madhavan ) of a gang of 3 have finally got news about the whereabouts of their friend (Aamir Khan ), who's been missing for over 5 years. As they journey across states from Delhi to Shimla and Ladakh, we're taken back into their own history from the day they first joined college and laid eyes on each other. This journey crosses roads we've all seen through our college days - from hostel life and ragging to crushes, drunken nights, irritating professors, failed exams and yes, even suicides and shattered families.

Of course, a tale like this has every scope to get boring too as each event just passes by our eyes. But not with Hirani on the director's chair and Aamir at the helm. And both excel in passing on a valuable message to the audience while ensuring they are having fun as well.

The treatment given to some scenes are just mindblowing - even the moments depicting a main character's family poverty and getting a sick man to the hospital are dealt with in such a manner that you can't help laughing. A student's 'memorized felicitation' speech for the chief guest where Aamir changed a few strategic words too brought the house down. Of course, at the interval point, there's a huge plot twist that'll leave you shocked too.

In the second half, while the hunt continues for their friend, we come to see different aspects of each member's personality and how Aamir influenced / changed their lives. Of course, the laughs keep on coming, once more diluting key moments that could have been really melodramatic in any other director's hands. But where is their friend ? Is he safe ? Is he even alive ?

Frankly, these are strong roles. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi are given ample opportunities to show just what college life is about - the joys and humiliations, freedom and restrictions, friendships and commitments. And they rock it. Kareena, as the girl who falls for Aamir has a much smaller role since they've chosen not to focus on the romance too much but that's okay.. we have too much of a story to worry about romance. And besides, she acts her heart out when needed.

Boman Irani , as the head of the college, is tremendous. When needed, he can make you laugh at him and minutes later, you see in him every professor you've ever hated. It's a class act from a class performer. I don't know the actor whose car Sharman and Madhavan use through their journey, but he is truly hilarious too and is a worthy glue binding the past and the present of these characters as he too seeks Aamir to gloat over how he won the 'bet of success' against Aamir's character. Mona Singh is sweet in her brief role.

As for Aamir, well, if you thought Ghajini was a tough role to top, here's your answer. This man is pure genius in the right hands. That impish smile is gonna make you root for him even 20 years from now, touchwood. As the 'kid' who refuses to follow the rulebook and convinces everyone eventually of the method behind his ideologies, he excels.

Again, here the director and script writer need a big round of applause. Because after depicting the iconic 'Gandhigiri' earlier in the Munna Bhai series , now he takes on the education system and it's flaws and succeeds brilliantly. He tries to show you the values of thinking beyond marks and textbooks and using practical application of what we learn in real life. His 'all izz well' policy too has relevance in real life and during the study period to prevent the tensions of life from breaking us down.

Scope for improvement ? Well, while the songs are visually appealing, I doubt they're ever gonna be chart busters ( even the 'All izz Well' number ). And for a movie that was truly realistic in nature, the end of a baby delivery sequence is as filmy as it can possibly get. But these are minor issues. Because in this hunt for Aamir Khan, you will find yourself having too much fun and laughter to care.

All izz well that ends well, after all.