why i won't see ' 3 idiots '

I have not seen last year’s winter blockbuster ‘3 idiots’ and I am pretty sure that I won't see it ever. I know for a movie that has collected more than 400 crores, my ticket money is nothing, zilch. Someone else would watch it twice over or more .The opening and of box office collection run has been unprecedented for it. And I am not saying this to stand out, in fact I made the decision not to watch ‘3 idiots’ as back as December 1^st week and I intend to stick to it .But I did catch one joke of the film –the induction motor one ,briefly when it came on cable in early January .And I am sorry for that .But that joke is at best a recycled one, one that has been doing the rounds of colleges nationwide since at least 5 years. So I was not impressed with what little I saw, not original material.

But without getting into what the movie is, I will quickly come to the point and say why I refuse to watch the film. It’s because-

‘A 44 year old is playing an 18-21 year old fresh faced student.’

That is just unfair, morally unfair as far as I am concerned. Because ,however great an actor anyone might be, that freshness of youth is something that no amount of make up, yoga sessions or badminton games can bring .Agreed that there are awkward, fat and gawky people in colleges,infact they are the overwhelming majority .But same kids should look at themselves and see how they look in college and judge. Aren’t the guys too old? And honestly are the producers saying that they couldn’t find 3 young actors who had enough potential to play the roles that Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi have essayed. Did they really search or audition with heart or purpose?

Rajkumar Hirani says Aamir was the perfect choice to play the lead. He may be, but I for one think that casting him is an entirely commercial decision. No other newcomer would have been able to give such an advance booking.

I know I am sounding really negative, but spare a thought.

For a moment imagine, hypothetically if ‘3 idiots’ were a flop .Only then would the media noticed the lines and folds on the actors, the eyebags and so on. That’s why they say nothing succeeds like success. The point I am trying to make is that a 20 year gap is just too much, however well the 3 may have acted .At the least, Aamir Khan should have known. Have a look at his looks above in picture posted in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), a movie that catapulted him to stardom. That was because he and Juhi Chawla looked their part and were believable and relatable. What if some senior actor had done that film? What if Mansoor Khan had cast somebody established instead of the newcomers. Would we have Aamir and Juhi?

Hirani is a good director, who had the power to give breakthroughs to young artists and you can’t say that the script didn’t demand it.

A 70 year old can pass of as a 50 year old, but to play a fresh teen is some thing else. I have immense respect for Aamir’s work as a producer and I really felt bad when he didn’t win the Filmfare for Rangeela, he so richly deserved it .But here, he should have passed on the role.

What instead has happened is that the industry has been robbed of 3 potential actors who could have given their defining break-though performances. So what if they turned out to be one film wonders? Even Hrithik Roshan was dubbed a one film wonder,but is he? Wouldn’t that have spoken volumes of the director’s caliber and his faith in the story?

Think about it. Would Leonardo DiCaprio at 35, still play a collegian? He can, but he wouldn’t .If he does ,would we have Michael Cera? Would Tom Hanks play a guy in his 30’s? No, there are younger guys for that .He would pass the script even if it comes his way. And that is why in Hollywood they have a pool of 20-25 actors who can carry a film.

Better sense should have prevailed and actors should stop being excessively greedy. So I stick to my theory and would not watch this flick, though I get the film’s message- that you should be brave enough to chase your dreams and excellence. But in one line, the casting makes economic sense but lacks morality and courage to repose faith in the new.