Starring Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan, and Boman Irani, 3 Idiots was director ’s take on the pressures of the competitive education system in India. Writers tell a story of three students – Rancho, Raju and Farhan – studying at Imperial College of Engineering (an equivalent of the IITs) in Delhi. The story travels in two timelines.
We simultaneously see the lives of these three students 10 years after they have graduated. The three friends have distinct narratives. Rancho, played by Aamir Khan, has a passion for engineering. Farhan (R Madhavan) is forced to study engineering only to fulfil his father’s wishes. Raju, though good at studies, worries constantly about failing in his exams and not being able to give his parents a better life. Through Rancho’s character, filmmaker gives simple yet effective life lessons like ‘ excellence ke peechhe bhaago, success jhakk maarke peeche aayegi’. The catchphrase – ‘Aal Izz Well’ – became a trademark of Hirani’s after jaadu ki jhappi and Gandhigiri in the Munna Bhai films, became extremely popular.