3 Idiots

Whether the name Ranchoddas for Aamir in the movie is intended for humour or has some deeper meaning is difficult to say. Ranchod is a popular name for Shri Krishna in western India.

Shri Krishna is one of the biggest revolutionaries. Given wisdom is always questioned by him in the face of the truth as it unfolds from moment to moment. Ram obeys the old father in the grip of his youngest wife and goes to the forest though that order is wrong. Shri Krishna kills, without demur, his Mama and cousin Shishupal because they have deviated from the correct path and ensures that Pandav do the same when their turn comes. He advises the Gwalas and Gopis to take care of their cattle, farm and environment and ignore Indra. Mathura is attacked because of Shri Krishna being there. Shri Krishna, an accomplished warrior, does not follow the age old Dharma of warriors to fight and win or to become a martyr but not show ones back to the enemy. He shows his back to save Mathura and Gwalas from unnecessary violence and runs away to Dwarka where he establishes his Kingdom. That is why he is Ran-chod.

Aamir Khan has shown the courage to question the rules of the game. He refuses to go to the Mela of mediocrity, the fraudulent award ceremonies where same actresses dance the same numbers which they have already danced I don’t know how many times. Takhres got Amitabh waging his tail but Modi could not do the same to Aamir after Fana.

He started the trend of doing one movie at a time in the Nineties (though there are exceptions) when top stars of Eighties, Jitendra and Amitabh used to act in twenty craps at a time. The result is some really solid movies. Much more, than most other actors, in the last thirty years. He must be one of the rare actors to turn director when he was at the peak of his acting career and give the lead role to a ten year old.

Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots are well made movies. Good story, full of tension and drama, tight script and editing (with few exceptions) and refreshing humour. These two movies also make a statement about individuals being different in their ordinariness and thus being beautifully unique. One should be one's own self and do what he wants to. Express yourself and not others. They challenge the rut of trying to be at the top of the rat race. The product is good but not breath-taking. The movies make compromises on their most fundamental premise. They end up being about competition and the protagonists being on the top. They have two fundamental flaws. First, they end up in the same rat race they seek to challenge at the start. Second, and more silly is the statement that if you do your own thing you will be at the top of the race.

Chasing ones dreams is beautiful but dangerous. Failure is as probable as success. Dreamers in most cases are utterly alone.  But you don’t give yourself in to your dreams because you want to be on the top. You do so because you know that you have got this life to go after your dreams which is your truth and for nothing else. If you don’t live your dreams, the life is not worth living. Success and failure cease to matter and more pain gives you more depth.

Possibly that is the limit of Aamir. To explore the deeper joys and pathos of pursuing the dreams we will have to wait for someone else. Someone, who has more of the real Ranchod who inspires us to live our dreams.