Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 09:55, 8 January 2025

3 Idiots
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rajkumar Hirani
Screenplay by	Abhijat Joshi Rajkumar Hirani
Story by	Abhijat Joshi Rajkumar Hirani Chetan Bhagat
Based on	Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat
Produced by	Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Starring	Aamir Khan R. Madhavan Sharman Joshi Kareena Kapoor Boman Irani Omi Vaidya
Cinematography	C. K. Muraleedharan
Edited by	Rajkumar Hirani
Music by	Score: Sanjay Wandrekar Atul Raninga Shantanu Moitra Songs: Shantanu Moitra
Production company	Vinod Chopra Films
Distributed by	Reliance BIG Pictures
Release date	25 December 2009 (2009-12-25) (India)
Running time	171 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹55 crore
Box office	₹400.61 crore

3 Idiots is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, co-written by Abhijat Joshi and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi in the titular roles, marking their reunion three years after Rang De Basanti (2006), while Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani and Omi Vaidya appear in pivotal roles. Narrated through two parallel dramas, one in the present and the other set ten years in the past, the story follows the friendship of three students at an Indian engineering college and is a satire about the social pressures under the Indian education system.

Adapted loosely from Chetan Bhagat's novel Five Point Someone, It is produced by Chopra under the banner Vinod Chopra Films, 3 Idiots incorporated real Indian inventions created by Remya Jose, Mohammad Idris, Jahangir Painter and Sonam Wangchuk, the latter of whom also inspired Khan's character.

Upon its release on 25 December 2009, 3 Idiots received widespread critical acclaim with praise directed towards its direction, themes, humour, story, screenplay, soundtrack and performances of the cast and was a commercial success. It was also the highest-grossing film in its opening weekend in India, had the highest opening day collections for an Indian film up until that point, and also held the record for the highest net collections in the first week for a Hindi film. Eventually, it became one of the few Indian films at the time to become successful in East Asian markets such as China and Japan, eventually bringing its worldwide gross to ₹460 crore ($90 million) — it was the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time until 2013 and the highest grossing Indian film of the 2000s.

At the 57th National Film Awards, 3 Idiots won 3 National Film Awards, including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Additionally, the film received 11 nominations at the 55th Filmfare Awards, including Best Actor (Khan), Best Actress (Kapoor) and Best Supporting Actor (Madhavan and Joshi), and won a leading 6 awards (tying with Dev.D), including Best Film, Best Director (Hirani) and Best Supporting Actor (Irani). Overseas, it won the Grand Prize at Japan's Videoyasan Awards, while it was nominated for Best Outstanding Foreign Language Film at the Japan Academy Awards and Best Foreign Film at China's Beijing International Film Festival.

3 Idiots is now considered to be among the greatest Indian films ever made. The film also had a social impact on attitudes toward education in India, as well as in other Asian countries such as China and South Korea. It was remade in Tamil as Nanban (2012), which also received critical praise and commercial success. A Mexican remake, 3 Idiotas, was also released in 2017.

Plot

Chatur Ramalingam, a successful vice-president, reminds his old college rivals Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi about a bet he made with their classmate and Chatur's nemesis Rancho ten years ago. Chatur has returned to India to conclude a business deal with Phunsukh Wangdu, a famous inventor. The three go to Shimla to find Rancho, reminiscing about their time at the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE) in Delhi.

In college, Rancho was passionate about learning and often clashed with the strict college director, Dr. Viru Sahastrabuddhe ("Virus"). When a student named Joy Lobo is denied graduation by Virus for not submitting a project, Rancho tries to help finish his project for him but finds out that Joy has committed suicide by hanging. Rancho confronts Virus about the intense pressure on students, but Virus dismisses him.

One night, Rancho, Farhan, and Raju crash a wedding party, not realising it is for Virus's daughter Mona. Mona's younger sister, Pia, is initially upset with Rancho but starts liking him after he exposes her materialistic fiancé Suhas. Pia breaks up with Suhas. Virus warns Farhan and Raju about associating with Rancho, so Raju moves in with Chatur, a competitive student who relies on rote learning. Rancho and Farhan prank Chatur by altering his Hindi speech, leading to his humiliation. Furious, Chatur challenges Rancho to see who is more successful in ten years.

Before their final exams, Raju’s father has a heart attack. Rancho and Pia help save him. Virus bets Rancho that neither Farhan nor Raju will get a job after graduation. Rancho tells his friends why they struggle: Farhan's passion is photography, not engineering, and Raju is fearful of his future. Farhan and Raju promise to confront their issues if Rancho confesses his feelings for Pia. They drunkenly break into Virus's house, and Farhan and Raju urinate on his letterbox. Virus notices Raju at his doorstep and threatens to expel him unless he betrays Rancho. Not wanting to disappoint his family or to betray Rancho, Raju attempts suicide but survives and is paralyzed and near catatonic for months, leading Virus to revoke the expulsion. After Raju recovers, he succeeds in the interview and gets a job, and Farhan convinces his father to let him become a photographer.

Humiliated at Raju's success, Virus sets a difficult exam to fail Raju so he cannot claim the job. With Pia’s help, Rancho and Farhan steal the exam paper, but Raju refuses to cheat and throws it away. However, Virus manages to find out that the exam paper was stolen and he barges into their room and expels the trio.

Following the trio's expulsion, Pia, having given the office key to the trio, finally confronts her older sister, Mona, and her father by revealing that her brother, who was presumed to have died in a train accident, actually committed suicide due to the pressure his father had put him through into becoming an engineer, since he wanted to pursue his own dream by becoming a writer instead, but only to simply write a suicide note.

On a stormy night, a pregnant Mona goes into labour while unable to reach a hospital, but successfully delivers her baby with Rancho's, Farhan's and Raju's help. In gratitude, Virus forgives the three, reluctantly passing down his space pen to Rancho as a mark of honor. On graduation day, Rancho disappears.

In the present, Farhan, Raju, and Chatur reach Shimla and find out that the real Rancho was a different man. Their friend was actually Chhote, the son of Rancho’s family's gardener, who took Rancho’s place to get an education and earn a degree for him. The real Rancho tells them Chhote’s address in Ladakh. On the way, they crash Pia’s wedding with Suhas in Manali and convince her to join them.

In Ladakh, they find a school run by their friend. Chatur mocks Rancho, thinking he is merely a teacher, but is shocked to realize that he is actually Phunsukh Wangdu, the person he is eager to make a business deal with. Chatur accepts defeat, and the friends run away laughing.

Cast

• Aamir Khan as Ranchhoddas "Rancho" Shamaldas Chanchad / Chhote / Phunsukh Wangdu, a carefree student who is naturally intelligent and gifted. He later becomes a famous entrepreneur and scientist, who teaches when he is not conducting research (based on Sonam Wangchuk)
• R. Madhavan as Farhan Qureshi, a student with a passion for photography, who studies engineering to appease his father. He is later revealed to be a successful wildlife photographer who has published books of photographs.
• Sharman Joshi as Raju Rastogi, a student who attends ICE for the sake of ending his family's poverty and is afraid of failure. He now has a successful corporate job and became a wealthy person.
• Kareena Kapoor as Pia Sahastrabuddhe, a successful doctor and Rancho's love interest, youngest daughter of Virus and Mona's younger sister.
• Boman Irani as Dr. Viru "Virus" Sahastrabuddhe, the strict and controlling principal of ICE who only believes in a competitive cutthroat education system and rote studying.
• Omi Vaidya as Chatur "Silencer" Ramalingam, a Uganda-born Tamil student, who believes in rote study and takes memory-enhancing pills, with the side effect of silent but smelly flatulence.
• Rahul Kumar as Manmohan a.k.a. "Millimetre"
• Farida Dadi as Nuzzhat Qureshi, Farhan's loving mother
• Parikshit Sahni as Salim Qureshi (dubbed "Hitler Qureshi" by Rancho), Farhan's strict but a loving and caring father who ultimately only wants his son to be happy.
• Akhil Mishra as Librarian Dubey
• Amardeep Jha as Suman Rastogi (dubbed "Mother Teresa" by Farhan), Raju's mother
• Mukund Bhatt as Rajendra Rastogi, Raju's paralysed father
• Mona Singh as Mona Sahastrabuddhe, eldest daughter of Virus and Pia's elder sister
• Olivier Sanjay Lafont as Suhas Tandon, Pia’s ostentatious and materialistic ex-fiance, who only cares about money and expensive things
• Rajendra Patwardhan as Govind
• Rajeev Ravindranathan as ragging senior student
• Jayant Kripalani as a company head who conducts Raju's job interview
• Chaitali Bose as Kamini "Kammo" Rastogi, Raju's sister

Cameo appearances

• Javed Jaffrey as the real Ranchhoddas Shamaldas Chanchad
• Dushyant Wagh as a grown-up Manmohan a.k.a. "Centimetre" who becomes Rancho's (Phunsukh's) assistant at his school in Ladakh
• Arun Bali as Shamaldas Chanchad
• Ali Fazal as Joy Lobo, a senior student who committed suicide because of Viru Sahastrabuddhe not letting him graduate
• Achyut Potdar as Machine Class Professor
• Madhav Vaze as Michael Lobo
• Atul Tiwari as Education Minister R. D. Tripathi, who appears in the Speech scene
• Meghna Bhalla as Sumi, Raju's wife
• Harvinder Singh as Joginder Singh Dhillon
• Sanjay Sood as Peanut Vendor in Shimla
• Supriya Shukla as a doctor with Pia
• Dinesh Sharma as Mona's husband

Production

Development

"Chetan gave me this book to read and I wanted to make a film on it. But I knew right from the start that I could not make a film completely on the book, as it was very anecdotal and a film needs a plot. So I had decided to rewrite it in a screenplay format. You'll see that the film is very different from the book. After I wrote the script, I called Chetan and narrated it to him. I told him that if he did not like the script, I would stop the project. But he was okay with it".

After the success of Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), the director Rajkumar Hirani and screenwriter Abhijat Joshi had plans for third instalment on the Munna Bhai franchise, titled Munnabhai Chale Amerika. But Hirani felt exhausted working on consecutive films on the same format, and decided to work on fresh script outside the franchise. While writing the first draft of the film, he thought of a new project rather than the new instalment from the film series, but he had concentrated more on the project and then worked on the former first. While thinking about how the project coming under fruition, he got the popular novel Five Point Someone by the author Chetan Bhagat. The latter gave this novel for Hirani to read, in order to have an idea about the script. Impressed by the novel, he decided to adapt the screenplay by making changes to the original novel and work on it as a feature film.

3 Idiots is considered to be the first of the two adaptations from the novel Five Point Someone — the second being Kai Po Che! (2013), which also drew inspiration from the novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life written by Bhagat. In the third collaboration with Hirani after the Munna Bhai film series: Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), Vidhu Vinod Chopra produced the project under the production company Vinod Chopra Films (which earlier named Vinod Chopra Productions). Besides producing, Chopra further associated with Hirani and Joshi, by co-writing the screenplay. In his biography Unscripted: Conversations on Life and Cinema, he discussed about the experiences as a co-writer being associated in the project.

An official announcement regarding the film was made during early-2008, after working in the script for more than one-and-a-half year. During the pre-production, Hirani went to multiple engineering colleges, including those under the Indian Institutes of Technology in Mumbai and Delhi, to authenticate the lives of engineering students. He met many students and took pictures along with them. He needed the references for the clothes used, their looks and things they brought as many IIT-students were older than the fictional characters. The film also had shared many anecdotes from his college life, since Hirani had used to study in hostel during his young period. Hirani had carefully looked upon the notion in the lives of engineering students, as there are few things apart from drugs, sex and violence. However, Hirani had said that the film plays a satirical take on social pressures under an Indian education system. Apart from that, the film also addresses the issue of tussle between parents and children, but in a "sugar-coated manner". During the promotions of the film, Hirani stated that "the film is completely different of the Munna Bhai film series; in terms of the characters, story and the environment. However, both the films fall in the same genre, where all three films are heartwarming stories with lovable characters making it feel good. Both films have true emotions in the heart, happiness, sadness and also leave a strong message to the audience in the ending that make us satisfy".

Casting

The casting of the lead actors was considered to be "complex", according to Hirani. He thought of many actors playing the lead roles, and also went on a six-month audition across the country; but thought of established actors playing the roles, since the film had two looks and the actors needed experience. He had plans for Shah Rukh Khan playing the lead character, Ranchoddas Chanchad. Hirani tried to rope Khan after the latter exited from the titular role Munna Bhai in the director's debut venture Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003), which was later essayed by Sanjay Dutt. However, Khan refused being a part of the film due to his prior commitments. Ranbir Kapoor, then a relative newcomer, also declined the lead role, but agreed to a short cameo as Varun Sahastrabuddhe. Aamir Khan was later finalised to play the lead role.

R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi were also finalised for the other two leads – Farhan and Raju. Originally, the roles initially went to John Abraham and Saif Ali Khan, but the actors rejected the film due to date issues. Arshad Warsi, who also collaborated with Hirani in the two Munnai Bhai films, auditioned but could not take up the role. Before R. Madhavan was cast, Bangalore-based Rajeev Ravindranathan shot for his character for two months before his scenes were removed in favour of casting a "known face". Ravindranathan later played a college senior. On being questioned about casting older actors to play the titular college students, Hirani said in an interview to Rediff that "the actors chosen have that quality which he wanted for the film apart from the body language, mannerisms and innocence portrayed on-screen".

The team approached Sanjay Dutt, with whom Hirani worked in the Munna Bhai film series, to play the role of the main antagonist Dr. Viru Sahastrabuddhe, but for various reasons the role went to Boman Irani. The character name was considered to be unique due to the look, lisp and mannerisms portrayed, and also got the nickname "Virus", as students give names to their professors and principals in their school and college life. For the preparation of his role, Boman wore costumes made of cheap fabric, designed by an old tailor who stitches clothes for Parsis in Dadar (North-Central Mumbai). He wore the shirt with velcro attached, and a hook tie; with the same look, he attended the shoot to prepare for his role. Initially, Boman was hesitant to act in that film and had recommended his co-actor Irrfan Khan for Viru Sahastrabuddhe, but his refusal prompted Boman to take up the role. This was revealed by Boman after Khan's death in April 2020.

After talks with Kajol fell through, Kareena Kapoor played the role of Pia Sahastrabuddhe, Rancho's (Aamir) love interest and a medical student. While Hirani refused about the original casting for her role in the film in his interview, it has been regarded that Anushka Sharma was originally considered for the role. In April 2021, an old video of Anushka's audition for the film went viral on the internet. Anushka, then a newcomer, shared monologues recited by Gracy Singh from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. for the audition process, supposing to be her debut in films, but was ultimately rejected by the producers. She later made her debut in the Yash Raj Films' production Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), being cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

Omi Vaidya, an American actor, was cast for the role Chathur Ramalingam (Silencer)".

Ali Fazal, then, a rookie actor, played a small role as Joy Lobo in the film. While speaking about his role, Fazal stated that "he went into depression as the character arc seemed to mirror a tragic real-life incident".

Javed Jaffrey played a cameo appearance as the real Ranchoddas Chanchad.

Filming

The rehearsals for the film began prior to the shoot, followed by script reading and look tests. After extensive pre-production works, principal photography for the film began on 28 July 2008, with scenes featuring the supporting cast being shot first. On 29 August 2008, shooting for the key schedule began with the principal cast members. The first scene was shot in an aircraft with Madhavan, which was the first shooting schedule for this film in Mumbai. The team left to Ladakh, for a 20-day schedule with the crew and cast comprising Khan and Kapoor. The climax was being shot at the Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh. The team took a break following Aamir Khan's activities in the promotions and post-production works of Ghajini (2008).

In December 2008, the entire cast and crew, including Khan, Madhavan, Joshi and Hirani, headed to Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore campus which served as Imperial College of Engineering. To prepare for the roles, the crew members stayed at the institution's dormitory blocks and at the college hostel. Though Khan saw the pictures of the location, he decided to see the location for real and wanted to stay at the hostel, in order to get through the role. Khan regularly met the students during the morning and evenings and shared the experiences of studies and way of life. Apart from that, the team eventually mingled with the students while Khan also involved in many indoor and outdoor games. While shooting for the film, the team made extra precautions with none of the shooting process might affect the routine class sessions. It was the first film to be shot at the Indian Institutes of Management Group, and the university granted an academic pay-off for itself. After shooting being completed the makers will film a documentary on the institution. Few parts in Bangalore were doubled as New Delhi for the film. The entire shooting process was completed within February 2009. The entire film was shot in reverse, with the present-day scenes being shot first and the college scenes were shot later.

C. K. Muraleedharan was the cinematographer for 3 Idiots, after collaborating with Hirani for Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). He used Arricam Lite (LT) camera for shooting the film, which consisted of Angenieux Optimo Anamorphic Lenses and Zeiss Master Prime Lenses, with the film had a distributed aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Rajkumar Hirani also undertook supervision of editing the film. For the scene where the leads get drunk and break in Virus' house, Aamir suggested that the actors might get drunk in reality so as to make it look convincing, but, however, the actors went on numerous retakes, which even led the stock of film roll being exhausted. The actors continued to do retakes, until the new rolls have been bought, so as to keep them busy. The pregnancy scene was initially supposed to be placed in Hirani's debut film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003), but as he felt that the placement was irrelevant in the film, the team decided against doing so, and then was used in this film. The hospital scenes were shot at Fortis Hospital (Noida).

The film uses real inventions, with brains behind these innovations include Remya Jose, a student from Kerala, who created the pedal operated washing-machine; Mohammad Idris, a barber from Hasanpur Kalan in Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, who invented a bicycle-powered horse clipper; and Jahangir Painter, a painter from Maharashtra, who made the scooter-powered flour mill. The character Phunsuk Wangdu drew inspiration from Ladakhi inventor Sonam Wangchuk, a mechanical engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology, Srinagar.

Music

The film's soundtrack is composed by Shantanu Moitra with lyrics penned by Swanand Kirkire. It marked Moitra's second consecutive collaboration with Rajkumar Hirani after Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), whose music album was successful. Besides composing the songs, Moitra also composed the film score with Sanjay Wandrekar and Atul Raninga. The album was created with the inspiration of Moitra's college days, with the songs been written in consideration on the mindset of youngsters in India.

The album features five original compositions. Two tracks from the album were remixed, despite Moitra not liking the trend of remixing film songs. Sonu Nigam rendered five out of seven tracks from the album. Other singers performing vocals to the songs are Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Suraj Jagan, Jaive Samsun, the lyricist Kirkire and composer Moitra themselves, recording for the soundtrack. One of the tracks "Give Me Some Sunshine" was sung by one of the lead actors, Sharman Joshi, in his maiden attempt in playback singing. The music album was released online (instead of a launch event), by the film's official website on 27 November 2009, with a video chat featuring the cast and crew members. T-Series purchased the music rights of the film at an amount of ₹120 million (US$2.48 million).

The album received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards Moitra's composition and the quality of the album. In addition, the soundtrack became the highest-selling Bollywood soundtrack of 2009, according to the trade website Box Office India, despite the sales of conventional music CDs being declined. Due to the internet boom, it became the "most downloaded Bollywood music album of the year". "Aal Izz Well" was listed as one of the "Top 10 Bollywood Songs of 2009" and became a sensation among the youngsters. The soundtrack further fetched a number of accolades is considered as one of Moitra's best albums, along with Parineeta (2005) and Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006).

Release

Statistics

3 Idiots released on 25 December 2009 over 1550 prints and 1760 screens in India, which was considered to a "wide domestic release for a Bollywood film" at that time, according to trade analysts. Major multiplexes allotted more than 95% of screens for the film, prior to the release. It also had a wide-overseas release with about 344 prints in 415 screens. However, Bollywood Hungama and The Times of India reported that the film had got about 342–366 screens. The film's wide-release in about 32 countries, excluding India — United States, Canada, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, East and West Africa, Fiji, Belgium, Netherlands, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand — was noted by trade analysts, that it may slow down the business of James Cameron-directorial Avatar (2009), released prior a week, had broken all box-office records. Producer Vinod Chopra stated that, a multiplex in Australia reduced shows for Avatar, in order to get huge number of shows for this film.

Following its success, the film was screened in the East Asian markets; the film was released in Taiwan on 17 December 2010, followed by Hong Kong on 1 September 2011. In China, it was released as San Ge Shagua ("Three Idiots"), on 15 December 2011. In South Korea, it was released on 29 December 2011. Along with the original Hindi version, a Mandarin Chinese dubbed version was also released, with the popular actress Tang Wei voicing Kapoor's role, and Huang Bo voicing Khan's role. In January 2013, the film was distributed by Apex Entertainment and CJ Entertainment to release the film in the Korean markets and was released on 25 January 2013. Following its success in other Asian markets, Japanese distributor Nikkatsu announced plans to release the film in Japan. It was released there in June 2013, under the Japanese title Kitto, Umaku Iku (きっと、うまくいく, lit. "It'll go well").

Screenings

In November 2009, Aamir Khan invited hundreds of people to watch the first half of the film exclusively in a basis of Non-disclosure Agreement. 3 Idiots, thereby being the first film in Bollywood to use this clause, which was prevalent in Hollywood; the lead actor asked people to share the opinions about the film. The premiere show for the film was held in Mumbai on 23 December 2009. Along with the film's cast and crew, the event saw the presence of Anil Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan among many others and other named celebrities, including Hirani's earlier collaborators such as Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi and Dia Mirza. Amitabh Bachchan who had earlier confirmed his presence at the premiere ultimately did not turn up in the end. The special premiere in United States and Canada were held on 24 December, prior to the Indian release. On 30 January 2010, a special screening of the film was conducted to the veteran actor Dilip Kumar. He constantly followed the news of the film and wanted to watch it in a theatre, but due to his health condition, he could not get out of his home. Later, Chopra and Hirani expressed Dilip's wish and agreed to conduct a private screening for the actor. Chopra said that he "really moved after seeing the film and felt nostalgic". Later, he urged to discuss about the film and its making with Chopra and Hirani at the former's apartment in Bandra, with the discussion went on for two hours.

On 19 May 2010, the film was screened at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York, with Rajkumar Hirani and the film's team attending the screening. The members of the United Nations, came in touch with the producer regarding the screening of the film, following its influence in youngsters about the Indian education system. More than 700 invitees, including non-Indians, turned up for the screening, despite the hall had capacity for about 600-650 people. A two-hour long post-screening session was conducted to the attendees to focus on "how the film has impacted mindsets". The film was screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in March 2010, to bridging the cultural gap between India and Australia, following the Violence against Indians in Australia during late-January 2010. It may also help Bollywood markets to screen their film in Australia. The film was screened at the Aruba International Film Festival held on 10 June 2010.

At the Indian Film Festival of London, held during 25–29 August 2010, the film was screened along with Chopra's other five films — An Encounter with Faces (1978); Parinda (1989); 1942: A Love Story (1993) and Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), while further honouring an award for Chopra. A charity screening of the film was also held with the proceedings being contributed to UNICEF. At the inauguration of Vidhu Vinod Chopra film festival, to honour the director-producer, 3 Idiots along with the director's other films, Eklavya: The Royal Guard, Mission Kashmir and the Munna Bhai film series, were screened at the festival on 30 March 2012. 3 Idiots became one of the few Indian films screened at the inaugural Indian Film Festival held in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) in December 2015. The film was further screened at the inaugural Himalayan Film Festival held during 24–28 September 2021 in Ladakh.

Marketing

Aamir Khan used innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of the films, in order to gain wide exposure among audience. Anil Arjun, the CEO of Reliance MediaWorks which produced and distributed the film had stated that, a 40-member team was put in place to market the film four months prior to the release. He said that "the campaign was made such a way that it appeals to all category of viewers — people who are going to multiplexes in metros and single screens in small towns". The film was shown to all stakeholders and the company employees prior to the release, and a 360-degree marketing campaign was made after the release, which covered digital, outdoor, brand partnerships, public relations and merchandise.

The "butt chairs" used by the actors in the film, were placed at leading multiplex chains for public viewing. The makers teamed up with Zapak.com for digital promotions, with firstly the official website titled idiotsacademy.com was launched and the lead cast came with video chatting to the fans. The website designed keeping in mind the college atmosphere and few special added features. The team later interacted with fans through video conference during the online music launch. A two-promotional tour was conducted by Khan, where he would travel across India. On the website, an alternate reality game called "Track Aamir" was launched, to track the whereabouts of the actor during this tour. The site had over 600,000 unique visitors within two weeks. During this tour, Aamir Khan invited 24 friends personally to attend the premiere held in Mumbai, prior to the release of the film. Prior to the release promos for the film was unveiled in an event attended by the lead actors and the crew associated in the film, and press conferences streamed in seven countries. The online promos, trailer, video songs and interviews were released in YouTube.

Reliance Life Insurance started a campaign based on the song "All Is Well" and promoted it in television channels, radio stations and hoardings featuring the lead actors of the film. The makers started marketing alliances with Pantaloons Fashion and Retail, to launch their exclusive apparel and accessories collection. The special T-shirts with Khan's scribblings as designs imprinted on it, was available in 45 Pantaloons stores, which were priced ₹399. The collection also included replicas of T-shirts, garments and jewellery used by the leads in the film. As a part of promotions in Facebook, the handle called "Pucca Idiot" was launched prior to the release, which generated 10,000 followers within 24 hours. In PVR Cinemas, the film's marketing team painted on washrooms, with the slogan "You are an idiot". Another promotional event titled "Sabse Big Idiot" was held, with the leads being present at 92.7 Big FM, asking viewers to show their idiocy. As a part of outdoor promotions, carried by Primesite Marketing Agency, innovations in hoardings, bus shelters, bus backs, platform signages and mobile vans attracted audiences. Stickers with the film's logo was pasted in 10,000 auto rickshaws that moved in cities.

Trade analysts believed that the unique promotional activity helped in the massive success of the box-office breaking several records, and also creating a nationwide impact. At the Business Standard Brand Derby summit, held at the Leela Kempinski hotel in Gurgaon on 16 July 2010, the film topped the 2009 Brand Derby, due to the unique promotions of the film.

Piracy

In addition to encourage people watching the film in theatres, Reliance MediaWorks' marketing team managed to destroy more than 2.1 million illegal downloads. The team had its core-group working in India, United States and United Kingdom, tracked and destroyed pirated versions of the film in physical and online formats, and also issued trade notices, warning letters specific to prospective infringing sites and outlets across the overseas sectors. On 26 December 2009, a day after the film's release, the social service branch conducted a raid near Bandra station and over 2500 pirated CDs and DVDs, with 69 DVDs of this film, along with other films Avatar and Paa, were seized. In New Delhi, the sales of pirated DVDs of the film were stopped after a subsidiary company of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG), levied a complaint to the officials to take actions against movie piracy. After the raid conducted by the police in several locations across Mumbai, former IPS officer Aftab Ahmed Khan, said that "We execute everything keeping the system in mind. We have the support of the local police so there is no question of going against the system. Piracy always existed in some form or the other. But we are getting the facts and figures only now as there are industry body who are working together to bring this menace in the forefront. To curb piracy in the long run we will have to constantly work towards means and ways to fight it."

Television and home media

The television rights of the film were purchased by Sony Pictures Networks for ₹22 crore (US$4.54 million), which was the highest bid during that time. The film made its television debut on 25 July 2010, with promotions for the television premiere cost ₹2.2 lakh (US$4,811.25) and had attracted 12 popular sponsors to market the film. It drew an audience of 39 million viewers in India, and had attracted a TVR of 13.1 at the metro cities Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and an overall TVR of 10.1 domestically. The cumulative reach of the film was uplifted to 30.5%. It also helped the broadcaster, Sony MAX to the third position among the general entertainment channels during that month.

On 27 August 2010, Reliance Big Entertainment launched the standard DVD and VCD editions of the film through Reliance Big Home Video. It was coincided at an event held during Grand Hyatt at Mumbai, with the presence of the cast and crew members and was broadcast live on Facebook and Twitter. Later, on 1 October 2010, Reliance Big Home Video launched the premium version of the VCD and DVD, that included a 24-page sticker book and special "idioticomic" book, priced at ₹499. It eventually sold 75,000–80,000 copies upon its launch, thereby generating a revenue of ₹30–40 million (US$400,000–530,000). A month later, the special Blu-ray disc edition was launched on 5 November 2010.

In order to curb piracy, producer Chopra and Hirani stated that the film will be released and downloaded legally through YouTube on 25 March 2010, twelve weeks after its theatrical release. It was attempted for the people who cannot afford to go to multiplexes or single screens, thereby 3 Idiots becoming the first Indian film to have a legal release on YouTube. However, the film did not release as planned on that day due to copyright issues. Officially, it was released on YouTube in May 2012, but its access has since been restricted. However, it has been made available for online streaming on multiple platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Sony LIV.

Reception

3 Idiots received widespread critical acclaim upon release from both domestic and international critics, with praise directed towards its direction, themes, humour, story, screenplay, soundtrack and performances of the cast.

India

Subhash K. Jha stated: "It's not that 3 Idiots is a flawless work of art. But it is a vital, inspiring, and life-revising work of contemporary art with some heart imbued into every part. In a country where students are driven to suicide by their impossible curriculum, 3 Idiots provides hope. Maybe cinema can't save lives. But cinema, sure as hell, can make you feel life is worth living. 3 Idiots does just that, and much more. The director takes the definition of entertainment into directions of social comment". Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India gave it four and a half stars and suggests that, "The film is a laugh riot, despite being high on fundas Hirani carries forward his simplistic 'humanism alone works' philosophy of the Munnabhai series in 3 Idiots too, making it a warm and vivacious signature tune to 2009. The second half of the film does falter in parts, especially the childbirth sequence, but it doesn't take long for the film to jump back on track."

Mayank Shekhar of the Hindustan Times gave the film three and a half out of five stars and comments that "this is the sort of movie you'll take home with a smile and a song on your lips." Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 3 Idiots four and a half out of five stars and states: "On the whole, 3 Idiots easily ranks amongst Aamir, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra's finest films. Do yourself and your family a favour: Watch 3 Idiots. It's emotional, it's entertaining, it's enlightening. The film has tremendous youth appeal and feel-good factor to work in a big way." Kaveree Bamzai of India Today gave 3 Idiots five stars and argues that "it's a lovely story, of a man from nowhere who wanted to learn, told like a fairy tale, with the secret heart carrying its coded message of setting all of us free."

Sonia Chopra of Sify gave the film 3 stars and said "Though a bit too calculated and designed, 3 Idiots is still an ok option for the significant message, interesting cast and scattered breezy moments." Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the film three out of five stars and states: "Going home after watching 3 Idiots I felt like I'd just been to my favorite restaurant only to be a tad underwhelmed by their signature dish. It was a satisfying meal, don't get me wrong, but not the best meal I'd been expecting." Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express also gave it 3 stars, stating "3 Idiots does not do as much for me. The emotional truth that shone through both the Munnabhai movies doesn't come through strongly enough." Raja Sen of Rediff gave the film two out of five stars and states: "Rajkumar Hirani's one of the directors of the decade, a man with immense talent and a knack for storytelling. On his debut, he hit a hundred. With his second, he hit a triple century. This time, he fishes outside the off stump, tries to play shots borrowed from other batters, and hits and misses to provide a patchy, 32*-type innings. It's okay, boss, chalta hai. Even Sachin has an off day, and we still have great hope."

Overseas

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. Derek Elley of Variety wrote that "3 Idiots takes a while to lay out its game plan but pays off emotionally in its second half." Robert Abele of Los Angeles Times wrote that there's an "unavoidable joie de vivre (symbolised by Rancho's meditative mantra 'All is well') and a performance charm that makes this one of the more naturally gregarious Bollywood imports." Louis Proyect described it as a "fabulous achievement across the board. A typical Bollywood confection but also a social commentary on a dysfunctional engineering school system that pressures huge numbers of students into suicide."

The film was praised by critics in East Asia and Southeast Asia. South China Morning Post wrote that the film "wraps a heavy message in light comedy. It is satire at its best, a powerful indictment of India's education system in which students cram for exams while stifling their dreams." Chaerim Oh of KAIST Herald wrote that "the film never harshly denounces the educational system but instead uncovers disturbing truths and unseen consequences of tremendous pressure upon students" and that "if you don't end up crying like I did (or won't admit that you did), you'll still enjoy the movie." In Japan, Yuri Wakabayashi of Eiga also gave the film a positive review.

Box office

Pre-release

The film was made at the budget of ₹55 crore (US$11.36 million), while Indo-Asian News Service estimated the budget to be around ₹35–45 crore (US$4.6–6.0 million). In August 2009, Reliance Big Pictures acquired the worldwide distribution rights of the film, along with the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Kites (2010) for ₹140 crore (US$28.92 million). Individually, the worldwide theatrical rights were sold for about ₹65 crore (US$13.43 million). After its theatrical run, the producers of the film negotiated deals with leading satellite television channels, with Sony Pictures Networks acquiring the film for ₹22 crore (US$4.54 million), a record during that period. The music rights were sold to Super Cassettes Industries (T-Series) for ₹12 crore (US$2.48 million). Excluding the print and advertisement costs, the film made a business ₹99 crore (US$20.45 million), even before the theatrical release.

The makers entered into tussles with the distributors as Khan insisted to sell the film's distribution rights at a tune of ₹100 crore (US$20.66 million); the distribution rights of the actor's previous film Ghajini (2008) was sold for ₹93 crore (US$21.38 million). Following the financial turmoil, which affected the footfalls and earnings in multiplexes and single-screens, the stakeholders were not ready to buy the film for a huge amount, and reduce the price for distribution. After much deliberations, the theatrical rights were being sold at a tune of ₹40–45 crore (US$5.3–6.0 million). Reliance Big had also levied the deal to ₹20 crore (US$4.13 million) for home video release.

3 Idiots, eventually topped online polls of the "most-awaited film of the year", with the extensive marketing campaign and pre-release contributed to it. The advance bookings of the film eventually topped to 40–45%, with major multiplexes showing advance bookings rates uplifted to more than 90% in the opening day. Amitabh Vardhan, CEO of PVR Cinemas and Alok Tandon of INOX Leisure Limited, stated that "looking at the pre-release hype, the film will have the best openings of a movie this year in terms of theatrical revenues", while trade analyst Taran Adarsh stated that "it could be easily one of the biggest blockbusters of the year".

Box office

The film's worldwide lifetime gross was ₹460 crore (US$90 million), making it the highest-grossing Indian film at the time. The film was listed in Guinness World Records for the record of highest box office film gross for a Bollywood film. As of 2020, the collections are equivalent to ₹980 crore (US$132.25 million), adjusted to inflation. The success of the film was attributed to the content and the extensive pre-release promotions, which led to an increase in the huge number of footfalls.

The film created the highest collection record for paid previews with ₹2.75 crore that time, which was broken by Chennai Express (2013). In its four-day first weekend, the film netted ₹38 crore (equivalent to ₹96 crore or US$11 million in 2023), and broke the record held by Ghajini (Aamir's previous film) for the first weekend collections. By the first week, the film netted ₹79 crore (equivalent to ₹199 crore or US$23 million in 2023), again breaking the box office record held by Ghajini. 3 Idiots had nett grossed ₹56 crore (equivalent to ₹141 crore or US$16 million in 2023) in its second week, ₹30.3 crore (equivalent to ₹76 crore or US$8.9 million in 2023) during the third week, ₹16 crore (equivalent to ₹40 crore or US$4.7 million in 2023) in its fourth week and ₹9.75 crore (equivalent to ₹25 crore or US$2.9 million in 2023) in fifth to make a total of ₹202 crore (equivalent to ₹508 crore or US$59 million in 2023) in five weeks. 3 Idiots, thereby became the first Indian film ever to collect this huge amount, hence established the ₹200 crore (US$41.32 million) Club. Its final domestic gross in India was ₹273 crore (equivalent to ₹687 crore or US$80 million in 2023).

3 Idiots became the then highest-grossing Indian film in overseas markets, with an overseas gross of US$30.5 million (₹186 crore) until it was beaten by Dhoom 3 (2013). Its first weekend opening collection overseas was $4 million. It set record collections for Indian-produced films in territories such as the United States and Australia. In the United States, the film earned $6.5 million since its opening, in addition to over $2.5 million in the United Kingdom, over $2 million in Canada, and nearly $1 million in Australia. 3 Idiots has the biggest first week total in the US with around $3 million over its first four days.

3 Idiots became a success in East Asian markets, which was unusual for an Indian film at that time. The film had a fragmented but wide release in East Asian markets including China, South Korea and Hong Kong. The film had the longest showing period at cinemas in Taiwan, for more than two months from December 2010, breaking the record of Avatar (2009) with over NT$10 million (US$629,024) grossed. 3 Idiots was the first aired Indian film in Hong Kong, where it grossed HK$22 million at the box office during its showing from 1 September 2011 through January 2012, the equivalent of US$3.02 million. It was the 14th highest-grossing film of 2011 at the Hong Kong box office. In South Korea, the film grossed ₩3,416,415,900 (US$3,084,647). The film was number-one at the South Korean box office for five weeks, drawing an audience of 459,686 viewers.

In China, where it is known as 《三傻大闹宝莱坞》 ("3 idiots make a scene in Bollywood"), the film grossed ₹11 crore (US$2.36 million) in 2 weeks in December 2011, eventually crossing the $3 million mark within a month, as of 5 January 2012. Upon its release in the Japanese market in June 2013, it went on to collect around ¥100 million (₹6.1 crore) in its first two weeks of run, making it the highest-grossing Hindi film ever in Japan. By the end of 2013, it had grossed ¥150 million (US$1.6 million) in Japan, before ending its run with a lifetime total of ¥170 million ($1.74 million) in Japan. The film's final gross in East Asian markets was US$11,333,671 (₹69.2 crore).

Accolades

3 Idiots won 58 accolades from Indian film awards; among these are six Filmfare Awards including Best Film and Best Director, three National Film Awards including Best Popular Film, ten Star Screen Awards, seventeen IIFA Awards, five GIMA Awards, two Apsara Awards and seven Bollywood Hungama Surfers Choice Movie Awards. In addition, the film received a nomination and award for Worst Song to the track "All Izz Well" at the Ghanta Awards, despite the track being a nationwide sensation among the younger generation.

In China, it was nominated for the Best Foreign Film prize at the first Beijing International Film Festival in 2011. In Japan, it was nominated in the Best Outstanding Foreign Language Film category at the 37th Japan Academy Awards in 2014; the award was eventually won by Les Misérables. In addition, 3 Idiots won the Grand Prize at the 4th Videoyasan Awards, held by a Japanese organisation of home video retailers in 2014; 3 Idiots was selected as 2013's best video release, beating thousands of films, anime and television shows, including domestic Japanese and foreign Hollywood productions.

Legacy

In 2023, Time Out ranked it 13th on its list of the "100 Best Bollywood Movies." The film is also considered among the best films made on friendship. Film Companion added Omi Vaidya's character, in its "50 Memorable Bollywood Characters" list.

Social impact

The film had a social impact on attitudes to education in Asia, including education in India. The overwhelming success and impact in Indian society led to many authors and analysts to take a case study on the film and the message portrayed. It was also noted for the "realistic portrayal and depiction of universities, colleges and students". According to Jason Mecchi of Midstory, the film "may have even played a role in the recent reorganization of the Indian education system, designed to reduce tedium and allow children to grow in multiple fields of study, rather than those that conform to a narrow idea of success."

The film has had a similar social impact on education in other Asian countries, including education in China. Chinese universities were "even prescribing the film in their coursework as a kind of stress-relief in their classrooms. The movie has served as a question bank for many local, family, zonal and national quizzes." At the ninth edition of Chennai International Film Festival held in December 2011, Naichi Ho, the director of Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in New Delhi expressed about the phenomenal success of 3 Idiots, saying "Five years ago no one in Taiwan watched Indian movies. The education system in our country is the same as in India. Every parent wants their children to go to the best school and there is a lot of pressure on the kids. So it's a hit among youngsters there".

The unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) featured in the film was developed by Ankit Mehta, Rahul Singh and Ashish Bhat. This led to them receiving a $20 million contract to manufacture drones for the Indian Army. The Nitesh Tiwari directorial Chhichhore (2019) has a resemblance to this film.

Overseas markets

When 3 Idiots released in China, the country was only the 15th largest film market, partly due to China's widespread pirate DVD distribution at the time. However, it was the pirate market that introduced 3 Idiots to most Chinese audiences, becoming a cult film in the country among youths. Aamir Khan gained a large growing Chinese fanbase as a result. By 2013, China grew to become the world's second-largest film market (after the United States), paving the way for Aamir Khan's Chinese box office success, with Dhoom 3 (2013), PK (2014), Dangal (2016) and Secret Superstar (2017). In 2011, a documentary film titled Big in Bollywood was released, which revolves about Omi Vaidya's journey from a struggling Hollywood actor to a successful Bollywood breakthrough with this film.

As of 2017, 3 Idiots has been ranked China's 12th favourite film of all time according to ratings on popular Chinese film review site Douban, with only one domestic Chinese film (Farewell My Concubine) ranked higher. The film holds an average rating of 9.2 on Douban, with over 1.15 million votes. As of 2021, the film is ranked at No. 14 on the list with mostly youth voting. On the Korean site Naver, audiences gave the film an average rating of 9.4/10, and it is one of the top 30 highest-rated films on the site.

One reason for its success in East Asian markets such as China and Hong Kong is because of their similar education systems, thus many students were able to identify with the characters. Chaerim Oh of KAIST Herald wrote that the "popularity of the movie, particularly in South Korea, can be traced back to the national background of the overly competitive education system. In Korea, students of all ages – from young elementary children to university graduate students – are trained to study under overwhelming pressure and extremely high academic standards. In short, this movie is, really, our own story."

In 2013, Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg praised 3 Idiots, which he had seen three times and said he "loved the emotional undertones." He listed it as one of five films that he connects with, along with The Godfather (1972) and his own work on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Jaws (1975). The Japanese anime series Gamers! (2017) references a scene from 3 Idiots, in the final episode of the series. A poster of 3 Idiots appears in the Korean drama series Welcome to Waikiki (2018).

Remakes

Shortly after the film's success, Gemini Film Circuit had purchased the remake rights of the film to be adapted in Tamil and Telugu-languages. Shankar directing the Tamil version of the film, his first remake he worked on his career. After several considerations for the leads in the remake, the team approached Vijay, Srikanth and Jiiva to reprise the roles played by Khan, Madhavan and Joshi, while Ileana D'Cruz essayed to reprise Kapoor's role from the film. The film, which was titled as Nanban, released on 12 January 2012 to positive reviews. For the Telugu remake, the team considered Ram Charan for the titular role same disclosed by the actor in his speech of movie promotions in Hyderabad, but the project did not materialise. Nanban was later dubbed in Telugu as Snehitudu and released two weeks after the original version. The film was remade in Mexican Spanish-language named 3 idiotas and was released in May 2017. A Hollywood-remake of this film was announced but did not come into fruition.

Controversies

Chetan Bhagat story credit

Initially, I did sit down with Raju and Abhijat while they were deciding to make a film based on '5 Point Someone'. I even went to IIT with Abhijat a couple of times. But it was just not possible for me to be involved at every stage of the screenplay writing process since I was in Hong Kong at that time, working full-time, and busy writing other books. Moreover, Abhijat is based in the USA, Raju was in the US for quite a while working on the screenplay but it was not practical for me to do that The film retains the soul of the book. 3 Idiots is different from the book but at the same time, it does borrow many things from the book. The core theme and message of the film are coming from the book itself. And that's why the makers have officially credited the film as 'Based on a novel by Chetan Bhagat.'

A controversy developed a few days after the release, however, over the fact that Chetan's credit, "Based on the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat" appeared in the closing credits rather than in the opening ones. At that time, Bhagat stated that he "was expecting an opening credit and I was quite surprised on not seeing it. They had bought the rights, made the payment, and committed to a credit in the contract. It's there, but it's not about it being there, it's about the placement and the prominence." In a 31 December 2009 blog post on his personal website, Bhagat stated that he was told the movie was only 2–5% based on the book, but when he saw it, he felt that it was 70% of the book. He also argued that he was misled by the makers of the film, though he noted, that "this has nothing to do with Mr. Aamir Khan I am a big fan of Aamir and he has made my story reach people. However, he was told by the makers not to read the book, and he hasn't. Thus, he cannot comment on the issue in a meaningful manner."

A few people responded to Chetan's statements. According to the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra clarified that "in the agreement between the producer and Bhagat, it was clearly mentioned that the author's name would be put in the closing credits". IANS also reported that Chopra "lost his cool" and "asked a reporter to shut up after being questioned whether his hit 3 Idiots was lifted from author Chetan Bhagat's book Five Point Someone." Chopra later apologised, stating: "I really think I'm silly. I was provoked, but I shouldn't have done this. I saw myself on TV and saw how I was shouting 'shut up, shut up' like an animal. I told myself — 'what nonsensical behaviour'." Aamir Khan also responded to these claims. Rajkumar Hirani stated that "We have officially bought the rights for the film. We drew a contract with him and it clearly mentions the position of his credit. With open eyes, he had seen the contract, consulted his lawyer, and signed the agreement In the contract, we have said that the title would be given in the rolling credits. We haven't changed the font size. We haven't increased the speed of the title. It's exactly there where it was agreed to be." Chetan Bhagat later apologised stating, "I definitely do not have anything against team 3 Idiots. I may have some issues with the mistake they may have made but nothing about their personality or the kind of people they are. I apologize to their families if there was any distress caused to them. I also want to thank all my fans, who stood by me but I don't want them to turn against anyone especially Aamir."

Concerns about content

On 28 December 2010, the non-governmental organisation, Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE) co-founder Harsh Agarwal wrote a letter to the Raghavan Committee, a panel headed by former HRD Ministry R. K. Raghavan, explaining distress over a particular scene, where the lead actors gets ragged by seniors. The organisation asked the committee to write a letter to the censor board to revisit and re-examine the particular scene. The Bharatiya Janata Party, Maharashtra state spokesperson Madhav Bhandari demanded that the film should be sent for re-certification again in concern with that scene, after an incident in Seth G.S. Medical College inspired from the scene, with the Chief minister of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan too demanded the same. Aamir Khan however stated that the film is against "ragging".

In an article published in Economic and Political Weekly, Latika Gupta mentions that the film has serious problems when seen from the gender perspective, in particular, that it follows the trend set by the 2007 film Jab We Met in its use of women's sexual vulnerability to create sensation and humour. In one scene, students, professors, and the chief guest are seen bursting with laughter hearing a speech where the word balatkar (rape) figures 21 times and the word stan (breast) four times (in the English subtitles for international release, the words "screwed" and "bosom" are used instead).

Possible sequel

When asked about plans of a 3 Idiots sequel in an interview with Hindustan Times, screenwriter Abhijat Joshi replied, saying, "Honestly, I don't know. We have an idea for the 3 Idiots sequel, a Munna Bhai part three, and also for a PK sequel; but the PK and Munna Bhai sequels interest me the most. So, I think the 3 Idiots sequel may happen in the future, but these two I really want to work on." In January 2016, director Rajkumar Hirani and actor Aamir Khan confirmed that they were considering a 3 Idiots sequel. Khan told reporters, "Raju Hirani has given me a hint about 3 Idiots' sequel and I am giving you all a hint. The film will happen if and whenever he will write the script." Hirani agreed, saying "this is one film that I really want to do."

In June 2018, Hirani was asked a question while promoting his upcoming film Sanju and he was quoted as saying, "I definitely want to make a sequel to 3 Idiots, but it’s still in the initial stage and we will take a fair amount of time to develop the script". The report also said that Hirani will begin shooting for the Munna Bhai sequel with Sanjay Dutt. Work on 3 Idiots will begin only after Hirani is done with Munna Bhai 3.

On 19 December 2024, Vidhu Vinod Chopra confirmed that a sequel to 3 Idiots is in development.

See also

• Bollywood
• Film

• List of highest-grossing Bollywood films
• List of Bollywood highest-grossing films in overseas markets

Notes

1. ^ 3 Idiots worldwide gross: ₹459 crore (US$90 million)
   • Domestic: ₹273.82 crore (US$57.05 million)
   • Overseas: US$30.5 million (₹186.142 crore)
2. ^ Both Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma later worked with Rajkumar Hirani in PK (2014) and Sanju (2018), the latter was the biopic of Sanjay Dutt.
3. Ali Fazal later appeared in several Indian and Hollywood projects, and also gained breakthrough by the Indian web series Mirzapur.
4. Khan and Bo later collaborated again on Secret Superstar

References

1. "3 IDIOTS (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
2. "Business of Rs 100-cr films: Who gets what and why". The Economic Times. 26 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
3. ^ "Exchange Rates (61.03 INR per USD)". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
4. "3 Idiots Box Office Collection". Bollywood Hungama. 25 December 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
5. ^ "3 Idiots (Film)". South China Morning Post. 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
6. ^ Vasi, Nazia (15 October 2011). "Why Chinese identify with Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots, Rancho & All Izz Well". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
7. ^ Chaerim Oh (4 December 2011). "Embrace Your Nerdiness with 3 Idiots". KAIST Herald. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
8. "NL interviews (Part 2): Chetan Bhagat on feminism and One Indian Girl". News Laundry / You tube channel. 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
9. "Chetan Bhagat Accuses Vidhu Vinod Chopra of 'Driving Him Close to Suicide' After 3 Idiots, Calls Out 'Elite Critics'". India.com. 21 July 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
10. "Vidhu Vinod Chopra "Drove Me Close To Suicide," Claims Writer Chetan Bhagat". NDTV. 21 July 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
11. ^ Raphael, Lisa (19 June 2014). "Watch This 14-Year-Old Girl's Washing Machine Hack in Action". Brit + Co. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
12. ^ "Cycle operated horse shaver". nif.org.in. National Innovation Fund. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
13. ^ Sabnis, Vivek (28 December 2009). "The real brains behind 3 idiots". Pune: Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
14. ^ Menon, Shyam G. (19 July 2010). "What you did not watch in 3 Idiots – Rethink after Ladakh education initiative fell victim to bureaucracy and resentment". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Archived from the original on 22 July 2010.
15. ^ "Three Idiots Creates History in China". 30 December 2011. BoxOfficeIndia. Com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
16. ^ "Japan is going gaga over Bollywood". Quartz. 11 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
17. ^ "Deepika Padukone's Padmaavat beats Aamir Khan's Dhoom 3 and Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai at the box office". Times Now. 27 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
18. ^ "Q&A: Aamir Khan". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
19. ^ "第４回ビデオ屋さん大賞". KINENOTE. 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
20. ^ "『きっと、うまくいく』 が、第4回ビデオ屋さん大賞の 《大賞》 を受賞しました！". Nikkatsu (in Japanese). 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
21. ^ "3 Idiots to race for Japan Academy Awards". Bollywood Hungama. 27 January 2014. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014.
22. ^ "Aamir Khan's '3 Idiots' nominated for Japan Academy Awards". IBN Live. 27 January 2014. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014.
23. ^ "三傻大闹宝莱坞". Maoyan. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
24. ^ "Three Idiots". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
25. ^ Hussain, Sajjad; Ahmad, Nasir (28 April 2016). "The impact of the Indian movie, 3 Idiots (2009), on attitudes to education". Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. 21 (2): 242–246. doi:10.1080/13569783.2016.1155439. S2CID 156539947.
26. ^ "Will 'Nanban' repeat the magic of '3 Idiots'? – IBNLive.com". CNBC. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
27. ^ "Gautaman Bhaskaran's review: Nanban". Hindustan Times. 14 January 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
28. ^ "3 idiotas se estrenará en el 2017". EL DEBATE. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
29. "Aamir's dedication is mistaken as interference" Archived 24 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Rediff.com, 23 December 2009.
30. "Sanjay Dutt on Munna Bhai Chale America: 'Not happening, as I can't get a US visa'". Firstpost. 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
31. Ghosh, Sankhayan (2 January 2016). "'While you are entertaining, you can't sell your soul'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
32. ^ "An exclusive interview with Raju Hirani". Rediff. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
33. "Every time Chetan Bhagat made it to Bollywood – A Bollywood Hit!". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
34. ^ "Vidhu Vinod Chopra chats with Abhijat Joshi in Unscripted: Conversations on Life and Cinema". Cinema Express. 11 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
35. Krishna, Navmi (19 February 2021). "Life, one script at a time: Vidhu Vinod Chopra on his new book, 'Unscripted'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
36. ^ "Shooting starts for Vinod Chopra's film, 3 Idiots". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
37. "When Shah Rukh Khan opted out of Rajkumar Hirani's Munna Bhai MBBS and 3 Idiots". www.zoomtventertainment.com. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
38. "Does Rajkumar Hirani choose actors according to the script?". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
39. IANS (13 December 2014). "Aamir was not the first choice for 3 Idiots: Hirani". India Today. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
40. "Did you know Rajkumar Hirani almost cast Ranbir Kapoor in 3 Idiots?". India Today. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
41. "Was Ranbir the first choice for 3 Idiots?". DNA India. 27 June 2018. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
42. "Viral video: When Anushka Sharma auditioned for Kareena Kapoor Khan's role in '3 Idiots'". DNA India. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
43. "Aamir Khan was first choice for 'PK', not for '3 Idiots': Rajkumar Hirani". The Indian Express. 13 December 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
44. ^ "8 years of 3 Idiots: 15 things about the film you did not know". Hindustan Times. 25 December 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
45. Sampath, Parinatha (29 January 2013). "Sridevi has some sort of superpower: Rajeev Ravindranathan". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
46. ^ Bhirani, Radhika (25 December 2019). "Boman Irani Reveals How He Prepared for His Role in 3 Idiots on Film's 10 Year Anniversary". News18. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
47. "Exclusive: Boman Irani reveals that he had rejected 3 Idiots and recommended Irrfan Khan for the role of Virus". Bollywood Hungama. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
48. "Boman Irani Recommended Irrfan Khan For The Role Of Virus In 3 Idiots". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
49. "Here's why Kajol rejected Kareena Kapoor Khan's role in 3 Idiots". Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
50. "Viral: Anushka Sharma's Audition For Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
51. "Did you know Anushka Sharma auditioned for Kareena Kapoor's role in 3 Idiots but Rajkumar Hirani saw it after PK?". Hindustan Times. 29 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
52. "When Anushka Sharma showed her 3 Idiots audition tape to Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani and left them surprised". The Indian Express. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
53. "On 3 Idiots' 10-year anniversary, Omi Vaidya reflects on that iconic Chatur speech". Hindustan Times. 24 December 2019. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
54. "I slipped into depression when I started with 3 Idiots – Ali Fazal". filmfare.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
55. "Ali Fazal reveals his 3 Idiots role sent him into a depression, recalls calling Rajkumar Hirani: 'I was crushed'". Hindustan Times. 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
56. Rangan, Baradwaj (27 December 2009). "3 Idiots". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015.
57. "Shooting for 3 Idiots underway". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
58. "Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots goes on floors". indiafm.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008.
59. "Ladakh's Pangong Lake: The place where 3 Idiots' ending with Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor was shot". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
60. ^ "Shooting 'Three Idiots' is like holidaying". the indian.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
61. "Three idiots at IIM-B". Bangalore Mirror. 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
62. "Three Idiots: We sneak into IIM-B campus!". Sify. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
63. ^ B.R. Srikanth (19 January 2009). "Lights, camera, action... all at IIM Bangalore". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
64. "The 3 Idiots Drunk Scene Wasn't Just For Reel: "Not Often Do You Get To See Madhavan Like That"". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
65. "Sharman Joshi says Aamir Khan suggested they all get drunk for this 3 Idiots scene, here's what happened". Hindustan Times. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
66. Jose, Remya (23 May 2008). "Remya Jose's pedal operated washing machine / exercise machine". Remya Jose. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2016 – via YouTube.
67. Sreelakshmy, V.U. (3 February 2015). "Innovative Pedal Power Machines". ecoideaz.com/innovative-green-ideas/pedal-power-machines. Ecoideaz. Archived from the original on 10 December 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
68. "Secmol founder Sonam Wangchuk wins Magasaysay Award". National Herald. 3 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
69. ^ "College days were an inspiration for '3 Idiots' music: Composer, lyricist". Zee News. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
70. Shantanu Moitra talks about his work | PK | 3 Idiots | Sonu Nigam. Bollywood Hungama (Interview). India. 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
71. "Aamir Khan unhappy with 3 Idiots chat & online music launch?". Bollywood Hungama. 29 November 2009. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
72. 3 Idiots, 27 November 2009, archived from the original on 27 October 2021, retrieved 19 October 2021
73. ^ Kher, Ruchika (27 November 2009). "Aamir's new trick: Releases 3 Idiots music online". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
74. "T-Series acquires the music rights of 3 Idiots". Bollywood Hungama. 25 July 2009. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
75. "3 Idiots : Big Procures Worldwide Rights (Sans Satellite & Home Video) for 65 Crore!". Planet Bollywood News. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
76. "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
77. "Future is digital: Audio labels". The Times of India. 14 January 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
78. Kher, Ruchika (31 December 2009). "Top 10 Bollywood songs of 2009". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
79. "Top 10 Bollywood songs of 2009". Sify. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
80. "3 Idiots releases with highest ever print & screen count". BusinessofCinema. Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
81. Jhunjhunwala, Udita. "Reliance's 3 Idiots breaks box office records for Hindi film". Screen International. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
82. Gupta, Priya; Iyer, Meena. "100-crore club is past, Its 150-crore club for 'Chennai Express'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
83. ^ Ambwani, Meenakshi Verma. "It's three cheers for 3 Idiots, Aamir on opening day". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
84. "Talaash: Is Aamir Khan's film a hit even before the release?". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
85. "3 Idiots on a record-breaking spree across the world". The Times of India. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
86. ^ "'3 Idiots' opens across 1766 screens in 32 countries". Bollywood Hungama. 24 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
87. "Reliance Big Pictures release"3 Idiots"-a Vidhu Vinod Chopra production, a Raj Kumar Hirani film starring Aamir Khan rewrites Indian Cinema Box Office History". Reliance Entertainment. 28 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
88. ^ Narayanan, Vivek (19 December 2011). "Why '3 Idiots' was a rage in Taiwan". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
89. ^ "時代廣場戲院不敵貴租搬遷明年重開". hkfilmart.com. January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2012. Alt URL Archived 5 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine
90. "3 Idiots rakes in big at Hong Kong". Hindustan Times. 27 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
91. ^ Chumbhale, Ameya (29 December 2011). "3 Idiots wins over Chinese, collects Rs 11 crore in two weeks". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 23 January 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
92. ^ Krishnan, Ananth (2 January 2012). "Success of 3 Idiots breaks China's Bollywood Great Wall". The Hindu. Beijing, China. Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
93. "黄渤献唱《神秘巨星》主题曲 阿米尔汗飙山东话". Sina Corp. 25 January 2018. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
94. Bhat, Varada (16 August 2011). "After Taiwan, 3 Idiots to hit Korean market this weekend". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
95. Aparna (17 October 2011). "Indian films set to make inroads in Japan?". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
96. "きっと、うまくいく". Filmarks (in Japanese). Culture Convenience Club. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
97. "Aamir gets public reaction for 3 Idiots!". Hindustan Times. 7 November 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
98. ^ "Aamir invites new friends for 3 Idiots premiere". Hindustan Times. 24 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
99. "Khans get together for 3 Idiots". India Today. 24 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
100. "SRK, Salman attend 3 Idiots premiere". Sify. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
101. "The three Khans come together for 3 Idiots". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
102. ^ Banerjee, Soumyadipta (30 January 2010). "Special screening of '3 Idiots' for Dilip Kumar". DNA India. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
103. "Special screening of 3 Idiots for UN". The Indian Express. 15 May 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
104. "'3 Idiots' screened at the United Nations". Deccan Herald. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
105. "UN laps up special screening of 3 Idiots". India Today. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
106. ^ "Aamir Khan's '3 Idiots' Screened at the UN". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
107. "3 Idiots to be screened in Australia". India Today. 11 March 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
108. "'3 Idiots' to be screened in Australia to help improve ties". The Indian Express. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
109. "'3 Idiots' screening in Australia to help improve ties". Deccan Herald. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
110. "3 Idiots to be screened at Aruba International Film Festival". India Today. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
111. "India, Japan to start joint study on LNG pricing". Zee News. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
112. ^ "Vidhu Vinod Chopra to be honoured in London". Rediff. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
113. "Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Retrospective at the Indian Film Festival of London". Bollywood Hungama. 2 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
114. "Vidhu Vinod Chopra film festival kicks off". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
115. Mahajan, Ambika Choudhary (19 December 2015). "Vietnam hosts first Indian Film Festival, will screen '3 Idiots', 'Jodha Akbar'". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
116. Lal, Niharika (24 September 2021). "Films & filmmakers from Ladakh to be in focus at the first Himalayan film fest". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
117. ^ Mahadevan, Sneha (18 December 2009). "Aamir's using unique publicity tricks for promoting "3 Idoits"". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
118. ^ "The story behind the amazing marketing of 3 idiots". Rediff. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
119. ^ "Aamir's unique marketing strategy for 3 Idiots!". Hindustan Times. 3 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
120. "3 Idiots partners Zapak.com for digital marketing". Businessofcinema.com. 3 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
121. "3 Idiots found on Big 92.7 FM". www.radioandmusic.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
122. Sheikh, Aminah (21 December 2009). "3 Idiots makes smart moves on marketing". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
123. "Reliance traces pirated DVDs of '3 Idiots', files case". Deccan Herald. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
124. "AA Khan talks about confiscating piracy DVD's of 3 Idiots". Bollywood Hungama. 9 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
125. ^ Bansal, Shuchi (11 January 2010). "'3 Idiots' looks to cash in on TV rights". Mint. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
126. Bhushan, Ratna (8 July 2010). "3 Idiots most expensive movie on TV, Sony selling ad slots @ Rs 2.2 L/10 sec". The Economic Times. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
127. ^ "3 Idiots strikes gold on small screen". Hindustan Times. 5 August 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
128. "3 Idiots takes Sony to No.3". The Indian Express. 13 August 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
129. "Reliance BIG Home Video launches '3 Idiots' DVD & VCD". www.indiainfoline.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
130. ^ Sarkar, Priyanko (1 October 2010). "Premium version of 3 Idiots DVD launched". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
131. Mukherjee, Surajeet Das Gupta & Sharmistha (9 August 2010). "3 Idiots also make a wise move on DVDs". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
132. ^ "Now, download 3 Idiots legally!". Hindustan Times. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
133. "3 Idiots gets a YouTube release". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
134. "3 idiots". Retrieved 14 May 2012 – via YouTube.
135. "3 Idiots". Reelgood.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
136. "Subhash K Jha speaks about 3 Idiots". Bollywood Hungama. 26 December 2009. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
137. Nikhat Kazmi (24 December 2009). "3 Idiots review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
138. "3 Idiots review". Hindustan Times. 24 December 2009. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
139. "3 Idiots review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 4 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
140. Kaveree Bamzai (24 December 2009). "3 Idiots: Laugh. Cry. Fly. Go watch it". India Today. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
141. "3 Idiots has a Munnabhai hangover". Sify. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
142. "3 Idiots review: CNN-IBN". CNN-IBN. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
143. Gupta, Shubhra (25 December 2009). "3 Idiots". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
144. "Rediff review". Rediff.com. 24 December 2009. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
145. "3 Idiots". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
146. "きっと、うまくいく : 映画評論・批評". Eiga (in Japanese). 8 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
147. ^ Sinha, Aminah Sheikh & Ashish (5 January 2010). "3 Idiots makes B'wood history". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
148. ^ Nag, Ashoke (26 August 2009). "Reliance Big Pictures acquires distribution rights of biggest blockbusters". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
149. ^ Raghavendra, Nandini. "3 Idiots: The Road not taken". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
150. Ganguly, Pallabika (29 December 2009). "'3 Idiots' to rake it in, set to get additional prints". Moneylife. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
151. "Preview: 3 Idiots". Sify. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
152. "Top India Grossers All Time". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
153. "Yearly Average Rates (48 INR per USD)". OFX. 2009. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
154. "Top Ten Indian Grossers In Overseas Territories" (PDF). Outlook. 27 April 2020. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
155. Cain, Rob (11 October 2017). "It's Another Diwali Clash of Titans As Ajay's 'Golmaal' Takes on Aamir's 'Superstar'". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
156. "Chennai Express Crosses Ek Tha Tiger Worldwide In Ten Days". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
157. "List of movies that have been inducted into Guinness World Records". India Today. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
158. Thombare, Suparna (23 July 2019). "Which is the Highest Grossing Indian Film of All Time?". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
159. "Boxofficeindia.com". 22 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
160. "Dabangg breaks India records". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
161. Goswami, Samyabrata Ray (23 February 2010). "My Name plays on but Idiots shifts bar". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
162. "Talaash Is Excellent Overseas". BT Online Bureau. 5 December 2012. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
163. "Talaash beats 3 Idiots record at overseas box office". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
164. ^ "Aamir Khan's '3 Idiots' becomes Bollywood's biggest grosser". The Independent. 6 January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
165. ^ "3 Idiots (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
166. "Don 2 Second Biggest First Week Grosser Ever in US". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
167. "Dhoom 3 Set For All Time Record Overseas". Box Office India. 1 January 2014. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
168. "PK – Movie". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
169. "2011 Hong Kong Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
170. "KOFIC 영화관 입장권 통합전산망 : 영화정보". Korean Film Council (in Korean). 2016. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
171. "Historical Exchange Rates Tool & Forex History Data (1107.555 KRW per USD)". OFX. 2011. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
172. "세 얼간이". Daum (in Korean). 11 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
173. Frater, Patrick (30 July 2015). "Aamir Khan's 'PK' Heads for September Release in Korea". Variety. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
174. Hazlewood, Phil (5 January 2012). "Bollywood looks east to tap Chinese market". Mint. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
175. "2014年2月下旬決算特別号". Kinema Junpo (1656): 212. February 2014.
176. "Aal Izz Not Well? 'RRR' overtakes Aamir Khan's '3 Idiots' to become 3rd-highest grossing Indian film in Japan". The Economic Times. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
177. "The Ghanta Awards 2011". Ghanta Awards. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
178. "3 Idiots nominated for Japan Academy Awards". India Today. 27 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
179. "Film 3 Idiots nominated for 37th Japanese Academy Awards 2014". Biharprabha News. Indo-Asian News Service. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
180. Verma, Rahul; Sinanan, Anil; Guha, Aniruddha; Omkar, Ashanti; Arora, Anushka; Watkins, Beth; Hussain, Shai; Grover, Varun; D’souza, Sahir Avik (7 February 2023). "The 100 best Bollywood movies". Time Out. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
181. "The best Bollywood movies to watch with your friends". India Today. 3 August 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
182. "When Bollywood Films Gave Us Major Friendship Goals". Economic Times. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
183. "50 Memorable Bollywood Characters: Chatur from 3 Idiots". Film Companion. 5 February 2018. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
184. "Revisiting 3 Idiots: A nostalgic reminiscence of the film that had a social impact on attitudes to education in India". Cinema Express. 31 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
185. Hussain, Sajjad; Ahmad, Nasir (2 April 2016). "The impact of the Indian movie, Three Idiots (2009) on attitudes to education". Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. 21 (2): 242–246. doi:10.1080/13569783.2016.1155439. S2CID 156539947.
186. Shekhar, Mimansa (27 October 2019). "Character Spotlight: 3 Idiot's Rancho". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
187. Rahman, Md. Hasan (1 July 2017). "From Five Point Someone to 3 Idiots: Politics behind Adaptation". DIU Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 4: 192. doi:10.1080/18742713.2017.123099 (inactive 1 November 2024). Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
188. Mecchi, Jason (6 January 2021). "Bollywood, Hollywood and the Globalization of Socially-conscious Film: A Review of 3 Idiots". Midstory. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
189. Sahay, Priyanka (20 January 202). "How The Geniuses Behind The 3 Idiots Drone Bagged A $20 Million UAV Deal From The Indian Army". Moneycontrol. Network18 Group. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
190. Sharma, Nishista (17 February 2021). "3 Idiots vs Chhichhore; Which movie did you enjoy more?". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
191. ^ Cain, Rob (8 June 2017). "How A 52-Year-Old Indian Actor Became China's Favorite Movie Star". Forbes. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
192. Heymont, George (1 December 2011). "Big in Bollywood (That's What Friends Are For)". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
193. ^ "China's Favorite Movies". The World of Chinese. 19 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
194. "三傻大闹宝莱坞 (豆瓣)". Douban (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
195. "랭킹 : 네이버 영화". Naver. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
196. Ahmed, Afsana (17 March 2013). "I've watched 3 Idiots thrice, admits Steven Spielberg". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
197. "Gamers and Billing System Talk". Gamers!. Episode 12 (in Japanese). 28 September 2017. Event occurs at 1:12. Kitto, Umaku Iku きっと、うまくいく
198. Bhattacharjee, Moumita (2 April 2021). "How Bollywood makes a mark in Korean dramas and movies". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
199. "3 Idiots to be remade in Tamil and Telugu?". The Times of India. 14 January 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
200. "Tamil 3 Idiots' actors do style test". The Times of India. 4 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
201. BVS Prakash (25 November 2010). "I don't want to be a copycat of Bebo: Ileana". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
202. Snehithudu Movie Audio Launch, 22 January 2012, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 23 November 2021
203. "Pawan Kalyan most likely in 3 Idiots' remake – Malayalam News". IndiaGlitz.com. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
204. "Dil Raju bags Shankar's 3 Rascals". Sify. 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
205. "3 Idiots getting Hollywood remake". The Times of India. 5 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
206. ^ "Interview:Aamir Khan". Glamsham.com. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
207. Sharma, Neha."Chetan Bhagat feeling cheated?" Archived 25 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Hindustan Times, 27 December 2009.
208. A book, a film and the truth Archived 25 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine"
209. ^ "Vidhu Vinod Chopra loses cool over '3 Idiots' credit row (Lead)". Thaindian.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
210. "Vidhu apologises, Hirani flaunts pact with Chetan". The Times of India. 3 January 2010. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
211. "Upset Aamir Khan hits out at novelist Chetan Bhagat". DNA India. 1 January 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
212. "3 Idiots may sue Chetan Bhagat". The Times of India. 4 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
213. "Fans, forgive Aamir: Chetan Bhagat". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
214. ^ "NGO Slams 3 Idiots For Glorifying Ragging". India TV. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
215. ^ Deshpande, Vivek (6 January 2010). "3 Idiots is against ragging: Aamir". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
216. "'3 Idiots' to come under Maharashtra govt scanner". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
217. "M'rashtra may delete '3 Idiots' ragging scenes". Zee News. 4 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
218. Gupta, Latika (11 June 2010). "Language, Cinema and State: A Gender Perspective". Economic and Political Weekly. 45 (23): 86–88. JSTOR 27807110.
219. "Sequels". Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
220. PTI (28 January 2016). "3 Idiots sequel will happen when Rajkumar Hirani is ready with the script: Aamir Khan". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
221. "Rajkumar Hirani says he has begun work on 3 Idiots' sequel, Munna Bhai 3 in pipeline too". Hindustan Times. 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
222. "Film-maker Rajkumar Hirani confirms '3 Idiots' sequel". The Express Tribune. 22 June 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
223. "Vidhu Vinod Chopra confirms 2 Idiots and Munna Bhai 3 are in the works: 'Could've earned loads, but I want them to be good'". The Indian Express. 19 December 2024.

External links

• Official trailer – Vinod Chopra Films
• 3 Idiots at IMDb 
• 3 Idiots at Bollywood Hungama
• 3 Idiots at Box Office Mojo
• 3 Idiots at Rotten Tomatoes
• 3 Idiots at Metacritic
• 3 Idiots at the TCM Movie Database

Links to related articles

v t e Rajkumar Hirani Directed Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) 3 Idiots (2009) PK (2014) Sanju (2018) Dunki (2023) Produced only Saala Khadoos (2016) Others Munna Bhai franchise Munna Bhai v t e Vidhu Vinod Chopra Directed Murder at Monkey Hill (1976) An Encounter with Faces (1978) Sazaye Maut (1981) Khamosh (1985) Parinda (1989) 1942: A Love Story (1994) Kareeb (1998) Mission Kashmir (2000) Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007) Broken Horses (2015) Shikara (2020) 12th Fail (2023) Produced only Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) Parineeta (2005) Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) 3 Idiots (2009) Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012) PK (2014) Wazir (2016) Sanju (2018) Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019) v t e Chetan Bhagat Fiction Five Point Someone (2004) One Night @ the Call Center (2005) The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008) 2 States (2009) Revolution 2020 (2011) Half Girlfriend (2014) One Indian Girl (2016) The Girl in Room 105 (2018) One Arranged Murder (2020) Non-fiction What Young India Wants (2012) Screenplays Hello (One Night @ the Call Center) 3 Idiots & Nanban (Five Point Someone) Kai Po Che! (The 3 Mistakes of My Life) 2 States Kick v t e Shantanu Moitra Film scores 3 Idiots (2009) Ente / Naa Bangaaru Talli (2013) October (2018) Sardar Udham (2021) Lost (2022) Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2022) Soundtracks Parineeta (2005) Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007) Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007) 3 Idiots (2009) Madras Cafe (2013) PK (2014) October (2018) Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2022) Singer Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh (2009) Maula Tu Malik Hai (2013) Ochin Majhi (2022) v t e Vinod Chopra Films Key individuals Vidhu Vinod Chopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra Sazaye Maut (1981) Khamosh (1985) Parinda (1989) 1942: A Love Story (1994) Kareeb (1998) Mission Kashmir (2000) Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007) Broken Horses (2015) Shikara (2020) 12th Fail (2023) Rajkumar Hirani Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) 3 Idiots (2009) PK (2014) Sanju (2018) Others Parineeta (2005) Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012) Wazir (2016) Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019)

• India
• Film
• Bollywood

• 2009 films
• 2000s Hindi-language films
• 2000s buddy comedy-drama films
• 2000s coming-of-age comedy-drama films
• Indian buddy comedy-drama films
• Indian coming-of-age comedy-drama films
• Indian nonlinear narrative films
• Films directed by Rajkumar Hirani
• Films scored by Shantanu Moitra
• Films about the education system in India
• Films about teacher–student relationships
• Films about poverty in India
• Films about suicide
• Indian pregnancy films
• Films based on Indian novels
• Films set in universities and colleges
• Films set in Delhi
• Films set in Himachal Pradesh
• Films set in Ladakh
• Films shot in Bengaluru
• Films shot in Ladakh
• Hindi films remade in other languages
• Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award winners
• Films that won the Best Audiography National Film Award
• Indian Institutes of Technology in fiction
• Films adapted for other media
• Indian intellectual property law
• 2009 controversies