 3 Idiots has to be the most anticipated film of the year and will most certainly bag the coveted award for best film, as most Aamir Khan starrers do. With all the hype that Aamir created for a movie that was overtly simple and understated, one really couldn't sense how successful the film would be just by the promos and songs, that although catchy, didn't seem like A list music. After all there have been numerous films centred on college life such as Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, which was produced by Aamir Khan. But what sets 3 Idiots apart from the rest is the perfect blend of effortless comedy, brilliant acting and chemistry between all the characters and a script focusing it's three main characters, leaving enough room for the message to peek through the humour. It may have given off a Dil Chahta Hai vibe, with three friends in their element of buffoonery, but 3 Idiots is a film with a very grave undertones beneath the various layers of humour: a message that many in the academic structures of higher education are alarmingly all too familiar with - student suicide, or as Hirani questions throughout the film, murder.
Other than the three leads, Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi there is a fourth sub-character who is pivotal to these main three - Omi Vadiya (who some may recognise from the US version of The Office).
 Hirani depicts the vagaries of college life and how each character deals with the various pressures of young adulthood, it's accompanying responsibilities and burdens alongwith academics. Omi is the annoying geek who believes in mental Xeroxing and regurgitating, Madhavan is the student pushed by his father, striving to take an interest in a subject that he does not have a passion or inclination for (sound familiar?), Joshi the scholarship recipient whose family life is a pothole of problems, Aamir, the refreshing free thinker and challenger of all rules who attends college to learn and assiduously quotes throughout the film, "seek excellence and success will follow", and Boman Irani as the irrepressible Virus; the college director who emblemises the patriarch of pedagogy.
Using each character to depict a facet of the education sector, Hirani brings forth a powerful debate of what constitutes education in the true sense and ultimately tries to show the triumph of creativity and innovative thought in the film's hilarious concluding scene with his two opposing characters.
But to give credit where it is due, the film is as much about Madhavan, Joshi and Omi as it is about Aamir. With each passing film, Aamir seems to have reduced the verbosity of his characters and focused more on expressive acting, allowing those sharing his screen frame to share the glory. The film sees the rise of Madhavan and Joshi as talent to reckon with.
3 Idiots is an endearing story that leaves one in convulsion upon convulsion of laughter, Hirani scores by bringing forth a story identifiable and real not only for the audiences, but also for himself. With a director who has made films on his own terms with the most bizarre story lines (the loveable don Munna Bhai as testimony), and a leading actor, Aamir Khan who reigns the industry on his own terms, 3 Idiots comes off as a strong commentary on the mantra 'believe in your self and do only what you can do best, and happiness and success will follow'.
– Hani Taha Salim
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What better way to kick off the New Year than to revisit the futuristic human fantasy of living on a distant planet and mingling with an exotic race? James Cameron conceived this film shortly after sinking the Titanic but patiently waited for 'technology to catch up with his vision' before unfurling his next incarnation. The wait was well worth it and Avatar has already established itself as one of the biggest films of the year.
 Not since the Jurassic Park series has there been a film that was just made for the big screen. The visuals are rich and absorbing as the storyline traipses around the planet of Pandora. Computer generated monsters and terrains abound, and the fluctuating lighting and debris are a testament to how animation techniques have evolved over the years. At the heart of the movie is the indigenous race of Na'vi. With their lithesome bodies and natural expressions they are human enough to relate to. Yet their feline characteristics and umbilical attachment with their land and its intricacies sets them apart from the human race.
The film kicks off as a science fiction adventure. Humans have come to inhabit the planet of Pandora and we are introduced to teams of scientists, security officers and decision-makers who all have a role to play in this ecosystem. Humans have undergone years of training to be able to artificially assume the form of the local Na'vi and interact with them without raising suspicion. This is revealed to be part of a conspiracy to be able to extract precious minerals from the planet at the cost of the native people and their habitat.
The protagonist Jack Sully (Sam Worthington) provides the voiceovers of insight as he initiates contact with the Na'vi to further human interests but faces conflicts that dabble with themes of imperialism and conservation of biodiversity.
The best thing about Avatar is that it really is a movie for everyone. There are action sequences galore for those interested in films primarily for the visual candy. Technologists will be endeared by a movie that computer-generates a new race and lifestyle. Sentimentalists will enjoy the embedded love story and the tale of self-discovery that weaves itself through the film. Intellectuals will appreciate the commentary on race, spiritualism and the consequences of colonialism. Avatar never seems to stagnate, no sequence of the film is too long and the frequent vacillation between high adrenaline action and soothing dialogue ensures that short attention spans are never challenged.
While it's true that the film is neither a sequel nor claims to derive its inspiration from any other source, it's not an entirely new concept. Films such as Dances With Wolves, The Last Samurai and Pocohantas have all played on white guilt where one maverick individual has stood up to the exploitation of a minority. So the plot is fairly predictable at many points as bonds of trust are alternately forged and crushed. And perhaps the movie in its entirety should not have stretched to over two and a half hours given that there are few genuine twists and turns. But Avatar stands out because it manages to encapsulate the tried and tested formula into an epic tale in a fantasy world and makes much more liberal use of the license of science fiction than its counterparts.
Avatar has played upon its status as a technological marvel by marketing itself heavily though predictable channels such as video games and multimedia. This has ensured that it will develop a sort of cult following and it's very likely that the movie will spawn several clones that attempt to piggy-back on its popularity. But irrespective of what kind of film buff you consider yourself, Avatar should be well worth your time. And how can you pass on a movie that everyone will be watching and talking about for months to come anyway?
– Jazib Zahir
*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOM |
