Saturday, January 2, 2010

I went to see 3 idiots and instead saw a Pirate on the horizon

3 Idiots.....

I liked the film. It was good. Just that. Good. Made it to the Good category. By the skin of its teeth. Barely. Not a standout and not quite as smartly and tightly made as the first MunnaBhai. It was a good enough time pass and paisa wasool. Amir's enthusiasm is infectious. Kareena is pretty and has an adequate performance. Madhavan was stellar and the other fellow remained just that "the adequate other fellow". The movie was adequate in all the departments except for... DRUMROLL PLEASE... the darned script. Pesky things those scripts! If only movies did not need scripts we would all be Fellini. It was not a watertight script; which is what I was hoping for, being that there was actually a book published long enough ago, to lift the darned thing from!

And hell yeah, the book (Five Point Someone by chetan Bhagat) is definately the meat and potatoes of the script never mind what VVC and Co contend and froth at the mouth and deny. Anyone... even a pirate with a eyepatch... would be able to tell that if they have read the book and the seen the movie. Without the book, there would have been no skeleton to the story unless Abhijaat Joshi and Chetan Bhagat have some telephatic connection and think the same thoughts at the same time, and put them on paper at the same time... which they dont.

So yes, my appreciation of the movie is tainted by the blatant disregard for someone else's creative idea.

My friend Memsaab tells us about her discomfort with the way Rancho was played. (Go read her blog, she's amazing) I agree with her at the somewhat dissatisfyingly unidimentional Rancho. I think if you dear reader, have read the book you will understand his character (Ryan) better. That character was real, and there was a reason for Ryan being so disturbingly and uncomfortably real.

Was five point someone stellar writing. Hardly. But it was an interesting and original idea and very true of IIT's. 3 Idiots in its dithering between purporting to being an original story and trying to build a tale on the original scaffold built by another architect else, fails in that it is merely good. It could have been taut and brilliant. Unfortunate.

Even more unfortunate, is that VVC comes for a family rife with writers. His nonchalant disregard for what is obviously someone else's creative baby is disturbing and deplorable.

I wonder what Raju Hirani was thinking when he read the script. If in his defence he had not read the book... strange... since EVERYONE in India had, and the book has been around for along enough time, he probably needs to be more of a complete director. He needs to read more. As does Aamir! When you are the captain of the ship, the rigging is really your responsibility.

The rigging was stolen, so is the plunder now stolen riches?

So 3 idiots.. good... I gueeesssssssss.

I need something with a high alcohol content and something else crunchy with a high calorie content to feel better again! I need comfort food and drink!

And how were your New Year celebrations?

9 comments:

memsaab said...

Oh, thanks for the shout out :) You are too kind! I answered your comments re: piracy on my blog and won't repeat them here, but do remember there are always two sides to every story!

Happy New Year, and may you keep blogging away!

Preeti said...

Hi ,
wonderful review , even checked memsaab blog ..:)

there is a lot of debate about the credit, as a creative team they should know how another creative person will feel when his work will be used without proper credits .I am yet to watch the movie .i think as long as I dont go there expecting another RDB i wont be dissapointed.

Happy new year to you ..

Samvedna said...

But Raju Hirani on Tv showed the contract they made with Chetan Bhagat that they hare going to make a movie on his book and they are free to change as they want.

I dont understand why it is being said as stealing the idea or copying the book..as they are doing it legally.

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous new year!!!

Anonymous said...

I have read the book and seen the movie. The movie was initiated by the book, which 3i team has accepted and acknowledged CB for! However, if you leave aside the characters and the basic plot, everything else is different!

I think CB is just being too greedy! After selling off the rights, and signing the contract, I think he got greedy and felt his compensation was not enough for the kind of hit the movie is!!

Well... well... too late! Now, he can just put his foot back in his mouth! I wud really like it if the 3i team when ahead with the law suit against CB. Wud be a good lesson for him!

memsaab said...

Raju Hirani has made this video to clarify:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neHsWIaSVPw

Cheers :)

shashank said...

too good

Anonymous said...

CB chose the wrong time to air his views. He should have done that when he was signing on the dotted line. Now, it just seems tactless and attention-mongering.
Having said that, VVC's lashing out at the press and the claim that the movie is only 3-5% taken from the book is also nonsense. There are definite similarities and especially Sharman Joshi's entire track was taken from the book (only the suicide came at a different time in the movie.)

And thank you for the word "unidimensional" to describe the Rancho/Foonsook (Phunsuk?) Wangdoo character. I left the theater with no feelings for him in particular and I just couldn't some up with the word for it!

Happy New Year to you too!

Rajlakshmi said...

guess they have now become the 3 idiots.. i mean Amir's camp... definately more credit must be given to CB... as it was his original idea...
loved the movie though :)

Disha said...

Different point of view.
I liked what you wrote. Pretty strong.

And in all possibility, I couldn't agree more.

Even though I think CB is highly overrated.

Nice blog!