A childhood favorite, having watched the movie several times with my family, it felt fascinating and strangely rewarding to revisit and analyze it through a different lens. The film centers around the lives of three friends attending one of the top engineering universities in the country, yet only one is passionate about his chosen career path. It serves as a social commentary and critique on the current educational system in India while still being funny and heartfelt.
The film explores the impact and effectiveness of the teaching methodology in shaping the learning climate in educational institutes. While the purpose of education may be to create more aware, well-developed, and passionate students by transferring skills and knowledge to them, the movie shows how this purpose has been completely lost and toppled. This purpose has been degraded and reduced to nothing more than mere grades or positions. The film also focuses on the role of capitalism on the social implications of grades, degrees, and universities. People tend to pick majors based on their value to the job market instead of pursuing their passion. As a result, these institutions produce brainwashed commodities, slaves to the corporate world.
The film also touches upon the capacity of educational pressures to impact mental health by showing students struggling with academic and familial pressures. India has one of the highest rates of suicide amongst students, and that is no coincidence. The quantification of success and chronic lack of sympathy within educational institutions is dehumanizing and detrimental for society. Thus, “3 idiots” serves as a brutal reminder for us to do better.
I recommend you watch this film again and look for these themes.