Introduction
All is well. Or, more accurately, “aal izz well.” These three words encapsulate the message of 3 Idiots, a Bollywood movie about the lives of three engineering undergraduate students in India struggling to navigate a hostile educational system. I first discovered 3 Idiots as a high school senior. COVID-19 robbed my class and me of the most exciting parts of senior year, and I became stressed over many things — impending AP exams, leaving the familiarity of high school, and proving that I was worthy of my Georgetown acceptance letter. But watching 3 Idiots during this time served as a reminder that there is more to life than just material success.
Released in 2009, Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots was a huge financial success, shattering records of previous top-grossing Bollywood films and performing exceptionally well in American markets. After viewing the film, I could absolutely understand why. From a technical perspective, 3 Idiots is an excellent film. It has likable characters in the form of college students — Farhan, who wants to pursue his passion for wildlife photography rather than the more ‘respected’ field of engineering, Raju, who struggles to overcome his fear of failure, and Rancho, the carefree eternal idealist. Altogether, they make up our titular three “idiots.” It has catchy music numbers and a score that fits the tone of the film. The movie perfectly mixes tones throughout its progression: moments of hilarity combine with moments of tension and blend together in a way which makes the film enjoyable. Perhaps most importantly, 3 Idiots embodies simple yet powerful messages: do not be afraid of failure, focus on excellence over success, and do what brings you happiness.
These messages might not seem very novel, and indeed, they are not. Yet, too often, society pressures us to disregard these messages. Understanding the true power of 3 Idiots requires examining the context in which the film was made: the Indian education system.
A Closer Analysis
TW: This section contains mentions of suic*de.
The Indian education system has been relayed to me through horror stories from my parents and my classmates. It places unrealistic pressures on students andstories of students committing suicide from depression over grades or from academic stress are not uncommon. There are several elements which make this system toxic, many of which 3 Idiots critiques.
The first of these is the struggle between memorization and learning. In the film, the regurgitation of facts and definitions is presented as the norm which, as Rancho demonstrates in one of the most infamous scenes of the film, is useless if a person does not understand what they are memorizing. This introduces a second dichotomy of studying for excellence versus studying for success. Within the Indian education system, where memorization is the means of learning, pursuing excellence is difficult. However, 3 Idiots explains that pursuing excellence is not only followed naturally by success, but also restores the joy and excitement which should be present in learning. The film also tackles the tension between good grades and good ideas as the former are prioritized at the expense of the latter. This occurs both in real life, as seen by the immense weight test scores have on determining a student’s future, and in the film, and seen through the actions of the film’s antagonist, university dean Dr. Virus, who impresses upon all of his students that they are irrelevant unless they have the highest grades, discouraging creative pursuits even when they lead to new discoveries. This feeds into the third dichotomy the film exposes: being respectable versus enjoyable endeavors. One of Farhan’s main struggles throughout the film revolves around his reluctance to pursue engineering, a subject he despises. However, he knows it will earn him respect, while his dream of being a wildlife photographer is frowned upon for its comparatively lower salary.
Aal Izz Well
3 Idiots not only names these dichotomies but offers an ideology to combat them — “all is well,” exaggerated to be pronounced “aal izz well.” This simple phrase, as explained by Rancho, involves tricking yourself in the face of adversity into thinking that all is, in fact, well. As the film makes clear with the struggles its characters must overcome, this phrase, while simple, is often difficult to realize but rewarding.
Now, this phrase is not true in a literal sense, and the film does a good job of addressing this. For instance, Raju’s family is impoverished, while Rancho comes from a very wealthy background. Raju does not have the same luxury and must pursue success to get a good job. Furthermore, Farhan must decide if he will pursue his dream career as doing so would upset his family and potentially lessen his earnings. But the idea of “all is well” is not about tricking yourself into blissful ignorance, but rather giving yourself the courage to tackle your problems. Whether that be an external problem, such as Raju’s need for a well-paying job, or an internal one, such as Farhan’s battle to choose what he wants over what society wants for him, finding a sense of inner peace without a concern for the demands of the world provides needed clarity.
Hustle Culture
Since entering college and being exposed to hustle culture, I have come to appreciate 3 Idiots even more. At Georgetown, where the achievements of alumni are lauded, where it feels like everyone is always doing something impressive, and where 7,000 undergraduates, most of whom were in the top 10 of their class in high school, are all trying to earn top grades in classes where sometimes only 40% of the class can get an A- or A, it can be extremely easy to become overwhelmed with stress. On the national level, falling victim to college hustle culture is unfortunately also easy. If every college student were to watch 3 Idiots, they would find not only an engaging, funny, and dramatic film, but also a film that reminds them that they can take a step back and realize that we are not defined by accolades, that we should pursue our passions over what looks the most impressive, and that we can overcome the challenges that we are faced with, and that all will, in fact, be well.
Sources
“2 Teens Commit Suicide over Exam Stress in MP.” Hindustan Times, March 3, 2016. https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/2-teens-commit-suicide-over-exam-stress-in-mp/story-sQ8sAsqT02DXJPNLbvgOWO.html.
3 Idiots. Reliance BIG Pictures, 2009.
Ebenezer, Jessenth. “Why the Indian Education System Sucks the MOST out of the Lot.” Medium, January 19, 2018. https://medium.com/@jessenthebenezer/why-the-indian-education-system-sucks-the-most-out-of-the-lot-71d16bedc7ea.
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Tyler, Madison. “More College Students Are Saying No to Hustle Culture, Because Our Mental Health Depends on It.” POPSUGAR Smart Living, March 12, 2021. https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/why-hustle-culture-is-toxic-48208183.